HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County Community Foundation recently granted some $175,000 in funds to more than 40 nonprofit organizations through its annual spring grant cycle.
The spring cycle draws from dozens of funds, some of which are dedicated to providing funding to specific needs, but also from sources called unrestricted funds, which are used to address a broad range of needs, including future needs that can’t be anticipated, officials said. Some 36 grants were drawn from the various unrestricted funds the community foundation manages, said Katie Ottinger, community investment and grants officer.
One agency benefiting from the unrestricted funds is The Landing Place, a downtown safe haven for teens that hosts weekly meetings pairing worship with a recovery program for whatever troubles teens face — whether it’s drugs, depression, anger or family problems.
Founder Linda Ostewig hopes to transform the teen-focused space into a county hub for recovery for people of all ages, and with that goal in mind, Ostewig applied for grant funding to train all her employees and several volunteers to be certified recovery coaches, she said.
The Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse provides training for individuals to become certified addiction recovery coaches, and Ostewig wrote a grant application for $3,000 of the $6,000 cost of training her staff and volunteers in the curriculum, she said.
Stan DeKemper, ICAADA executive director, provided the training to some 15 to 16 individuals, Ostewig said. Several of those individuals will finish their certification process later this month, she said.
Nonprofits that received unrestricted grant funding from the community foundation vary widely in their focus and who they benefit, officials said.
Girls on the Run of Central Indiana received a $2,500 grant from the foundation, which it will use to cover the registration costs for girls who would not otherwise be able to participate, said executive director Lorri Brune.
Girls on the Run is a 10-week program for girls in third through eighth grade that teaches a specific curriculum with lessons on things like body image, self-esteem, how to be a good friend and more, all while helping the girls train for a 5K run at the end of the program, Brune said.
In Girls on the Run Central Indiana’s eight-county coverage area, some 700 girls participated during the last full school year, she said.
Girls on the Run has local programs in several Hancock County Schools, including Greenfield-Central Community Schools Corp. and Eastern Hancock Schools Corp., Brune said.
The Hancock County Community Foundation provides philanthropic leadership by encouraging giving, learning, community pride and civic engagement. Working with caring individuals, families, and organizations to create or grow existing permanent endowment funds is critical to the organization’s mission. These funds generate income distributed through grants and scholarships to enrich and enhance life in Hancock County, as well as support the donor’s favorite charitable causes, both at home and afar forever. The foundation has granted more than $13 million since its inception in 1992.
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The following nonprofit organizations received unrestricted grant funding from the Hancock County Community Foundation through its spring grant cycle:
Shares, Inc.
Meals on Wheels of Hancock County
Greenfield Main Street, Inc.
Talitha Koum a division of Friends of Recovery Inc.
Hancock Health
Hancock County Senior Services
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.
Hancock County Children’s Choir, Ltd.
Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources, Inc.
Dani’s Dreams Innovation in Education Corp.
Aspire Indiana, Inc.
CASA Program of Madison County, Indiana, Inc. (d/b/a East Central Indiana CASA)
Hancock County Historical Society
The Landing Place
Hands of Hope Adoption & Orphan Care Ministry, Inc.
Riley Old Home Society
Family to Family dba Family Voices Indiana
Girls on the Run of Central Indiana
Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen
Tangram, Inc.
Greenfield Veterans Honor Guard Inc.
Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House Foundation
Special Olympics Indiana Hancock County
Information and Referral Network, Inc, dba Connect2Help211
Cross of Grace Lutheran Church
Bentley’s Buddies and Friends
St. Michael Catholic Church
Miami Valley Lutheran Housing Association of Indiana dba Good Shepherd Housing Community
The Salvation Army
FUSE Inc
Hancock County COAD
American Red Cross
Nameless Creek Youth Camp, Inc.
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