HANCOCK COUNTY — The Women’s Fund of Hancock County, a giving circle of the Hancock County Community Foundation, presented grant awards during the Power of the Purse on Aug. 23 at Adaggio’s Banquet Hall. Created by the foundation, Women’s Fund members address needs and issues affecting women and families. Self-sufficiency is a priority. The Women’s Fund is driven by a circle of women and girls committed to strengthening Hancock County communities. Knowing that combined efforts have greater impact, dedicated members pool their gifts of any size meaningful to them. A portion of each gift is permanently invested in the Irene Walrod Curry Endowment Fund to ensure sustainability, and a portion is available for annual grant-making.
A total of $27,237.84 was granted to the following organizations:
1) Women’s Resource Center — $13,618.92
The Women’s Resource Center provides mentoring, guidance, and connection to programs and services that help women and their families achieve self-sufficiency. The WRC is now an Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence partner agency, allowing the agency to specifically assist women who are fleeing domestic violence or rebuilding their lives as survivors by connecting them to economic justice funds, resources for housing, and legal assistance to help ensure their safety. The agency recently launched the Every Girl has a Dream mentoring program that will pair screened, trained adult mentors with teens in the community to be role models.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
2) Mental Health Partners — $6,160.94
Mental Health Partners Heroin Protocol Program was implemented in March 2016 to combat the 100% failure rate of individuals with heroin addictions on probation. Heroin Protocol participants are mandated to reside in a recovery house for the first 90 days of their probation, where they receive structure, support, and substance abuse treatment. Mental Health Partners collaborates with Hancock County Probation for the Heroin Protocol Program by paying the initial fee and providing bedding, clothing and personal care to each of the participants.
3) Love INC of Greater Hancock County — $3,891.12
Love INC Safe Families for Children is a program that helps parents, the majority being single moms, who are facing a crisis situation. That crisis can be anything from unemployment to homelessness to medical crisis and more. Safe Families for Children provides volunteer host families to host the child(ren) while the parent stabilizes their crisis situation. Safe Families for Children also provides a Family Coach who not only walks through the hosting with the host family(ies) and children, but also walks alongside the parents to get through the crisis. The goal at the end of every hosting with Safe Families is that the parent has met his/her goals and families are reunited. Safe Families has a 97% reunification rate.
4) Hope Center Indy, $3,566.86
Hope Center Indy (HCI) strives to provide a safe, faith-based refuge to women over 18 who are survivors of Human Sex Trafficking. HCI’s unique programming meets the women where they are. The residents live in a holistic community where each can initiate a healing process within a safe and loving family atmosphere and be provided free housing, food and clothing. The purpose of the Pet Hotel will be to first and foremost house service animals and animals in training to become a source of therapy for the residents. A goal for this project will also be to rescue animals from local shelters and select them, based on their temperament, for training to become future service animals. The Pet Hotel will provide several services to the public, and residents will be encouraged to serve and assist as they learn the trade and small business skills. Some of the services the Pet Hotel will provide are: overnight pet boarding, animal grooming, dog training, and veterinarian care.
HCCF 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 that is distributed in the form of grants and scholarships to enrich and enhance life in Hancock County, as well as, the donor’s favorite charitable causes, both at home and afar forever. The foundation has granted more than $14 million since its inception in 1992.
