Columbus, OH (August 12, 2014)—The J. Floyd Dixon Memorial Fund of Community Foundations, Inc. has awarded 10 grants totaling $46,740 to organizations serving Jackson County.
Jackson Area YMCA—$2,700 to support the purchase of an automated external defibrillator and, in partnership with LAUNCH, Inc., programming for teens.
Jackson County Board on Aging—$7,000 to support the purchase of a walk-in freezer.
Jackson County Health Department—$3,500 to purchase lice control products for the Pediculosis Control and Education Program.
Jackson High School—$4,740 to support the purchase of 10 Google Chromebooks, a storage cart, and a microscope.
Jackson-Vinton Community Action—$9,300 to provide direct health assistance to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals residing in Jackson County.
Launch, Inc.—$1,500 to support programming for teens, delivered in partnership with the Jackson Area YMCA.
Oak Hill Elementary School—$3,000 to support the purchase of books for the school library.
Oak Hill Middle/High School—$5,000 to support the staff salary and benefits associated with the teacher-led, peer tutoring program during the 2014-2015 school year.
Oaks United—$5,000 to support the purchase of food for the Growing Oaks Food Program.
Sts. Peter and Paul School—$5,000 to support the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math project.
The Dixon Fund awards grants to nonprofit organizations located in Jackson County that are focused primarily on education and health issues. Award decisions are made by a board of trustees, who review applications submitted in May of each year. The decisions are subject to approval of Community Foundations, Inc., which provides administrative and other support to the fund. The board currently consists of two Dixon family members and the following Jackson County residents:
- Bonny Huffman of Wellston
- Richard LeGrand of Jackson
- Deborah Biggs of Jackson
- Dr. Ted Nichting of Jackson
- Stan Lewis of Oak Hill
Over the past decade, the fund has made numerous grants totaling more than $590,000. The fund is named in honor of J. Floyd Dixon. Born in 1887, Mr. Dixon was raised on a farm near Oak Hill and began a teaching career in the Wellston and Oak Hill schools. Mr. Dixon’s service to the area’s schools continued in 1920 with his appointment as superintendent of schools for Jackson County.
During his tenure as superintendent from 1920 to 1924, Mr. Dixon worked to pass a tax levy vital to the long-term success of Jackson schools, and was instrumental in creating two new high schools, Bloomfield Township and Scioto Township. He later taught at Ohio University in Athens.
Elizabeth Watson, Mr. Dixon’s daughter, created the J. Floyd Dixon Memorial Fund to honor her father’s service to education. Mrs. Watson attended an elementary school in Jackson. She later graduated from The Ohio State University, married, and moved to the East Coast. In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Watson returned to Columbus to open what became central Ohio’s largest nursing and rehabilitation facility. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Watson continued to serve as the facility’s president until 1996. Mrs. Watson passed away in 2003 and is survived by two sons, each of whom serves on the fund’s board.
The Dixon Fund is a component of Community Foundations, Inc.
About Community Foundations, Inc.
Community Foundations, Inc. was established in 1987 to enable donors to support nonprofit organizations primarily in the state of Ohio and beyond the central Ohio region. For more information, call 614/251-4000.