The Community Foundation of Henderson County awarded grants to five local nonprofit organizations at a New Year Celebration Giving Event on Jan. 8.
The grant awards were the largest given to date from the Unrestricted Community Fund through CFH and represented at least one or more of the four pillars of the Community Foundation of Henderson, which are educating, caring, inspiring and improving, according to a release the organization posted on its Facebook page.
“Absolutely every request for funds was a worthy cause and project which reveals just how great our non-profits are in serving our community, so it was difficult and painful not to fund every request,” said Mark B. Weaver, the president of CFH.
The five recipients and their amounts are as follows:
• Habitat for Humanity of Henderson received $5,000 to continue the Habitat Voucher Program. The Habitat Voucher program works with 12 other nonprofit agencies to provide $200 vouchers to low-income Henderson residents so that they can come to the Habitat ReStore and receive essential household items.
• W.C. Handy Festival (Music Preservation Society) received $5,000 to continue the four-day 34th annual blues and barbecue event held in June that honors the father of blues and a former Henderson resident, W.C. Handy.
• East Heights Elementary School received $7,500 to enhance the STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art & Math) curriculum by creating a hands-on, technology rich environment in the East Heights library. In the program, students can hone in on skills that will help them become creative, productive leaders in the future, said the release. The grant will help fund products such as 3D printers, interactive light walls, games with critical thinking, and over-sized building blocks to put the design and structural process directly in the hands of students, the release said.
• Junior Achievement received $7,500 to help fund the JA Miss Business program created to help young women develop into corporate and community leaders. Girls selected for the program learn entrepreneurship, preparing for their financial future, why character counts, and learning about high-growth, high-demand careers, particularly those in STEM fields, according to the release.
• St. Anthony’s Hospice received $15,000 to help sustain and grow its goal of increasing use of its palliative care program in the community which is currently not covered by Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement in the home setting. The benefit comes from patients choosing hospice earlier in their terminal care and improving quality of life for the patient and families, said the release.
“Not only does this celebrate the good work of area non-profits, but this announcement further celebrates those giving to the endowed Unrestricted Community Fund through CFH, enabling increased contributions and further impact on the local community and non-profits in perpetuity,” added Weaver.
CFH is an affiliate foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. For more information, visit cfhenderson.org.
