The first Clinton County Legacy Fund grants have been awarded, and involve nine recipients receiving a total of $353,400.
The Legacy Fund consists of money the county obtained from selling county-owned Clinton Memorial Hospital.
Here are the recipients and the amounts of their grants: $65,400 to the Village of Blanchester; $60,000 to the Clinton County Trails Coalition; $45,000 to the Clinton-Warren Joint Fire and Rescue District; $45,000 to the Blanchester Community Service Association Inc.; and $40,000 to Jefferson Township.
Also, $38,000 to the Murphy Theatre; $30,000 to the Friends of Clarksville; $20,000 to the Chester Township Fire and EMS; and $10,000 to the Clinton County Community Action Programs Inc.
The Legacy Committee received 26 letters of interest, and committee members invited about half of those organizations to move forward with the full application process, said Legacy Committee member Tony Long.
A key in the committee’s decisions as to which local governments or nonprofits would be awarded grants “is how many people in Clinton County is it going to benefit,” Legacy Committee member Joe Hete said.
Another thing the committee considered with favor is whether the grant funds spent on the project could end up in the hands of a local company.
“We wanted the money to go back into the county as much as possible,” Long said. “We want money to be reinvested into the county.”
Committee members made some on-site visits to meet with specific individuals or boards as the Legacy Committee moved forward with the award or partial award, remarked Long.
The projects and plans that the recipients have for their grant dollars will be reported in forthcoming News Journal articles.
The official purpose statement of the Legacy Fund is as follows:
“The Legacy Fund’s mission is to strengthen Clinton County, Ohio and improve the lives of its citizens through project-based funding. The Legacy Fund develops our communities by advancing resources for local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes.
“Legacy projects lay the groundwork for systemic, transformational changes that sustain Clinton County utilizing local strategies and visionary leadership. The focus is to provide ongoing financial charitable support for the improvement of the health, welfare and safety of Clinton County,” concludes the purpose statement.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
