The Community Foundation of St. Clair County had a very busy month of February. It was the first meeting of the year for four of our committees and committee members were ready to give!
A whopping $310,528 was granted out to St. Clair County organizations by five different committees- our main Grants, Blue Water Arts, College Access, St. Clair Based Funds and Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Below are some great examples of collaboration among the different Community Foundation committees in helping to support local organizations by funding these worthwhile projects.
The Port Huron Police Department’s High School Youth Academy was granted a total of $7,092 split equally between the Youth Advisory Council and the main Grants Committee. This is the second year in a row that YAC has funded the week-long summer program that gives students a hands-on introduction to police work.
Capac Jr./Sr. High School was granted a total of $3,115 for college tours by three different committees: Grants, College Access, and YAC, including money from the Alexa Lawrence Education Fund which supports educational programs for students on a path to attend SC4. The tours will provide a first-hand look at college campuses including SC4 as well as Central Michigan, Saginaw Valley and Wayne State Universities.
At the end of 2019, the St. Clair Based Funds Committee granted $25,000 to the Riverbank Youth Theater for the Summer Stage Festival. Now two other committees are joining the effort to support the project. The Blue Water Arts Committee and the Grants Committee added another $10,000 and $25,000 respectively. Find out more about the Stage Festival at http://www.riverbanktheatre.com
St. Clair County RESA’s Blue Water College Access Network awards scholarships every year at their college and career readiness events and this year the Community Foundation helped to support 8 event scholarships with a total of $4,000 granted toward the program between the main Grants Committee and the College Access Committee. Find out more about BWCAN and their events and scholarships at http://sccresa.org/p_r_o_g_r_a_m_s/blue_water_college_access_network
SONS is a powerful, grassroots organization here in the Port Huron area that has been providing services for local youth for over 30 years. SONS offers a four to five week summer camp for elementary age children, with activities including: arts & crafts, reading, field trips, recreation and devotion. The highlight of the camp is an end of summer student performance and celebration. The Grants Committee supported SONS’ DREAM Camp for the second year in a row with a $7,500 grant. YAC and College Access Committee are also helping fund SONS programming with a $6,000 grant to their Talented Tenth College Tours. Find out more about SONS at https://sonsoutreach.org