Summer 2022

Connections provides information about Foundation initiatives and new programs and continuing needs of local charities. Listed within this issue are those organizations that received a discretionary grant during the last several discretionary and Greenlight Grant℠ cycles.

All of these organizations have been researched by our Community Engagement Department, and a summary of their grant proposals is included. 

As you may see, for many of these requests, we were able to fund only to a certain level. The organizations may still have needs associated with their specified programs. Or, in some cases, the projects may be complete but the organizations may have more needs that require funding. If you would like additional information about these programs or to support other important work, please feel free to contact the charities directly.

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Discretionary Grants

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association | Create a Regional Trail System
$1,238,000 Project Budget | $50,000 Granted

Wetlands are some of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. Currently, more than 90% of Ohio wetlands have been lost to development and farming. Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is working to protect and restore wetlands and other natural areas in the Beaver Creek watershed in Greene County. The Spotted Turtle Trail will create a regional trail system to connect the parks and reserves along the Beaver Creek Wetlands corridor. It also will provide easy access to enjoy the unique natural spaces, inspire people with its beauty and diversity and increase awareness and support for this irreplaceable natural asset. Funds will be used to build ADA-compliant boardwalks and install interpretive and wayfinding signage.

Jacki Mayer, Executive Director, (937) 320-9042

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Dayton Art Institute (Fiscal Sponsor) | Paul Laurence Dunbar Life-Sized Sculpture
$300,000 Project Budget | $70,000 Granted

Paul Laurence Dunbar has been named as one of Greater Dayton’s most famous citizens. However, there is no permanent sculpture of his likeness in the community. Funds will be used by the Paul Laurence Dunbar Sculpture Committee to create a life-sized sculpture of him on the plaza of the new West Branch of the Dayton Metro Library. The sculpture will help educate the public about Mr. Dunbar, with hopes that his work will inspire library visitors and, in particular, young African Americans.

 

 

Willis ‘Bing’ Davis, Co-chair, (937) 223-5277

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East End Community Services | WestCare Ohio/East End Expansion Project
$6,363,990 Project Budget | $125,000 Granted

East End Community Services provides youth, family and neighborhood development programs to families in inner East Dayton to help break the cycle of multi-generational poverty. Funds will be used to renovate two donated warehouse buildings to create a Whole Family Service Hub and Whole Family Wellness Hub. The Hubs will help strenghten access to services needed by kids and families to thrive and improve their health and standard of living. They also will reduce psycho-social barriers that prevent access and limit motivation to education/training, health and workplace opportunites, as well as enhance knowledge needed by adults to be successful parents and breadwinners.

Janice Lepore-Jentleson, Executive Director, (937) 259-1898

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The Foodbank | Expanding Fresh Food Capacity
$5,188,349 Project Budget | $75,000 Granted

The Foodbank’s original facility was designed to store and process up to 15 million pounds of food annually. Due to the 2019 tornado outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic, demand for charitable food has increased. As a result, The Foodbank has distributed more than 17 million pounds of food in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 – two million pounds more than its current facility is designed to store. This budget is for multiple phases of a project. Funds will be used to expand its facility, enabling them to meet increased demand by offering a better variety of fresh, high-quality food to more local individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.

Michelle L. Riley, CEO, (937) 461-0265

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Friends of Aullwood | Creating an Accessible Aullwood
$110,8400 Project Budget | $25,000 Granted

Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm offers children and adults the opportunity to encounter and appreciate the world through experience-based education. As an environmental education, sustainable agriculture and Audubon center of the National Audubon Society, Aullwood Audubon teaches, leads and inspires people to preserve, protect and enjoy nature, farming and the environment. Funds will be used to make Aullwood accessible for children and adults who are physically disabled and neurodivergent to bring them close to nature.

Alexis R. Faust, Executive Director, (937) 890-7360

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Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton | Dayton Habitat Roof Replacement-Downtown Facility
$250,000 Project Budget | $62,500 Granted

Habitat for Humanity helps families build and improve places to call home and believes affordable housing plays a critical role in creating strong and stable communities. Its downtown facility houses the ReStore, the retail arm of the organization that accepts gently used home items and resells them for a profit to support their mission. All administrative staff, including the development, family services and critical repair departments, also work in the building. In addition, its partner families regularly attend mandatory trainings in the building’s conference room. Funds will be used to replace the damaged roof with a new one that will last 25 to 28 years.

