By Laura Fitzgerald

The Marysville Community Fund is celebrating 10 years of community impact this year with another round of grants available to Marysville nonprofits and organizations.

Fund chairperson Nick Beaudry said the grants committee hopes to surpass $100,000 in grant giving this year.

“It’s great to see not only the organizations and the programs that we fund continue to have success and deliver on their mission of serving Marysville residents, but also as they continue to expand and push into different spaces that are impacting the community with each round of grant making,” Beaudry said. “We have tremendous support from these organizations as they continue to grow alongside us.”

Grant applications open this fall and are open to any Marysville-based organization that makes an impact on residents. Grants will be awarded in the winter.

The fund supports special programs, projects, community events and initiatives in and around the Marysville community. It has granted $83,826 to dozens of organizations since its inception in 2015.

One of Three Hometown-Focused Funds

The Marysville Community Fund is one of three local community funds managed by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. Like Marysville, the St. Clair Endowments and the Algonac Clay Community Fund are locally governed and designed to support hometown priorities through grantmaking, projects, and scholarships.

These funds are all about investing in the places we call home—and helping donors make a lasting impact in their own backyards.

How the Fund has Made an Impact on the Marysville Fire Department

The Marysville Fire Department was one of 10 recipients to be presented with a grant last fall at the high school football game.

The department received $3,000 to purchase three handheld thermal imaging cameras, which use heat to map out fires and show potential victims in fire and rescue situations.

Capt. Aaron Thomas said the grant ensures each firefighter has a camera. They use the cameras to quickly locate victims in a structure fire, where smoke reduces visibility to almost zero.

“If we’re going in and crawling around trying to find victims, (the cameras) can help us sense the heat off of that victim. It gives us a picture of where that person could be at for the fire. It can help us show where the fire is at, where the seat of the fire is, so that we can go and extinguish it quickly,” Thomas said.

The cameras can also be attached to drones and used to locate search and rescue victims in a forest or body of water.

Thomas said with the cost of operations and equipment rising, any outside grants that can be used to purchase equipment is appreciated.

“The budgets are always tight,” he said. “With any city budget, you’re always looking to optimize what we’re paying out to save the citizens money. Getting these pieces of equipment through grants helps save money in our budget, and we don’t have to pull from citizens as heavily.”

More on the Marysville Community Fund

Other notable grant recipients and projects from last year’s giveaway are:

• The Marysville Lions Club received $3,800 to renovate the Riverlawn Cemetery Military Monument
• Marysville Public Schools received $5,000 to complete a digital wall of fame commemorating the school’s and city’s history
• SOS Marysville Food Pantry received $1,000 in general support

To donate to the Marysville Community Fund or to apply for a grant, visit stclairfoundation.org/fund/marysville-community-fund/.

Support Your Hometown

Want to make a lasting impact in your community? Gifts of any size to local community funds—like those in Marysville, St. Clair, or Algonac/Clay—help support programs, projects, and scholarships that strengthen hometowns across St. Clair County.

To give to an existing fund or learn more about starting a community fund for your community, visit stclairfoundation.org or reach out to Jackie Hanton at jackie@stclairfoundation.org or (810) 984-4761.