Columbus, OH (Jan. 14, 2019)—The Robert E. and Genevieve B. Schaefer Fund has awarded 19 grants totaling $119,839.10 to organizations serving the City of Chillicothe and Ross County.
The recipient organizations are:
- American Red Cross of East and South-Central Ohio - $2,500 to support the Home Fire Campaign to purchase and install smoke alarms, provide educational materials, and provide food, clothing, and shelter for those impacted by home fires.
- The Assistance House of Ross County, Inc. - $2,500 to support the “Survival Kit” project.
- Carver Community Center - $7,500 to assist with the “My Life” program which will provide a pipeline of support for Ross County youth involved in the cycle of drugs.
- Downtown Chillicothe - $10,000 to support several projects in historic downtown Chillicothe, Ohio to assist with community involvement, education, and revitalization.
- Easterseals Central and Southeast Ohio - $2,500 to replace all of the windows in the building on Western Avenue.
- Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, Inc. - $5,000 to serve 365 girls in Ross County through the Girl Scouts Leadership Experience (GSLE) traditional troop program.
- Mighty Children’s Museum - $5,000 to provide a new climber exhibit for interactive play, engagement, and physical activity.
- Paper City Mentoring Project - $10,000 to support training and recruitment materials, publications, media, mentor workshops, etc.
- Pioneer School Booster’s Club, Inc. - $4,925 to purchase equipment and supplies to support its three annual summer camps that serve students with severe medical needs or disabilities.
- Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate - $2,500 to support the Vision Care Outreach Program.
- Ross County Community Action Commission, Inc. – $10,000 to support the CARES (Community Action Responds, Engages, and Supports) recovery program for individuals and families that struggle with the opioid epidemic.
- The Scioto Society, Inc. - $10,000 to purchase and install a new conduit, receptacles, and wiring for its building.
- Seeds of Hope, Inc. - $6,819.10 to support the development of the organization's additional facility.
- Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America - $5,000 to provide ScoutReach after-school programming to more than 200 at-risk, economically disadvantaged elementary school youth.
- South Central Ohio Big Brothers Big Sisters - $3,000 to support after-school and summer activities for Ross County children who are enrolled in the Ready to Be Matched program.
- Voicecorps Reading Service - $2,000 to expand the availability of Voicecorps reading service in the Chillicothe area to more veterans and other eligible persons.
- Wherewaseye dba Chery’s House of Hope - $20,000 to support the renovation of facilities ($17,100) and the general maintenance of the transitional home for women in recovery (remaining $2,900).
- YMCA of Ross County - $5,595 to support the enhancement of its health facilities to serve patients in evidence-based programs.
- Young Life Ross County - $5,000 to expand its outreach to middle schools in Ross County and to continue its current work at four high schools.
About the Robert E. and Genevieve B. Schaefer Fund
Robert E. Schaefer, a longtime Chillicothe resident, established this fund to provide for the cultural development, health and human welfare, and economic development of Chillicothe and Ross County. A veteran newspaperman, Mr. Schaefer, who died in 1997, served the community for more than 60 years. He joined the Chillicothe Gazette in 1938 and began a career that spanned 36 years. It was Mr. Schaefer’s hope that these annual contributions to the community would inspire others with charitable intent to impact the community.
A great believer in education, Mr. Schaefer established scholarships at Ohio University–Chillicothe and The Ohio State University to provide opportunities for the next generation of young people from Ross County. He also devoted much of his time and efforts to promote industrial development in Chillicothe, striving to move the community forward and position it for the future.
An advisory committee, made up of community representatives, assists with grant recommendations.
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, visit columbusfoundation.org or call 614/251-4000.