Norman Miozzi, Executive Director, (937) 586-0860

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Montgomery County Ohio College Promise | Extend the College Promise Program
$2,750,000 Project Budget | $100,000

Montgomery County Ohio College Promise provides poverty-impacted students with an opportunity to attend and graduate college at little to no cost. The scholars' persistence and completion rates are notably higher than poverty-impacted students in Montgomery County and Montgomery County graduates as a whole. MCOCP places greater focus on traditionally underrepresented students, including those attending Dayton Public Schools and low-performing charter schools, who otherwise would be at risk of not graduating from college. Seventy-seven percent of students who have gone through the program have achieved success by graduating with a degree or certificate or are currently enrolled. Funds will be used to help extend the College Promise program for another 10 years.

Patrick Gill, Executive Director, (937) 225-9957

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WYSO Public Radio | WYSO Satellite at the Dayton Arcade
$300,000 Project Budget | $25,000 Granted

WYSO Public Radio is headquartered in Greene County, Ohio, but the largest share of its audience lives in Montgomery County. In addition to being a radio station, WYSO provides job training for high school students and offers a platform for local veterans to interview each other about their experiences and share those experiences with listeners. Funds will be used to build a satellite location at the Dayton Arcade, with meeting and classroom spaces and a recording studio, to better serve its current listeners and cultivate relationships with future listeners.

Luke Dennis, CEO, (937) 769-1379

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YMCA of Dayton | Northwest Dayton Health and Wellness Center
$13,000,000 Project Budget | $100,000 Granted

The YMCA of Greater Dayton is a health and human services organization committed to helping people reach their full potential in spirit, mind and body. Funds will be used to build a Health and Wellness Center in Northwest Dayton in partnership with CareSource, County Corp, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, Homeownership Center of Dayton, Premier Health, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area and Wright State University. The Center will offer a one-stop-shop for health, fitness, housing, higher education and job training in order to address community health and wellness issues and needs more proactively through deliberate connections to services and programming.

Dale Brunner, President and CEO, (937) 223-5201

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Greenlight Grants

Brukner Nature Center | Split-Rail Fence Replacement
$2,847 Project Budget | $2,847 Granted

Brukner Nature Center promotes the appreciation and understanding of wildlife conservation through preservation, education and rehabilitation. Approximately 140,000 people visit annually to see the Nature Center’s 50-plus wildlife ambassadors, which are native Ohio species that can no longer survive in the wild. Funds will be used to replace a failing cedar split-rail fence in order to separate visitors and program participants from the outdoor wildlife enclosures.

Deb Oexmann, Executive Director, (937) 698-6493

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Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County | Phone Operating System Upgrade and Expansion
$7,999 Project Budget | $3,000 Granted

The Family Violence Prevention Center works to reduce family and relationship violence and the impact it has in Greene County through prevention, intervention, safe housing and collaborative community programs. Funds will be used to expand and update the current phone operating system to provide victim services at current and additional locations.

Debbie Matheson, Executive Director, (937) 372-4552

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First Dayton Little League | Baseball Grounds Renovation
$9,000 Project Budget | $4,000 Granted

First Dayton Little League, Inc., is a youth-oriented program with a focus on little league baseball, embracing the local youth and strengthening community support. FDLL teaches the strategic fundamentals of baseball to both boys and girls, between the ages of 4 and 16 years. Funds will be used to upgrade the playing fields, dugouts, restrooms, parking lot and concession stand.

Anthony Graham, Executive Director, (937) 270-9414

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Gem City Kitties | Air Conditioning Unit Upgrade
$9,949 Project Budget | $4,239 Granted

Gem City Kitties opened Gem City Vet in 2021 in Trotwood to ensure that all families have access to affordable veterinary care regardless of their income levels. In order to invest more dollars toward veterinary care programming, Gem City Kitties is working on reducing energy costs by doing various facility upgrades and updates. Funds will be used to help the organization purchase an efficient air conditioning unit.

