Four County Community Foundation recently awarded $45,000 in fourth-quarter grants to schools and other non-profit groups in the communities they serve. The Foundation accepts competitive requests four times per year. Requests are reviewed by committees comprised of the Board of Trustees, the Emeritus Board, volunteers, and YAC students.
Almont Middle School students will experience a Super U! Challenge assembly designed to actively encourage positive behavior throughout the school year. Dryden High School math students will participate in a geometry design and scaling project, and Imlay City Weston Elementary students will have a chance to experience a week-long Writing Olympiad with author-illustrator, Alan St. Jean. The grants were awarded from the Foundations 21st Century education funds that specifically target progressive ideas in education.
The Foundation’s largest fund, the Four County Fund awarded to five groups. A grant to the Dryden Township Fire Department will help cover the cost of an air-filtration system for Station 2, located on Dryden Road. A second grant from the fund will be used toward the purchase of performance apparel for Imlay City Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Middle School Bands. The current tuxedos are more than 20 years old!
A Four County grant will be used to purchase a new round-pen for the Reining in Warriors Ranch. The Metamora ranch’s round-pen creates a safe training environment for veterans and active-duty military personnel as they work with horses to overcome physical and mental concerns. Finally, the Four County Fund, along with the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) awarded a grant to the Romeo Rotary Club to support an Eagle Scout musical playground project for Ray Township Park. The ambitious plan is to purchase and install six accessible musical instruments in the park, including tuned drums, pagoda bells, and contrabass chimes. Listen for the sound of music coming from the Park in 2020.
Three grants were awarded from the Foundation’s Healthy Senior-Healthy Youth Fund. The first grant will help the Richmond United Methodist Church in their work to provide weekly supplemental food to disadvantaged children attending Richmond Community Schools. A grant to Samaritan House will support the 2019 Sharing Tree in Washington Township. The Sharing Tree ensures a quality Christmas celebration by affording gifts and a traditional holiday meal for area families in need. The fund also awarded a grant to the Romeo High School SERVE Club for their preschool Santa Breakfast.
Four County Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) awarded four grants this quarter. YAC grants are awarded from the WK Kellogg Fund to groups who address challenges identified by the committee in their Student Needs Assessment, conducted every three years. A Kellogg grant was awarded to Almont Middle School for “The Magic of Hope,” an assembly to address mental health concerns, bullying, and coping with stress. Capac Community Schools received funding for much-needed bleachers at the softball and baseball diamonds in the community, and Dryden Junior/Senior High School was awarded a grant to guarantee a safe and fun-filled graduation night in 2020. The fourth YAC grant went to the Romeo Rotary Club as described above.
Four County Community Foundation was founded in 1987 with $2.5 million from the sale of the Community Hospital. Since then, the Foundation has grown to more than 120 funds, over $16 million in assets, and has returned $9 million to local communities in the form of grants and scholarships. In 2019 alone, the Foundation has invested over a half million dollars into the community in the form of grants and scholarships! Planned gifts and donations of any size are always welcome, as the Foundation works to allocate funds for good, forever, for everyone! For more information on how you can support Four County Community Foundation, visit 4ccf.michigangiving.org or call 810-798-0909.