ACF approves more than $60K in third round of emergency response funding during coronavirus outbreak
This week, Akron Community Foundation announced $62,000 in grants to assist nonprofits during the coronavirus outbreak through its Community Response Fund for Nonprofits. This latest round of grants was approved by a sub-committee of the foundation's board of directors and brings the foundation's cumulative emergency nonprofit funding to nearly $150,000 since the response fund was established in mid-March. The fund has also grown to nearly $500,000 in assets.
This round of funding includes a $5,000 grant to support Summa Health System and provide meals and personal protective equipment, including N95 masks, to frontline caregivers. The funding will also be used to develop strategies to better diagnose and treat the COVID-19 virus. The health system has implemented free COVID-19 screening and has conducted nearly 4,000 telehealth visits. A 24/7 coronavirus hotline is also staffed by clinical providers.
"We are deeply grateful to Akron Community Foundation for awarding $5,000 to Summa Health's COVID-19 Fund," said Dr. Cliff Deveny, Summa Health president and chief executive officer. "With your help, we are diligently supporting our patients and keeping our frontline caregivers safe. We are humbled by the countless donations from organizations throughout our community of personal protective equipment, food, financial contributions and homemade masks. Because of the help from our community partners, we are able to focus on quality, compassionate care to those in need."
An additional $5,000 will allow the Battered Women's Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 for its victims of domestic violence. This grant will help provide additional cleaning equipment for the shelter to remain safe and sanitized during the current health crisis.
Though many cases of domestic violence go unreported, in 2018, the state of Ohio had more than 75,000 domestic dispute calls to authorities. Most Ohio victims of abuse were Caucasian and African American with a median age of 18-40. In the same year, the Battered Women's Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties accommodated 37,183 overnight stays for victims of domestic abuse and their children.
"The 'stay at home' orders and increased stress within families due to the current health crisis unfortunately create a perfect storm for domestic violence to occur," said Terri Heckman, executive director for the Battered Women's Shelter of Summit and Medina County. "Our doors must remain open and our shelter must remain virus free to safely serve this community. Each day, the shelter uses more than 360 paper plates, cups, napkins and sets of plastic cutlery. Additionally, our employees wear gloves and masks, while cleaning all common areas on a two-hour rotation. These additional needs have caused financial hardship for our shelter and Akron Community Foundation's funding has been a lifesaver."
Another $3,500 will support crisis services as a result of COVID-19 for the Recovery Center of Medina County. Funding will be used to help those in crisis find stable housing, food, medicine, and transportation. The recovery center currently provides support services for approximately 200 community members recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. During the pandemic, the center is conducting on-on-one counseling in place of its regular group meetings to continue to provide personalized support to its clients.
Akron Community Foundation will award grants through its Community Response Fund for Nonprofits on a continual basis to help combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Summit and Medina County. For more information about the Community Response Fund for Nonprofits, visit www.akroncf.org/communityresponsefundinfo.
Below is a complete list of grants awarded:
ACCESS Inc., for COVID-19 expenses and operational support during the health crisis, $5,000
AxessPointe Community Health Center, to deliver virtual services to patients as a result of COVID-19, $5,000
Battered Women's Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 for its shelter's victims of domestic violence, $5,000
Broken Chains Ministry, to support emergency general operating expenses for the Summit County women's opiate recovery program, $3,500
Coleman Professional Services, for psychological first aid and mental health triage among providers throughout Summa Health System, $1,500
Community Health Center, to implement addiction recovery services using telehealth technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, $2,500
Family Promise of Summit County Inc., to provide vouchers for extended-stay hotels for families facing homelessness and utility and supply expenses at the Glendora House, $5,000
Ohio Living Rockynol, to support emergency staffing shortage as a result of COVID-19, $3,000
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, to support reproductive healthcare for patients in Summit County during the COVID-19 pandemic, $5,000
Portage Path Behavioral Health, to support implementation of telehealth for mental health and addiction treatment, $5,000
Recovery Center of Medina County, to support crisis services as a result of COVID-19, $3,500
Stark State College Foundation, to help cover basic needs and technology costs for post-secondary students, $3,000
Summa Health System, to provide meals and personal protective equipment, including N95 masks, to frontline caregivers and develop strategies to better diagnose and treat the COVID-19 virus, $5,000
Salvation Army of Summit County, to support and sustain basic needs services to citizens of Summit County, $5,000
Well Community Development Corporation, to support a rental assistance fund for tenants and vulnerable families at Mason Park Community Learning Center, $5,000
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 64 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of more than $238 million with a growing family of more than 670 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation's funds have awarded nearly $173 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.