The Medina County Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation recently announced this year’s grants, which were awarded to Akron Symphony, The Children’s Center of Medina County, Project Learn and Rebuilding Together Medina County, among others. (Photo: Tim Smith)
Impact grant of $15,000 awarded to The Children’s Center of Medina County
— The Medina County Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation presented grants totaling $25,400 to seven local nonprofit organizations during the fund’s annual Spring into Summer event on Thursday, June 21, 2018. This latest round of grants brings the Medina County Community Fund’s cumulative grantmaking total to more than $550,000.
An impact grant of $15,000 was awarded to The Children’s Center of Medina County to help build and furnish additional playroom space to accommodate a recent increase in foster children, largely due to the opiate epidemic. The additional playroom space will allow the center to serve at least 50 more children per year, resulting in approximately 300 additional foster care visitation sessions.
The Children’s Center of Medina County works to nurture abused and neglected children through collaboration, advocacy, treatment and prevention. Since the center opened in 2007, it has served more than 9,000 children in Medina County through child abuse prevention and education programs, foster care visitation and victim advocacy services. The center also serves as a centralized location for interviewing and examining children who are victims of physical and sexual abuse.
This is the second impact grant made this year to The Children’s Center of Medina County by an Akron Community Foundation affiliate fund. Earlier this month, the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund awarded $10,000 to also support the center’s new playroom. The combined $25,000 in grants will allow the organization to double the number of children it serves each year.
“We’re happy to provide funding for these essential organizations in Medina County,” said Bill Heck, Medina County Community Fund president. “The impact grants awarded to The Children’s Center of Medina County will fill a critical community need to support the health and wellness of Medina’s most vulnerable population, our children.”
The Medina County Community Fund also awarded a $4,000 grant to the Matthew 25 Coalition to provide fuel and auto repair vouchers to residents in rural areas of Medina County who need transportation to work, school or medical appointments.
In collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Akron General Lodi Hospital and more than 20 local churches, the Matthew 25 Coalition provides emergency assistance to residents within a 10‐mile radius of the Village of Lodi in southwest Medina County. As one of the most frequently referred services in Medina County by United Way’s 2-1-1 hotline, the coalition’s goal is to help residents become self-sufficient by connecting them to local social services.
“We’ve supported the Matthew 25 Coalition for the past five years because we recognize the impact it has on Medina County,” said Denise Testa, Medina County Community Fund advisory board member. “Underprivileged residents in rural Medina County depend on the coalition for emergency needs such as rent, utilities, gasoline, medical supplies and prescriptions. The organization had 27 requests for assistance in the month of May alone.”
Other grants from the Medina County Community Fund this year will support local causes that enrich the quality of life for all Medina County residents. The following is a full list of organizations receiving grants in 2018:
Akron Symphony, to support the Link Up music education program for third- through fifth-grade students in Medina County, $1,000
The Children’s Center of Medina County, to build and furnish a playroom for family visitation at its new location, $15,000
Matthew 25 Coalition, to provide fuel and auto repair vouchers to impoverished residents in rural areas of Medina County who need transportation to work, school or medical appointments, $4,000
ORMACO Inc., for the Jazz Under the Stars free concert series in Medina’s public square, $1,000
Project: LEARN of Medina County, to upgrade classroom technology for GED test preparation, $1,400
Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio, to support the 2018 Medina County Senior Service Day / Safe at Home projects, which address home health and safety issues for low-income seniors, $2,000
Recovery Center of Medina County, to support a culinary training program for people recovering from addiction, $1,000
The Medina County Community Fund, an affiliate fund of Akron Community Foundation, serves as a permanent philanthropic endowment for Medina County. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Medina County residents, now and in the future. The income from this fund is distributed annually to qualified nonprofit organizations that provide a wide range of cultural, educational, health and community services. To date, the fund has grown to nearly $900,000 and awarded more than $550,000 in grants. For more information, or to contribute to the Medina County Community Fund, visit www.mccfund.org. For info about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call (330) 376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
