By BARBARA
BARBIERI
Four non-profit groups serving women and children in Wells county were presented grants Monday evening as the members of LiGHT met and voted on the recipients for 2024.
This year $8,300 was available for grant giving with the endowment fund tapped to bring the total to $8,850. All those who had donated $25 or more during the year were eligible to vote on recipients.
Presented grants were:
• Camp Watcha Wanna Do: $1,550 to send three children diagnosed with cancer to camp for a week. Request presented by Jennyfer Balkema.
• Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana: $1,200 to provide mental health and emotional support services for Wells county mothers diagnosed with cancer. Requested by Stacey Stumpf.
• United Way of Wells county: $3,000 to provide funding for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, providing a book a month for children in the county through age 5. Request presented by Ben Renkenberger.
• Wells Community Boys & Girls Club: $3,000 to provide funding for club wellness, providing services to combat depression and anxiety utilizing the Run Hard Rest Well program. Requested by Vicki Bell.
Representatives of all 10 groups were invited to give two-minute presentations explaining how their grant would be used if granted. The other requests included: Community Care of Northeast Indiana: $2,023; Caylor-Nickel Foundation YMCA: $1,127; Helping Hands Family Resource Center: $2,450; New Life Christian School: $1,630; Run Hard Rest Well: $2,700; and YWCA of Northeast Indiana: $2,500.
Kim Gentis welcomed the ladies to the evening and Jessica Beste introduced all of the presenters.
Other projects championed by the board of directors are the county’s Prom Exchange, assistance to the Run Hard Rest and the Women in Leadership program.
barb@news-banner.com
