Green Community Fund awards $25,000 in grants

$10,000 impact grant will support renovations at Green Family YMCA

On Friday, March 6, the Green Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation awarded eight grants totaling $25,000 to nonprofit programs serving Green residents. This year's total includes a $10,000 impact grant to the Green Family YMCA to support facility renovations, including resurfacing the aquatic center ceiling and columns and replacing the flooring and lockers in multiple spaces.

"The Green Family Y has been a staple in the Green community for over 25 years, and approximately 25% of the Green community are members," said Brian Bidlingmyer, chief development officer. "The facility has been well-used and loved throughout the years, and it is time to reinvest in our YMCA."

Jaclyn Beckwith, chair of the Green Community Fund's grantmaking committee, provided insight into the fund's decision to award an impact grant this year, saying, "Green is a generous community. Over the past few years, generous individuals, families and businesses have really stepped up to allow us to continue awarding more grants each year. For that reason, we felt it was only right to award our first impact grant to an organization that benefits our entire community."

Two local students, Audrey Bishop and Brennan Green, were selected to participate in this year's grantmaking process and were surprised by the number of organizations that requested and received assistance. Green said, "I enjoyed the opportunity to sit in on such a powerful meeting and learn about different parts of the community. Even though Audrey and I were the youngest people in the room, everyone valued our opinion."

Other grant recipients this year include Embracing Futures, which received funding to provide an oral health education program for students in Green Local Schools. Additionally, a grant to Green Good Neighbors will be used to purchase basic hygiene products, including bars of soap and rolls of toilet paper, for Green residents.

The following is a complete list of organizations receiving grants this year:

Broken Chains Ministry, to support workforce development, financial literacy, and family reconciliation programs for women recovering from substance abuse, $1,500
Embracing Futures, to support an oral health education program at Green Local Schools, $1,500
First Tee – Greater Akron, to purchase signage and promotional materials, $1,500
Green Family YMCA, to support facility renovations at the Green Family YMCA, $10,000
Green Family YMCA, to support a low ropes course at Camp Y-Noah, $1,000
Green Good Neighbors, to provide hygiene essentials like soap and toilet paper to Green residents, $5,000
Greensburg United Methodist Church, to support early education through the Loving Hands preschool program, $3,000
Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center, to provide emergency shelter and crisis intervention services for Green residents impacted by domestic violence, $1,500

About Green Community Fund
Established during the city's 30th anniversary year in 2022, the Green Community Fund is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the city by supporting meaningful civic and community initiatives. The fund is committed to serving as a catalyst for needed projects in the Green community, funding nonprofit organizations that serve local residents, and championing philanthropy throughout the community. Since its inception, the fund has grown to nearly $400,000 while reinvesting $40,000 into the community. For more information, or to contribute to the Green Community Fund, visit greencommunityfund.org.

About Akron Community Foundation
For 70 years, Akron Community Foundation has been our community's champion and generator of enduring philanthropy. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of $350 million with a growing family of nearly 930 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 $271 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 akroncf.org.