COLUMBUS, OH (January 25, 2015)—Seven local nonprofits recently received grants aimed at efforts to beautify our community through the Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund. These grants, totaling $94,000, were made possible thanks to the generous legacy of Columbus entrepreneur Joseph A. Jeffrey.
An $11,000 grant was awarded to Columbus Firefighters Charitable Foundation to support restoration of the Firefighters Memorial located along the Scioto Mile. The memorial has overlooked the riverfront at Marconi Boulevard and Gay Street since 1957, and was last renovated in 1988.
“The Columbus Firefighters take pride in recognizing the members who have sacrificed and served the citizens of Columbus in making our city safe,” said Jeff Miller, president of the Columbus Firefighters Charitable Foundation. “The Firefighters Memorial is that remembrance site where we gather for those who have given it all.”
The grant will help cover costs for restoration, as well as new granite to engrave members’ names, new lighting, landscaping, and a sitting wall that overlooks the memorial and river.
The Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund also awarded grants to:
Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County—$25,000to partner with Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing and the City of Columbus Land Redevelopment Office to implement a competitive vacant lot initiative.
Franklinton Board of Trade—$5,000 to collaborate with Keep Columbus Beautiful to continue the development of the sculpture garden on West Broad Street.
Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)—$10,000 to participate in the City of Columbus’ Branch Out Columbus program to increase the community’s canopy tree cover.
Lower Lights Ministries—$12,000 to complete long-lasting beautification projects at a multi-purpose building on Sullivant Avenue and at three program residences on corner lots.
NAMI Franklin County Inc.—$11,000 to improve the business district on Main Street in Columbus between Bexley and Whitehall by establishing a Special Improvement District to prevent crime and to beautify the area.
Neighborhood Design Center—$20,000 to develop the new “Welcome to the South Side” Monument at the corner of Parsons Avenue and South Lane in the Neighborhood Revitalization corridor.
About the Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund
A Columbus banker, Joseph A. Jeffrey turned an inventor’s idea for undercutting coal into a booming success during the late 1870s. His company, the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, became the world’s largest manufacturer of mining machinery. In 1980, The Columbus Foundation was selected by the City of Columbus to manage the Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund. The fund, originally established in 1919 with a gift of $100,000, is used to support nonprofit organizations in Columbus and throughout Franklin County.
About The Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation is the trusted philanthropic advisor® to 2,400 individuals, families, and businesses who have created charitable funds and planned gifts to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. Serving the region for more than 70 years, The Columbus Foundation is the seventh largest community foundation in the United States. The Foundation’s online marketplace, PowerPhilanthropy,® makes giving mobile, easy, and smart. For more information, visit columbusfoundation.org or call 614/251-4000.