Grant Award Recipient Representatives
United Way of Lake County’s Women’s Leadership Council Awards Nearly $30,000 in Grants
Mentor, OH (June 21, 2019) – United Way of Lake County’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) awarded grants totaling $28,982 during an awards ceremony held the evening of June 20, 2019.
According to WLC Chair, Michele Johnson of Lighthouse Advisers, “This is our fifth funding cycle and over this time we have awarded a total of $115,199 in grant funds to programs that support our goal of uplifting and empowering women and girls in Lake County. We’re very proud of the work we do on behalf of United Way of Lake County.”
The grant awards ceremony was held at United Way of Lake County’s office at 9285 Progress Parkway in Mentor. This is the fifth year the WLC has awarded grants since they reestablished in August of 2013.
Grant applications for programs that support Lake County women and girls were accepted from January 22, 2019 through March 13, 2019 from parties whose mission similarly aligns with the WLC.
The mission of the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) is to positively impact the lives of women and girls through the philanthropic efforts of advocating, educating, giving and volunteering. They work toward this, in part, via the support of 501(c) (3) and nonprofit organizations in Lake County with programs that promote a similar mission.
A record number of 28 grant submissions were received this year. WLC grant panel volunteers spent several weeks reviewing each submission and conducting on-site visits before making a final decision on which submissions would be awarded funds.
Phyllis Wilcox, community volunteer and chair of the WLC Grants Committee awarded this year’s funds and thanked all of the grant award volunteer committee members for their service.
This year’s WLC grant committee included community volunteer Deb Chormann, Gwen Corban of Lifeline, Yvonne Delgato-Thomas of Fine Arts Association, community volunteer Mary Feathers, Bethany Germano of First Federal Lakewood, Sheryl Kline of the Lake County Board of DD, Kristin McLaughlin of KM Career Coaching & Consulting, Mary McKernan-Gryzmala of Hospice of the Western Reserve, Ann Radcliffe of TitleWave Realestate Solutions, Amber Thomas of Crossroads, and community volunteers Jodi Wilker and JoAnn Wirtz.
Representatives from each of the following 18 agencies grants were awarded to were present at the ceremony:
Auburn Career Center: $1,900
Need Based Scholarships: For women in traditional and non-traditional fields
Cleveland Rape Crisis Centers: $1,300
Outreach in Lake County: Advertising to spread the word about the availability of services in Lake County
Deepwood Foundation: $1,350
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Music and dance program designed to increase social skills for girls
Fine Arts Association: $1,500
Girl Power: Music, dance and art scholarships for girls
Forbes House: $1,453
Children’s Counseling: Update counseling office with books and furniture
Hannah’s Home: $710
Earn While You Learn: Upgrade DVDs for healthy living and eating for new mothers & children
Hospice of the Western Reserve: $991
Comfort Care: 12 Manuals and stools for volunteers to provide Comfort Care to patients
Lake County Community Network: $2,500
Emergency Assistance: Rent, utilities, food, etc. for women
Lake County Educational Service Center: $1,567
SALES Program: Meetings and a service learning project in Virginia for Lake County girls
Lake County Free Clinic: $2,000
Lab Tests: 4 types of lab tests for women’s health
Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers: $1,200
Giving Back: Supplies for making blankets for others
Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers Oak House: $1,000
A WLC Christmas for Oak House Clients
Madison Local School District: $1,000
STEM and Making: Supplies for low & high tech afterschool activities for 4th & 5th grade girls
Painesville Community Theater: $1,500
Summer Theater: 6-8 week summer theater camp and performance for girls
Project Hope for the Homeless: $3,011
Families Moving Forward: 77 Shelter nights for mothers and children
The Hope Chest: $3,000
School Clothing: New shoes, socks and underwear for girls
Salvation Army: $2,500
Back to School Bash: Socks, underwear and backpacks for girls
Women Safe: $1,500
Shelter for Lake County Women: 33 Nights of shelter for victims of domestic violence in Lake County
The Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Lake County raises donations throughout the year to support their grant funding program. The bulk of funds raised comes from their annual Women's Winterfest & Holiday Food Tasting Fundraiser which will be held this year on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at the American-Croatian Lodge in Eastlake. For details or more information, feel free to contact Tami Lewis at 440.639.1131.
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