Foundation Awards $107,400 in Grants to Area Nonprofits

The Will County Community Foundation has awarded $107,400 in grants to local nonprofit organizations working in the areas of health, human services and education.

The following 2012 grant recipients are:

CASA of Will County - $8,000 to transition to a peer coordinator model for managing their advocacy work with an additional 30 to 50 abused and neglected children through the court system.

Guardian Angel Community Services - $4,000 to help furnish a donated home that will be used to provide housing for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.

Heart Haven OutReach - $20,000 to purchase a van for transporting high school-age teens in greater Bolingbrook to various weeknight and weekend mentoring and support programs when they are facing challenging times.

Joliet Junior College Foundation- $10,000 to help veterans and GED graduates access training, curriculum and assessments to earn the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) enhancing their employment opportunities.

Lewis University - $25,000 to implement a new initiative in partnership with area schools to give teachers the tools and training needed to integrate technology into reading and writing lessons to enhance literacy instruction. Under the “train the trainer model,” participating teachers have committed to replicating the model.

Senior Services Center of Will County - $10,400 to replace two air-conditioning units that failed during the recent hot summer. As a designated Joliet cooling center, this benefits thousands of area seniors.

Trinity Services, Inc. – SafeNow - $20,000 to purchase a box truck with a lift gate to expand product distribution of non-toxic SafeNow products. This program provides employment to persons with disabilities, and increased product sales will expand funding to area services, including New Lenox's Petals & Twigs and Trinity Services Drop-in Center. 

Warren-Sharpe Community Center - $10,000 for a true “community” garden to be built on land donated by the city of Joliet, with help from area college staff and local master gardener. This community collaboration will provide food to address hunger issues and will educate on the use of these foods and facilitate self-sufficiency.

Nonprofit organizations from around Will County apply for the grants through a competitive program. Applications are reviewed by a committee of volunteers and the decisions are made on the basis of community needs, according to a foundation news release. 

This year, more than $343,000 in funding requests made, the release said.

For more information about the foundation, go to www.willcountycf.org or Executive Director Michael Trench at 815-744-9223.