By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Children will get books delivered to their homes, bike racks will be installed downtown, and senior citizens will be offered lock boxes that will allow first responders to get into their homes without knocking down doors.
Those and many other goals of local groups with bare bones budgets will be made possible because of grants from the Bowling Green Community Foundation.
Since 1997, the Bowling Green Community Foundation has been awarding grants to non-profit organizations that serve the Bowling Green community. The grants aren’t huge – but every year they allow local non-profit organizations to offer new services to Bowling Green area residents.
The BG Community Foundation recently awarded more than $41,000 in grants to 17 non-profit groups for 2021.
“We get to give away money – which is the most wonderful feeling in the world,” said Emily Dunipace, president-elect of the BG Community Foundation. “The goal is a desire to make Bowling Green better. It’s a beautiful responsibility.”
This year, the foundation received 29 grant requests for funds totaling $101,456.
“We try to include as many as we can,” Dunipace said.
The grants are not awarded to ongoing programs.
“It needs to be new and innovative,” she said. “They fulfill really important needs.”
Some of the innovative grants awarded this year will fund parenting classes for dads, support for a welcoming Juneteenth program in the city, and help with purchasing menstrual products for women facing “period poverty.”
The grant awarded to the Bowling Green Fire Division will pay for 35 “Knox Boxes” for local residents who are elderly or have disabilities. The boxes allow first responders to access a key for the residence, so they don’t have to break in if there is an emergency, explained BG firefighter/paramedic Craig Cookson.
“If they should have an incident, we can get to them quickly if their doors are locked,” without having to damage the doors, Cookson said.
For The Cocoon, the grant will allow the organization to buy mattresses and bedding for domestic violence survivors staying at the shelter. Since it opened, the shelter has been using thin mattresses similar to those at summer camps, said Robin Guidera, development director at The Cocoon.
“We want people to be as comfortable as possible,” Guidera said.
The grant will also pay for fresh linens that survivors can take with them as they leave the shelter for new homes in the community, she said.
For the Brown Bag Food Project, the grant will allow for the purchase of a much needed industrial-sized refrigerator.
“This has been our dream for awhile,” said Amy Jeffers, of the Brown Bag program. “That’s going to more than double what we have right now with two refrigerators.”
Refrigeration is needed for the eggs, milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, and some of the produce that is given away.
“There have been times we’ve had to turn down produce,” Jeffers said. “This is a huge game changer for us.”
The added refrigeration is especially vital now with the increased need for food due to COVID-19.
“Our numbers are just skyrocketing,” she said.
For United Way of Wood County, the grant will allow the agency to mail books to local children from birth to age 5.
“We were really excited to get it,” Kristie Peek, United Way support specialist, said about the grant for the Imagination Library program. “They get a free book every month.”
So far, 2,428 children have been signed up for the program – so more funding will be needed.
“The program is so popular,” Peek said. “Our goals are to increase education, health and financial stability” – and making sure children are ready for kindergarten helps meet those goals.
The grants can be vital to local non-profit organizations, said Kacee Ferrell Snyder, president of the BG Community Foundation.
“These are programs they couldn’t do if they didn’t get this money,” Snyder said.
Snyder, who returned to her hometown of Bowling Green after living in New Jersey, knew she wanted to give back to her community. And the BG Community Foundation has allowed her to help many different non-profit groups.
“Seeing the reactions from people – it’s just a good feeling,” she said. “Everybody was just so thankful.”
Bit by bit, the grants help community groups make Bowling Green better, Snyder said, pointing out the grant awarded to BG BRAVE (Black Rights, Activism, Visibility, Equity) and Not In Our Town. The money will help the groups create a Juneteenth event to celebrate African American freedom, culture and achievement.
“Just knowing that they can expand that and become a big community event – that says a lot about where we want to go as a community,” Snyder said.