Karin Gudal-Johnson, Executive Director, (937) 949-9170

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The Historical Society of Germantown | Exterior Wall Preservation
$12,000 Project Budget | $3,000 Granted

The Historical Society of Germantown was established to educate, collect, preserve, interpret and share materials that defined the principles on which the Germantown community was founded. The society is dedicated to serving all people of Germantown and German Township and all students of the Valley View School District, as well as children within the community who are using a homeschool curriculum. Funds will be used to protect the exterior brick of the building to ensure that moisture won’t permeate the brick and damage the historic relics housed within the building.

Miriam DeGroat Johnson, Director, (937) 855-7951

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OneFifteen Recovery | Get Fit Program
$3,000 Project Budget | $1,195 Granted

OneFifteen supports the full and sustained recovery of people experiencing opioid addiction and other substance use disorders. OneFifteen provides a full continuum of care for people in recovery, including a crisis stabilization facility, residential treatment and housing, an outpatient treatment center, group activity rooms and outdoor green spaces. Funds will be used to create a fitness center accessible to all recovery patients at its inpatient residential treatment facility as part of its Get Fit program.

 

Marti Taylor, CEO, (937) 609-7768

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PLACES, Inc. | Appliances and Furniture for New Facility
$62,023 Project Budget | $7,500 Granted

Places Inc., employs evidence-based practices and operates within a culture of respect and dignity to promote brain health and enhance community living skills for adults living with mental health challenges and/or experiencing homelessness. At its four residential care facilities, Places Inc., provides stable housing, behavioral healthcare services and supportive services for its residents. Funds will be used to purchase appliances and furniture for a new residential care facility.

Roy Craig, Executive Director, (937) 461-4300

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Planned2Give | Database Management System Upgrade
$6,800 Project Budget | $2,000 Granted

Planned2Give creates and executes high profile special events that will raise awareness and funds for local nonprofit organizations. The organization received funds to upgrade its database system to an all-in-one fundraising and data management tool, enabling it to support more nonprofit fundraising events.

Lisa Grigsby, (937) 572-1376

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Rebuilding Together Dayton | Work Truck Purchase
$15,000 Project Budget | $2,500 Granted

Rebuilding Together Dayton offers multiple programs that operate year round with the help of volunteer and contracted labor, in order to keep seniors in safe and healthy housing. Funds will be used to purchase a work truck to transport necessary materials and supplies from its warehouse to project sites and to transport seniors who do not have access to transportation for meetings about upcoming projects.

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Amy Radachi, President and CEO, (937) 223-4893

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St. Anne's Hill Historic Society | Playground Improvements for Bomberger Park
$36,064 Project Budget | $6,844 Granted

The St Anne's Hill Historic Society is dedicated to the preservation of historic buildings in Dayton's Historic Inner East neighborhood and community development for individuals who live, visit and work in the surrounding area. Bomberger Park’s playground structures have exceeded their useful life and fallen into disrepair. In partnership with the City of Dayton, SAHHS will update play equipment rated for children ages 5 to 12 years. The Dayton Foundation grant and other funding will be used to install play equipment accessible for children with disabilities who are ages two to five years.

Mary Jo Dupree, Board President, (937) 830-2475

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ventureLINX | Employment Training for Students with Disabilities
$29,283 Project Budget | $1,200 Granted

ventureLINX Career Academy is a leading provider of employment that supports students and adults in living fulfilling and rewarding lives through full participation in their community. ventureLINX is planning to provide summer youth work experiences, career preparation and transportation for students with disabilities. By providing hands-on work experience and skill building, students will be ready to enter the workforce or pursue further education upon graduation. Funding will be used to purchase equipment that will help train students with disabilities to become more employable after graduation.

 

Beth Butler, CEO, (937) 505-8527

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Yellow Springs Home, Inc. | Financial Management Infrastructure Evaluation
$15,000 Project Budget | $2,500 Granted

Yellow Springs Home, Inc., strengthens community and diversity by providing permanently affordable and sustainable housing for individuals of low-to-moderate income. Funds will be used to hire an accounting and consulting firm to evaluate its financial management infrastructure for long-term sustainability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emily Seibel, Executive Director, (937) 767-2790

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