Women's Fund Makes Grants to Deserving Organizations

The Women’s Fund of Hancock County, a fund of the Hancock County Community Foundation (HCCF), made grants at the Women’s Fund Grantmaking Event on Friday, May 6th. The Women’s Fund Grant Committee evaluated 9 applications, narrowing the field to four through diligent review practices and a series of on-site interviews. The final four applicants made presentations at the Grantmaking event, where over 80 women and girls attended. The awards were presented after a vote by the Women’s Fund members. The Fund’s Advisory Committee had anticipated awarding only one grant, but the generosity of 2010 Women’s Fund Members resulted in enough funding to award grants to two of the four organizations, plus additional gifts of $424 to the remaining two organizations.

Royal Family Kids received a $3,000 grant for their Camps and Mentoring Club program, which will mark its 10th year at the local camp this summer. It is a camp for abused, neglected and abandoned children ages 7 – 11. Royal Family Kids’ goal is to treat each child like “royalty” for a week, and each staff member shows them a week of God’s love. Children come to the camp very timid with a great deal of apprehension, and they are sure they cannot trust, as they have not been able to trust any other adult in their life to this point. The camp allows them to be “just a kid” for a week. The children that attend camp will also be eligible for the Mentoring Club program and will be assigned a mentor who will spend time with them each month beginning in September through May of next year. The mentor will also bring the child to a club meeting one Saturday a month where they will get the chance to spend time with the friends they made at camp--friends with a common bond.

Love INC received a $4,000 grant for their Hearts of Hope program, which is a new and comprehensive program that looks at all the “reasons” for poverty including job loss, addictions, and poor spending habits; offering hope and a way out of poverty through mentoring relationships. This program will have an impact in our churches, as well as the community, by connecting trained Christian volunteers in mentoring relationships with people in need of budgeting skills and additional assistance to reduce dependency on community and social service programs.

The Women’s Fund of Hancock County makes grants to address needs and issues affecting women and families. “The Women’s Fund is a giving circle. Giving circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving,” says Mary Gibble, HCCF President. “It is an opportunity for Hancock County women and girls, beginning at age 10, to be involved in strengthening our community with an annual financial commitment to the fund in any amount meaningful to them. Together, they make a significant impact on vital programs.” Members are women and girls who believe that high-priority issues should be addressed thoughtfully to inspire social change and improve our quality of life for generations to come.

For more information about the Women's Fund of Hancock County, or to become a member, click here.

Pictured above right: Sandy Miller, WF Grant Committee Chair; Stacey Jones, Director of the local Camp; Jessica Lowe, Director of Mentoring Club; Julie Riley, Camp Nurse; Chris Thompson, WF Grant Committee member

Pictured above left: Alyse Vail, HCCF Program Officer; Sandy Miller; Brenda Rodgers, Love INC Executive Director; Susan Hall, Financial Ministry Director; Chris Thompson