Harmony Goodman, who participates in equine therapy through Brighter Path, hugs Tina the horse Thursday, June 20, at 2778 N. Treaty Line Road in Cambridge City. Photos supplied by Derek Callahan

The Wayne County Foundation awarded 14 local organizations $143,807 through its second grant cycle and other grant opportunities.

The 11 organizations funded through the year’s second grant cycle are:

  • Brighter Path Inc., $15,000 to purchase three therapy horses for its equine therapy programs. 
  • Centerville Senior High School, $7,500 to help the special education department purchase and train an emotional support dog that will work with students in seventh to 12th grade.  
  • Central United Methodist Church, $10,597 to replace rusted play equipment and install a privacy fence.  
  • Communities in Schools of Wayne County, $15,000 to fund the site coordination program during the 2024-25 school year.  
  • Every Child Can Read Inc., $15,000 to support early literacy initiatives in Wayne County through K-Ready book-giving programs and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
  • Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, $5,330 to support the Richmond Girl Scout Day Camp.
  • Golay Community Center, $7,780 to make facility flooring improvements.  
  • Good News Habitat for Humanity, $15,000 to support an upcoming house build in Richmond.  
  • Oak Park Church, $15,000 to launch a new program designed to equip individuals ages 10 to 18 with life skills.  
  • Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District, $8,000 to provide educational outreach programs on the importance of natural resources conservation and install a shed for storing outreach materials and supplies. 
  • Wayne Township Trustee in Wayne County, $5,000 for two eight-week Introduction to Spanish for Professionals workshops geared toward nonprofit professionals and service providers.  

Two organizations received foundation mini-grants designed to serve smaller projects, short-term programs or opportunities requiring immediate funding. Those recipients are:

  • Boy Scouts of America, $5,000 to support Wayne County Boy Scout camp scholarships, registration fees and uniform expenses.  
  • Richmond Art Museum, $4,600 for acquisition of “Spanish Town Jamaica Scene” by De Scott Evans, a piece that RAM originally exhibited in 1902. The Charles and Maxine Matthews Arts Fund funded this grant.

The initial grant cycle provided funding to one additional organization:

  • New Testament Church of Christ, $15,000 to purchase furniture and supplies for childcare capacity and enrolling infants through 2-year-olds. 

The foundation will begin accepting applications Aug. 1 for its third grant cycle.

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A version of this article appeared in the June 26 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.