“A lot of what we do is participate in community events and health fairs in our service area of Carroll, Coweta, Heard and Haralson counties,” said Executive Director Jan Gibbs. “The more information we can get out there, the better chance we have of meeting our goal.”
The Rape Crisis Center is one of 27 local nonprofit organizations that will share $291,000 awarded this week by the Community Foundation of West Georgia at its annual Community Impact Fund awards ceremony.
“Since the first grants were issued in 2004, a total of $2,550,000 has been distributed to local organizations, supporting human service, arts, culture, environmental, economic development, education, medical and hospice programs,” said foundation President Kim Jones.
The funds are distributed through a competitive grant process, with six panels considering the requests, assisting the foundation in review and analyzing the applications to make recommendations to the foundation board of directors.
“Local nonprofit organizations, faith-based and government agencies are eligible to apply for the grants,” Jones said. “This year, requests totalling $621,000 were received.”
The city of Mt. Zion is a governmental agency that benefitted from the grants. The city will use its grant money to provide playground equipment for younger children.
Mayor Randy Sims said the funds will go toward a long-range program to increase playground facilities in the city.
“We’re going to put in a playground in the park across from City Hall,” Sims said. “We’re also going to add playground equipment at our ballfields, so that younger children, who are there with older children playing sports, will have a safe place to play. We’re talking about swing sets, teeter totters and slides.”
Keep Carroll Beautiful will use its funds to help people safely discard household and agricultural hazardous waste.
“We’re going to hold a household hazardous waste day next March,” said KCB Executive Director Jacqueline Dost. “It will be a household and agricultural collection event to take in solvent based paints, pesticides and insecticides, things that are too hazardous to put down the drain or into the landfill. This grant is our seed money, which will be a good start so we can go to our regular partners for additional support.”
Kathy Parsons, director of missions for Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, said its Manna House Food Pantry will use its grant “100 percent” for food.
“We focus on nutrition for the elderly, sick, handicapped, single parents and working poor,” Parsons said. “We help thousands of individuals each month and will help at least 800 families this Christmas.”
Jones said the Community Impact Fund offers donors a unique way to make a difference in their community, no matter how much they can give.
“It’s an endowed fund, so every donation not only contributes for one season, but it continues to give, year after year,” she said. “When people give, they can be confident that the foundation is a good steward of their donations and can see the difference their donations are making.”
Jones said the foundation has created a number of initiatives to encourage donors to give to the fund. One asks donors to commit to $20 per month, for 20 years. Another is called “Events for Impact,” which encourages others to participate in giving through parties, painting classes, scavenger hunts, “mom’s nights out” and other activities.
More information about making donations or applying for a grant is available by calling Kim Jones, 770-832-1462, or by e-mailing kim@cfwg.net. Donations can be made by check or online to the foundation’s website at www.cfwg.net.
Other organizations receiving Community Impact Fund grants included:
• SCRAP Bin, for general support
• Angel Flight Soars Inc. for the Fly a West Georgia Patient program
• Rapha Clinic, Temple, for nurse practitioner salary and operations support
• Positive Response Inc. for program support
• St. Margaret’s Community Outreach, for general assistance
• St. Vincent de Paul Society, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, emergency direct aid
• Feed the Sheep Ministries, school children supplemental food program
• Impact International Inc. for 415 Hope Street men’s homeless shelter
• Tanner Health System, “Get Healthy West Georgia” program
• West Georgia Regional Library, strategic plan for regional library system
• Carrollton Teen Theatre and Carroll Community Theatre, program support, divided one-fifth for community and four-fifths for teens
• Copeland Hall in Bowdon, sound board and projector screen, with a laptop computer to run it
• University of West Georgia Foundation, Townsend Center, “Mary Lincoln,” a one-woman play
• Carrollton Main Street, for Downtown Carrollton smartphone app for Android
• Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum, for one graduate school intern
• Carroll Tomorrow, for West Georgia Youth Entrepreneur program
• Bay Springs Middle School, to purchase tubas and bass clarinets
• Carroll First Foundation, for Carroll County Books for Children
• Haralson First Foundation, for Haralson County Books for Children
• Carroll Meth Awareness Coalition, for “Drugs and Other Stuff” educational initiative
• Carroll LIFT, for LIFT (Literacy is for Today) support
• Haralson LAMP (Learning Always Means Progress), for adult education and stay in school programs
• Heard Community Partnership, for HEROES (Heard Education Rewards for Excellence)
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