Nearly $100K in grants awarded by Rock Island Community Foundation
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By Dustin Lemmon | Saturday, September 01, 2007 |
Close to $100,000 was handed out to 36 local organizations this week by the Rock Island Community Foundation.
The foundation was formed in 1967 to promote civic needs and general welfare in Rock Island and surrounding areas. The only source of funding for the foundation is gifts, bequests and grants from local citizens and businesses.
Over the last 40 years the foundation has given away nearly $1 million in grants. The largest single grant this year was $25,000 to Martin Luther King Jr. Center, which will help fund expansion and renovation.
Laura Pappas, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said a seven member board reviewed 62 requests for funding and decided who would get $93,500 in grants and how much each would receive. The board looks at what each recipient does to benefit the community.
She said the King Center, which has plans to expand by an additional 12,735 square feet to the north of the 32-year-old building at 630 9th St., Rock Island, is an important contributor to the community.
“The Martin Luther King Center is in the process of a huge capital campaign,” she said, referring to the $3 million project.
Jerry Jones, executive director of the Martin Luther King Center, has said there are plans to expand by an additional 12,735 square feet to the north of the 32-year-old building at 630 9th St., Rock Island.
The $3 million project will include additional community room space and an expanded kitchen room and storage area, he said, adding that the hope is to begin construction in autumn 2008. The center hopes to fund the addition through state and local money, including donations.
Jones said that when the center opened, it was designed only to house social services and not provide programs. The center now offers several programs, but with more space, participants will be better served.
Other organizations that received large grants were Youthbuild Quad Cities at $10,500 and Quad City Botanical Center at $10,000. The Botanical Center will use its funding to put signs up on nearby streets.
“They show promise to continue to be a center of tourism,” Pappas said.
Rufus Greer, executive director of Youthbuild Quad Cities, said the money will be used to pay a small stipend to students, ages 16 to 24, who work on constructing and renovating local houses.
“This money is greatly appreciated,” Greer said. “It’s going to help them throughout the school year.”
The money will also pay for clothing, food and transportation for the students, he said.
Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.
Grant recipients
Those receiving grants include:
Alternatives for the Older Adult: $1,500
American Red Cross: $2,000
Backwater Gamblers Ski Club: $500
Ballet Quad-Cities: $2,500
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley: $1,000
Boys & Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley: $1,000
Bridging the Gap: $500
Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad-Cities: $1,000
Christian Care: $1,000
Christian Friendliness Association: $1,500
Church of Christ: $1,000
Churches United of the Quad-Cities Area: $1,000
Community Caring Conference: $500
Genesius Guild Theater Foundation: $500
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church: $1,500
Habitat for Humanity: $2,500
Jewish Federation of the Quad-Cities: $1,000
Just Kids Child Care, Inc.: $1,000
Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Inc.: $25,000
Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation: $1,000
Quad-Cities Senior Olympics: $750
Quad-City Arts: $1,000
Quad-City Botanical Center: $10,000
Quad-City Symphony Orchestra: $750
Rebuilding Together Quad Cities: $2,000
Rock Island County Children’s Advocacy Center: $1,500
Rock Island Economic Growth Corporation: $5,000
Rock Island School District: $5,000
Safer Foundation: $1,000
SBC Outreach Music & Arts Academy: $2,000
Special Olympics Illinois (Western Area 4): $1,000
Wildwood Hills Ranch: $1,000
Youthbuild Quad-Cities: $10,500
YWCA of the Quad-Cities: $1,500
Zonta Club of the Quad-Cities: $1,000
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