Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund awards record $23,508 in annual grants to nonprofits serving women, children
Grants support the educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of local women and children
The Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation recently awarded $23,508 in grants to eight local nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of Medina County’s women and children. This year’s round of grants represents the largest amount awarded in a single year in the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund’s 22-year history. Since its inception in 1998, the fund has awarded more than $210,000 in grants to improve the lives of local women and children.
This year’s funding includes a $10,000 impact grant to the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties to help renovate its Medina County shelter and provide safe housing suites for victims and families of domestic abuse.
The Medina County shelter renovations are expected to be complete by December 2020 and will accommodate families of four with 1,460 nights of shelter each year.
"We are very excited that through the compassion and leadership of the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund, our first family suite has been sponsored," said Terri Heckman CEO of the Battered Women’s Shelter & Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina County. "The suite will consist of new flooring, paint, built in bunkbeds and a commercial dresser which will last for years to come. The generous support from the fund will do so much more than merely remodel a room, it will help to transform thousands of lives, free from abuse."
Another impact grant of $2,500 was awarded to OhioGuidestone to support the development of the Medina County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board’s new recovery housing facility for women. This funding will specifically be used to build an outdoor play area for children visiting family members at the facility.
OhioGuidestone will operate the Medina County ADAMH’s recovery housing and provide services such as substance use disorder and mental health counseling; job placement assistance; referrals to alternative community work; and additional assistance as needed.
"We are so grateful to accept this funding to help create a welcoming and relaxing backyard area for the women residing at our recovery house," said Melissa Romain, director of Medina County programs for OhioGuidestone. "We look forward to them enjoying time with their families during visits and using the outdoor space for calm and joyful activities. Although our building progress has been delayed by recommendations to limit the spread of COVID-19, we continue to plan for opening in 2020 and will move forward with utilizing the funding to create a wonderful outdoor space to greet the women as soon as they move in."
Other grants from the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund this year will support the educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of local women and children.
"Over the past several years, we’ve been able to continually increase our grantmaking within the community, thanks to those who generously support our mission," said Amy Immel, advisory board chair of the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund. "Our work is so important in times like these to help deserving nonprofits in our community when they need it most."
The following is a full list of organizations receiving grants in 2020:
Battered Women's Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties*, to help renovate its Medina County shelter and provide safe housing suites for victims and families of domestic abuse, $10,000
Catholic Charities Community Services of Medina County, to support the Step Strong school-based prevention education program, $3,000
The Children's Center of Medina County, to purchase and install updated forensic interviewing cameras for its child advocacy center services, $3,423
Main Street Medina, to promote the supplemental food assistance programs available at the Medina Farmers Market, $1,000
Matthew 25 Coalition, to support emergency utility assistance for underserved women and their children, $1,000
OhioGuidestone*, to support the development of an outdoor play area at the Medina County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board’s new recovery housing facility for women, $2,500
RePlay for Kids, to promote female students' interest in STEM careers through toy adapting workshops, $1,160
Summer Reinforcement Program, to incorporate music therapy into its summer tutoring activities, $1,425
* Denotes impact grant