Following is a list of all the BG Community Foundation grant recipients for 2021:
Bowling Green Fire Division – $5,000 to provide, free of charge, a Knox Box to any household that may require emergency access. Priority will be given to elderly and special needs residents and will be used by the BGFD to gain access to a key for the residence in the case of an emergency, medical or fire. This would prevent the destruction of exterior locked doors that occurs when the fire division is called to assist residents.
Not In Our Town and BRAVE – $3,500 to be used to create a collaborative, positive Juneteenth Celebration providing opportunities for all members of our community to come together to celebrate African American freedom, culture, and achievement – promoting an inclusive, welcoming environment for all members of the community.
Brown Bag Food Project – $3,200 to purchase a commercial size refrigerator to store perishable food items, providing more storage so they can make bulk purchases of fresh foods, as well as accept the increased amounts of donated perishable foods. Brown Bag provided fresh, healthy food to about 2,700 people living in the 43402 ZIP code area in the past year.
First United Methodist Child Learning Center – $2,267 for Step Up To Quality Grant to purchase an assessment tool that would support effective teaching, provide teachers increased time with students, give them the ability to obtain more accurate data, and encourage increased parental involvement. This is also a necessary requirement to maintain their 3-star rating with the state of Ohio.
Wood County Educational Services Center – $2,500 for Wheel Deal Grant to be used to implement a variety of traffic safety advertisements and videos on social media sites to improve significant problems associated with young drivers, such as distracted driving, the use of seatbelts and driving under the influence.
United Way of Wood County – $3,750 for Imagination Library grant to support the development of necessary early literacy skills for children by mailing one book per month to children from birth to age 5.
Bowling Green State University – $3,700 for Diabetes Prevention Program to provide virtual training and support BGSU’s commitment to the public good by expanding access to lifestyle support in order to reduce, prevent, or delay the development of diabetes among high risk adults living in Bowling Green.
NAMI of Wood County – $3,750 for Peer and Family Support in response to COVID-19. The goal is to hire and train a Peer Recovery Specialist as a facilitator for peer-led evidence-based programs. This trained individual, a person who is living in recovery, will be able to implement a variety of trainings and activities designed to support mental health, drug and alcohol addiction, and other wellness programs.
Wood Lane Residential Services Inc. – $3,375 for Ad-Ventures in Vending to purchase, operate, stock, and maintain a vending machine by participants in the Positive Community Connections program, to provide training, and development of vocational skills, leading to employment and career opportunities.
The Cocoon – $2,000 to purchase new mattresses for the shelter to provide a comfortable bed for those needing support, comfort and rest as they enter the shelter, as well as give them bedding to use now and in the future as they transition to more permanent housing.
City of Bowling Green Bicycle Safety Commission – $1,200 to increase the number of bicycle racks in the downtown BG area so that residents will be encouraged to ride their bikes and reduce auto congestion in the downtown while getting more physical exercise.
FORGE – Feminist Organization Rallying for Gender Equity – $600 to provide menstrual products to students and community members who are experiencing period poverty, by creating and distributing period kits, consisting of several pads, tampons, and panty liners.
Welcome Bowling Green – $2,000 for an International Friday Grant to increase awareness about the challenges faced by the international students in BG, primarily food insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic, and will supply basic and necessary food items that meet their dietary, cultural and religious preferences.
Work Leads to Independence (wli) – $500 to purchase Nintendo switches to provide opportunities to keep the people being served moving and healthy, engage them physically and mentally in tasks, as well as develop fine motor skills and retention.
Bowling Green Pregnancy Center – $2,000 for Bright Beginnings program to equip individuals and prepare them to be the best parents they can be by offering lessons on pregnancy, infancy, toddlers, parenting, life skills, and more, as well as help facilitate access to material items needed to help ensure the safety of children, such as car seats.
The Nest Bowling Green – $1,600 to provide parenting classes for dads to support them in their important role in the lives of children.
Wood County District Public Library – $540 from the Janis L. Pallister Fund to purchase video tapes with an emphasis on foreign films.
