By DAVE SCHULTZ
The Wells County Foundation Friday announced the recipients of its first round of grants for its 2023 cycle.
The foundation’s board of directors approved nine grants for a total of $89,507. Four of the grants are in five figures, with one — the Vera Cruz-Wabash River Paddlesports Launch Project — commanding nearly half of the money awarded.
The Wells County Trails project will make use of $40,000 to improve the launch site at Vera Cruz. The site has been used by paddlers, “but it is steep, muddy, and has experienced considerable deterioration,” Friday’s announcement said.
The grant from the foundation will help with several goals:
• Rerouting the drive to use an existing ATV trail, which will help prevent future erosion issues.
• Allow for the use of geotextile fabric over the driveway area to keep the stone better maintained.
• Installation of a new ramp which will allow for easier access to the river via slip-resistant concrete construction.
“The addition of this launch will cut the trip from Linn Grove to the White Bridge in half and will open up segments of the river that are often unused, including the stretch through Ouabache State Park,” the announcement said.
Money for the grant came from the foundation’s Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
Other projects receiving funds included:
• Poneto Volunteer Fire Department, $15,592, to fully fund the purchase of new firefighting protective clothing. Commonly, firefighting gear has an average life span of 10 years. Much of the gear now being used by the firefighters is well beyond that life span. This grant will provide for the purchase of four new sets of gear. The department will purchase the remaining sets of gear needed through fundraisers and other sources of revenue Grant made from the Unrestricted Fund.
• Bluffton Parks & Recreation Department, $10,000, to help fund the 2023 Kehoe Park Free Concert Series. The 2023 series will include seven free concerts, performed at the Rotary Stage at Kehoe Park. This year’s series will include four Friday evening concerts. Performers scheduled for this year’s series are Simply Queen (a Queen tribute) on June 9, Eliminator (a ZZ Top tribute) on June 23, a Dave Matthews Band tribute on July 7, and Crush (a Bon Jovi tribute) on July 14. The series will also include the following Sunday evening concerts — Dan Heath & The Paradise Band on June 11, Community Worship Celebration on June 25, and Cornfield Mafia (a country band) on July 16. Money for the grant came from the Community Enhancement Endowment Fund.
• The Literacy Alliance Inc., $10,000, to provide funding for the Project Graduate program in Wells County. Project Graduate aims to assist individuals wishing to complete a high school equivalency program. The Literacy Alliance works with individual students to determine his or her best timeline for goal completion. The average time to complete the program is 17 weeks. The 2021 program year ended having served 15 students in Wells County. Grant made from the Elizabeth Patton Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
• Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana, $5,000, to support for client advocate and client services programming for residents of Wells County. In 2022, Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana assisted 123 Wells County Families, which was an increase of 13 percent from 2021. Financial assistance, durable medical equipment and health care supply items, nutritional drinks, and wigs, hats, and scarves were among the types of assistance provided by Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana. Money for the grant came from the Margaret Powers Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
• Creative Arts Council of Wells County, $3,095, to provide funding for the rights and royalties for the Bluffton High School production of “Little Shop of Horrors – Broadway Version.” The show will be performed April 7 and 8 at Life Community Church. BHS students will work as the director, cast and crew of this production. Through productions such as these, Creative Arts Theatre provides a constructive outlet for community members to exercise their creativity and a supportive group for people young and old with which to identify. In addition, it provides a great source of entertainment for Wells County residents. Grant made from the Edwina Patton Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
• Wells County Public Library, $2,420, which will provide partial funding for the Flood of 2003 20 Year Retrospective Exhibition. 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Flood of 2003. This anniversary will be commemorated with a computer generated slide show which will include nearly 200 aerial photographs of the flooding in addition to multiple free-standing displays. A town hall-style meeting will be held at the library where an introduction and overall summary of the flood will be presented and participants will be encouraged to share memories, experiences, insights, and so forth. Grant made from the Edwina Patton Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
• Kate’s Kart, $2,000, to pay for books used in the Kate’s Kart program at Bluffton Regional Medical Center. This program provides a free book to children who enter BRMC through the emergency room or admission to the hospital. Books distributed through this program provide a temporary diversion to children and their families during their visit to the emergency room or hospital stay. An average of 40 books are distributed on a monthly basis through this program at the hospital, totaling a distribution of approximately 500 books through the program in 2022. Grant made from the Community Enhancement Endowment Fund.
• Bluffton High School, $1,400, to purchase a streaming rig. The streaming rig will be used for the E-Sports league sponsored through BHS. The league is currently the only school-based league in Wells County. E-Sports is a form of competitive, team-based video gaming. It requires a tremendous amount of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Students in the program recently brought home a state championship win. Several players participating in the state competition were scouted by colleges and universities, and offered tuition scholarships. Currently, 44 students participate in the program. Money for the grant came from the Edwina Patton Unrestricted Endowment Fund.
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The foundation considers grant proposals three times annually for those agencies seeking funding through the competitive grant process. Funding for these grants comes from the unrestricted funds which are administered by the foundation.
The Wells County Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit public charity established in 1957 to serve donors, award grants, and provide leadership to improve Wells County forever. Grant proposals to be considered for the next cycle are due to the Foundation office by June 15.
daves@news-banner.com
