A fall grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson County will help install handicapped playground equipment at a Seymour park.
Another will provide weekend meals for children throughout Jackson County.
Yet another fall grant will help buy a rescue strut system for the Pershing Township Volunteer Fire Department.
The grants are among 18 awarded through the foundation’s fall grant program. The grants totaled $54,924.
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The Arc of Jackson County received a $3,000 grant for installation of handicap-accessible playground equipment at Gaiser Park on the south side of Seymour. The project is being completed in conjunction with the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department and the Cars and Guitars committee.
“We believe this will provide a positive social setting in addition to physical activity,” said Jim Shepherd, president of The Arc board of directors. “We believe this will also serve as an attraction to Gaiser Park.”
The foundation approved a $7,500 grant to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana to fund its BackSacks Weekend Food for Kids program at schools in Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour.
Feeding America reports that 16.6% of children living in Jackson County now face food insecurity, meaning they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from or when, according to the Gleaners grant application.
“This totals to 1,780 kids facing the harsh reality of chronic hunger,” said Greg Fennig, president of the Gleaners board of directors. “Children experiencing chronic hunger are more likely to be sick as a result of poor overall health.”
The program aims to reduce self-reported hunger, improve students’ ability to concentrate, reduce absenteeism and improve academic performance.
The BackSacks program provides packs of food that students from kindergarten through sixth grade can take home for weekend meals. Packs are sent home with 216 students in 12 participating schools: Brownstown elementary and middle schools, Crothersville elementary and middle schools, Medora Elementary School and Brown, Jackson and Redding elementary schools in Seymour.
Pershing Township firefighters plan to buy a rescue strut system with its $3,500 grant.
"The system will help firefighters free motorists trapped in wrecked vehicles," Fire Chief Ben Rudolph said.
“We do not have any way to stabilize a motor vehicle after it has been involved in a crash,” Rudolph added. “This is an extreme safety hazard to firefighters, as often, vehicles involved in a collision are extremely unstable, thus presenting a rollover hazard that could trap and pin firefighters.”
Such conditions are worse and more likely to pose a problem in hilly areas such as Pershing, Owen and Salt Creek townships in northwest Jackson County. Pershing firefighters provide mutual aid outside of the township.
"These grants along with the 15 others provide a wide swath of impact across Jackson County," said Dan Davis, president and chief executive officer of the foundation.
“The foundation’s grant committee, board of directors and staff work hard to ensure that our unrestricted and field of interest earnings provide as large an impact as possible throughout Jackson County,” he added.
The grant committee strives to ensure grant dollars see a wide distribution and impact, said Priscilla Wischmeier, chairwoman of the foundation’s board of directors and grant committee.
“This year, we’ve approved grants that will assist projects and programs in Brownstown, Crothersville, Pershing Township, Medora and Seymour,” she said.
Earnings from community and field of interest funds generated through prudent investment of the endowed gifts from individuals and businesses fund the fall grant cycle.
A portion of the earnings from those investments remain in the endowed funds to protect against inflation, while other earnings become grant dollars that are awarded through impact grants, president’s grants and classroom education grants.
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The following grants recently were approved by the Community Foundation of Jackson County:
The Arc of Jackson County, $3,000 for handicap-accessible playground equipment at Gaiser Park in Seymour
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Indiana, $1,500 for one-to-one mentoring program
Boys and Girls Club of Seymour, $2,500 for MyClubHub, a new database
Brownstown/Ewing Main Street, $2,000 for a downtown banner project
Child Care Network Inc., $1,000 for Kids Fest 2020 and $1,880 for a community baby shower event
Developmental Services Inc., $2,500 for a part-time fitness instructor
Freeman Field Municipal Airport Authority, $5,000 for Tuskegee Airmen Memorial statues
Girls Inc. of Jackson County, $1,000 for the Friendly PEERsuasion program
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc., $7,500 for the BackSacks Weekend Food for Kids program at schools in Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour
Jackson County Community Theatre, $2,611 for awning work
Jackson County History Center, $3,000 for remodeling work at the museum
Matthew 25 Street Ministries, $8,500 for a van
Mental Health America of Jackson County, $4,000 for a suicide awareness program
Pershing Township Volunteer Fire Department, $3,500 to help purchase a rescue strut system for motor vehicle stabilization
Seymour Museum Center, $433 for shelving
Southern Indiana Center for the Arts, $3,500 for spring break art camp
Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, $1,500 for client services financial assistance program
Two other funds administered by the foundation contributed earnings for the 2019 fall grant cycle: The Schneider Nursery Inc. Unrestricted Community Fund and the Orville and Mary Schnitker Memorial Endowment.
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The Community Foundation of Jackson County administers the following unrestricted endowed funds:
- Aisin USA Mfg. Inc. Endowment
- The Donn Bishop Memorial Endowment
- The Don Bollinger Memorial Fund
- Jackson County Community Endowment
- Jackson County Unrestricted Endowment
- The Bob and Kate Hall Endowment
- Thomas J. Lantz/Montgomery, Elsner and Pardieck Community Endowment
- Psi Iota Xi Sorority, Alpha Beta Chapter Endowment
- Potts Family Endowment
- SIHO Insurance Services Community Endowment
- Virginia G. Otto Endowment Fund
- Irwin Union Bank and Trust Co. Fund
- The Larry and Joanne Sunbury Community Endowment
- The Michael and Ardith Fleetwood Unrestricted Endowment
- The Nehrt Family Community Endowment
- The Mary Evelyn Mellencamp Memorial Fund
- The Mark and Sue Smith Community Endowment
- The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 655 Community Fund
- The John and Kay Beatty Community Endowment
- The Seymour Oktoberfest Community Endowment
- The Schneider Nursery Community Endowment
The Community Foundation of Jackson County administers the following field of interest funds:
- The Cartwright Endowment for the Arts (performing arts)
- Granger H. and Ruth M. Smith Drug Abuse Prevention Fund
- Carl Hemmer Memorial Fund (performing arts)
- Tri Kappa Endowment (charity, culture and education)
- The Shelter Fund (homelessness)
- Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Charitable Endowment for Education
- The Jackson County Youth Foundation
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