The Community Foundation of Lorain County’s Board of Directors approved just over $1 million in grants this morning at its year-end meeting.  Forty-seven agencies serving Lorain County received grants like CityMusic Cleveland for a 2007-08 free concert series, Oasis Animal Shelter for medical care for neglected animals, and Children’s Developmental Center for a resource bank for patients’ families who exhaust their resources before therapy has been completed. 

            Among the 47 agencies was a special grant to Lorain County Safe Harbor/Genesis House, the local domestic abuse shelter for women and their children.  $25,000 will go towards increasing the hours of an Aftercare Coordinator and services for women once they leave the safe confines of the shelter.  On average, an abused woman will leave her partner six to eight times before making a permanent break due to financial and transportation issues and isolation.  Genesis House provides “Aftercare” in the form of financial assistance, follow-up communications, holiday gatherings, and support groups to keep their clients and children in a safe environment.  This grant was made possible by the Anna Martin Fund for Women and Girls established in 2006 by the sale of property to the developers of Lighthouse Village in Lorain.

            A complete list of Community Foundation grants follows.  The next deadline for grant applications will be February 1, 2008.

Arts and Culture Grants

CityMusic Cleveland, Inc.

$5,000 for 2007-08 Season in Elyria

Firelands Association for the Visual Arts

$20,000 for General Operating Support

Lorain County Historical Society

$16,000 for Community Educational Outreach

The MAD Factory

$15,000 for Theatre-based Arts Programming

Oberlin Heritage Center

$10,000 for History Education and Outreach

Opera Cleveland

$16,000 for Music! Words! Opera!

Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland

$17,000 for Lorain County Schools Arts Programs 2007-08

Community-Building Grants

Common Ground

$125,000 for a Challenge Grant for General Support

Direct Action for Central Lorain

$35,000 to Revitalize the Neighborhood

Ideastream

$10,000 for In-depth Coverage of Health Issues

Lorain County Community College

$30,000 for the Partnership for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses

Main Street Wellington

$15,000 for the Main Street Program

Oasis Animal Shelter

$3,000 for Medical Care for Animals

South Elyria Neighborhood Development Center

$20,000 for Neighborhood Revitalization

South Lorain Community Development Corporation

$10,000 for Affordable In-Fill Housing and Community Development

Western Reserve Land Conservancy

$10,000 for Support for the Firelands Field Office

Education Grants

Baldwin-Wallace College

$10,000 for Conservatory Outreach Summer Programs for Lorain County Students

Cleveland Scholarship Programs

$25,000 for Lorain County Advisory Services

Educational Service Center of Lorain County

$4,500 for Art Mentorship and Gallery Night

Junior Achievement of Lorain County

$20,000 for General Operating Support

National Inventors Hall of Fame

$16,000 for Club Invention Aftershool Program

Health Grants

Alzheimer’s Association

$11,327 for Specialized Dementia Training in Lorain County

American Red Cross, Lorain County Chapter

$10,000 for Direct Financial Assistance for Disaster Relief

Children’s Developmental Center

$30,000 for a Family Resource Bank

Coalition for the Uninsured

$15,500 for the Lorain County Drug Repository Initiative

Community Health Partners

$55,000 for the Rural Parish Nurse Program

Echoing Hills Village, Inc.

$15,000 for Camp Echoing Hills Scholarships

Gathering Hope House

$18,036 for Recovery Lifestyle Choices Program

Lorain County Free Clinic

$35,000 for General Operating Support

Lorain County Health & Dentistry

$50,000 for General Operating Support

Tri-City Lupus Project

$7,500 for Program Support

Social Service Grants

Blessing House

$25,000 for Children’s Crisis Care

Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County

$35,000 for General Operating Support

Child Care Resource Center

$15,000 for Crisis Care Fund for Lorain County Child Care Centers

Conflict Resolution Center

$21,000 for Resources for Peace and Violence Prevention

El Centro de Servicios Sociales, Inc.

$30,000 for General Operating Support

Girl Scouts of Erie Shores

$22,056 for Membership Services in Lorain County

Harrison Cultural Community Centre

$20,000 for General Operating Support

Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services

$37,058 for a Vocational Case Manager

Lorain County Office on Aging

$16,300 to Connect Rural Seniors

Lorain County Safe Harbor/Genesis House

$25,000 for Aftercare Services

Neighborhood House Association

$29,000 for a Volunteer Coordinator

Pathways Counseling Services

$15,000 Challenge Grant for Project Access

Ronald McDonald House

$5,000 for Room Sponsorship

Salvation Army Lorain

$22,000 for the Youth Program

Wesleyan Village

$5050 for Second Wind Dreams 2008

Youth Challenge

$10,000 for Lorain County Programs