Huff Family Fund grants enable over $140,000 in projects for 2019.
On Thursday February 21st, 10 organizations received a total of $68,124 from the Huff Family Fund, complimented with co-funding amounts of $2,000 each from the Wynne Thomas Arts Fund and the Jack and Ruby Lockyer Ward Fund. These Funds are managed by The County Foundation (TCF). As these are matching grants, the awards enable over $140,000 in local projects to proceed this year, much to the delight of grant recipients.
The Huff Family Fund was launched in the Fall of 2018, as a commitment to the FUTURE of Prince Edward County. The Fund is about the children, families, and the challenges that many face. It is about helping within our community. It focusses on projects and programs based in Prince Edward County, serving Prince Edward County people.
The Huff Family Fund encourages and supports the incredible work that our many community organizations pursue to make Prince Edward County so special. It is through this commitment that The Huff Family Fund was launched. Over what is anticipated to be the next 15 years, and starting with these inaugural grants, there will be a series of grants offered in a broad range of areas. These will help provide the qualifying organizations with the essential financial support needed to complement their missions, their hard work, their volunteers, and so much more.
The Huff Family Fund will support organizations and institutions, through grants that provide projects and programs directed towards: Addiction and Mental Health; Animal Welfare; Arts and Culture; Health Care and Human Services; Housing Issues; Vital Signs Priority Areas as defined by The County Foundation Vital Signs Report, including Food Security, Education and Learning, and Transportation.
With over thirty grant applications received, requests far exceeded availability in this first year. The applications were reviewed, analyzed and evaluated by a TCF Grants Committee comprising individuals from across the County, and recommendations were presented to TCF Board of Directors for approval and consultation with the donors.
Grants awarded and gratefully received were:
- Anne Moffat and Angela Finlay accepted on behalf of the Loyalist Humane Society, for increasing their spaying and neutering programs by 10%, to regulate feline population by avoiding unplanned litters, and thereby reduce animal suffering.
- Ken How and Steve Sensenstein accepted on behalf of Lovesong Seniors’ Affordable Housing at Pinecrest, for their Functional Program and Design Development project. This grant will result in design, drawings, and options for moving the design phase of the $6.3 million project towards creating 50 new affordable housing units.
- Barbara Proctor and Debbie MacDonald Moynes accepted on behalf of PEC Community Care for Seniors, for podiatry equipment and tools, for their expansion with a foot-care clinic in Rossmore. This will service more seniors in the northern areas of the County, especially for those with limited transportation options.
- Lindsay Ferguson and Darlene Thompson accepted on behalf of the Recreation Outreach Centre (ROC), for a Youth Addiction and Recovery program called SMART Recovery. It provides a variety of methods, worksheets, and exercises to help teens self-manage addiction recovery and their lives, under the training and oversight of skilled facilitators.
- Cheryl Chapman and Julie Hymus accepted on behalf of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, for transporting youth to their location in 2019 and 2020. The Observatory introduces children to outdoor education opportunities through their NatureHood program and the grants will supplement transportation expenses for school children.
- Tanya Dutton and Tami Downes accepted on behalf of the Community Development Council Quinte, a core partner of Poverty Roundtable HPE, for their program to build awareness of Poverty Reduction needs within the County. Under this project, the delivery of workshops would be expanded across PEC and involve various key stakeholders and agencies combating poverty.
- David Oliver and Maureen Dunn accepted on behalf of the PEC Chamber Music Festival, for the youth portion of their program. This provides youth the opportunity to attend free of cost, and to learn to appreciate classical music and acclaimed musicians, within their own locale. Such programs are normally only available in larger communities.
- Linda Downey and Kathy Kennedy accepted on behalf of Wellington Storehouse and Prince Edward Learning Institute, for Youth and Adult Cooking Classes in 2019 and 2020. The grants will support cooking classes for youths 8-12 yrs and adults. The youth classes are 6 weeks in duration and the adult classes are 8 weeks. Classes will be 4-6 pm and days are yet to be determined. During classes, literacy-building opportunities will be pursued through reading and scaling recipes.
- Bob Cooke and Evva Massey accepted on behalf of The Regent Theatre Foundation, for Concession Renovations. This project is forecast to increase operating revenues for our heritage theatre and contribute to its survival. This is a shared grant from the Huff Family and Jack and Ruby Lockyer Ward Funds.
- Anne Preston and Janna Smith accepted on behalf of County Kids Read, for the purchase of board books for the very young. This program is aimed at improving the Early Development Index for young children presenting as vulnerable, as highlighted in the Vital Signs 2018 report. This is a shared grant from the Huff Family and Wynne Thomas Arts Development Funds.
