Community Foundation Grants More than $62,000

MT. PLEASANT, MI - The Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees recently awarded $62,673.54 in grants to organizations impacting Isabella County.

Art Reach of Mid Michigan received $1,342.18 from the Russ Herron Poetry Fund and $7.82 from the Ruth S. and Gerard R. Felter and Florence F. Battenfeld Family Fund for the Wellsprings Literary Series, a partnership program between CMU's English Department and Art Reach where published poets can share their latest works.

Beal City Public Schools received $1,000 from the Barbara L. and George W. Dunn Family Fund, $1,000 from the Kellogg Youth Fund, and $1,560 from the Morning Sun Community Fund for an online math and English learning system that will provide differentiated instruction for students ranging from seventh grade to graduation.

City of Mt. Pleasant received $20,000 from the W.E. Martin Fund to support the building of an amphitheater in Island Park. Mt. Pleasant High School student, Taylor Idema, hopes the amphitheater will be used for numerous things, including outdoor theatre, outdoor dance-studio performances, band concerts, ceremonies, art displays, holiday events, poetry readings, children’s programs, and nature talks.

Community Compassion Network received $3,330 from the Community Impact Fund and $1,670 from the W. Sidney Smith and Judith French Smith Family Fund for supplemental food assistance. CCN serves approximately 225 families every two weeks.

Eagle Village, Inc. received $3,590 from the Community Impact Fund, and $1,410 from the G. Charles and Janice L. Hubscher Fund for intervention camp scholarships for Isabella County youth who are struggling in their school or community.

Hopewell Ranch received $500 from the Janice Cotter Endowment Fund to support its mission.

Isabella County Child Advocacy Center received $413 from the Community Impact Fund, $1,000 from the Kellogg Youth Fund, and $725 from the Theunissen Family Fund for a soundproofing and invisible audio project which will aide in investigations of childhood sexual abuse.

Isabella County Child Advocacy Center received $800 from the Women's Initiative Fund to provide ten “Safe Sleep Survival Kits” to low-income families who are not able to purchase a crib for their infant. This project is in partnership with Cribs for Kids, a national organization with more than 650 partners which focuses on safe sleep education, bereavement support, and providing safe sleep survival kits to those in need.

Montabella Community Schools received $585.54 from the Montabella Community Schools Education Fund to purchase headphones with microphones for their Spanish classes.

Mount Pleasant Little League received $575.27 from the Bandit Industries Community Fund, $2,197 from the Community Impact Fund, $2,327.73 from the Lon Morey Family Fund, and $900 from the Michael D. and Dianne C. Morey Community Needs Fund for necessary concession stand updates. Concession stand proceeds help to keep Little League costs low for participants.

Mt. Pleasant Community Church received $4,000 from the Community Impact Fund, $355 from the Fabiano Family Fund, $815 from the Elizabeth Z. Miller & Bruce H. LaPointe Community Needs Fund, and $830 from the Jerry M. and Marilyn A. Morey Community Fund to provide personal and household products to families living in poverty through The Care Store.

Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan received $650 from the Community Impact Fund, $1,250 from the Kellogg Youth Fund, and $600 from the Missy and Doug LaBelle Family Foundation Community Impact Fund to provide “a home away from home” for Isabella County families traveling to Grant Rapids for critical medical and mental health treatment for their children.

Sacred Heart Parish received $1,900 from the McGuirk Family Fund to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator Machine (AED).

Shepherd United Methodist Church received $1,430 from the Shepherd Community Fund in Honor of Robert Bates to support “The Village Messenger,” a free quarterly newsletter that supplies 3,000 Shepherd residents with news, event notices, and local information.

Village of Shepherd, Shepherd Police Department received $910 from the Shepherd Community Fund in Honor of Robert Bates to support an outreach program, which involves four specific programs at Shepherd Public Schools. These programs include: Operation SYRUP, SHINE, Fight like a Young Man, and Cop Talk. All programs focus on planting the seeds of greatness in every student.

Young Life received $5,000 from the Kellogg Youth Fund to support mentoring for sixth grade students at Mt. Pleasant Middle School. A variety of these programs provide opportunities for adult mentors to help students make quality choices and develop sound decision making skills.

Applications for the next competitive grant cycle are due January 24, 2018. For more information on grant eligibility, and ways to support the endowed funds that make these grants possible, visit www.mpacf.org.