Initiatives

Erie County Community Foundation initiatives focus on fostering community growth, supporting education, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Through grant stories, the Community Foundation showcases the real-world impact of its funding, highlighting successful projects that make a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and the broader community.

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Campbell Christian Community Center

Thrive: Teen Leadership and Mentoring Program - 2025 Round 2 Grantee

Amount:

$5,000

Project Description

The Campbell Christian Community Center, located in the heart of Sandusky, serves one of Erie County’s most densely populated and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Our mission is to create a safe, nurturing environment where children and families can learn, grow, and thrive. We do this through programs focused on education, mentoring, community meals, and neighborhood engagement—all grounded in the belief that every child deserves to be known, supported, and given the opportunity to flourish.

As the needs of local teens continue to increase, we are launching Thrive: Teen Leadership and Mentoring Program, a year-long initiative for students in grades 7–12. Thrive will provide weekly mentorship, academic support, leadership development, life skills training, career exploration, community service opportunities, and a healthy meal. Teens will build meaningful relationships with caring adult mentors while developing the confidence, skills, and sense of purpose needed to succeed in school and beyond. Participants will also engage in volunteer projects and leadership roles that strengthen both their futures and the surrounding community.

Goals

  • Increase Teen Engagement and Belonging: Foster a welcoming, inclusive environment for students in grades 7–12 where they feel seen, supported, and connected to positive adult mentors and peers.
  • Provide Consistent Mentorship and Leadership Opportunities: Offer weekly mentorship opportunities, educational sessions, and volunteer experiences that help teens build character, life skills, and purpose.
  • Promote Academic Success and Future Readiness: Support academic achievement through homework help, college and career readiness activities, and community service hours that contribute toward graduation requirements.
  • Encourage Holistic Wellbeing: Integrate activities that promote physical, emotional, and mental health, including meals, recreational activities, creative expression, and peer discussion groups.

Outcomes

The Thrive Program successfully achieved its goals by engaging 30 teens in weekly Teen Nights that provided mentorship, shared meals, educational enrichment, leadership development, and career exploration. A new volunteer application and orientation process strengthened accountability and family engagement, with 12 students completing the program. Participants exceeded expectations by contributing more than 875 volunteer hours, mentoring younger children, supporting afterschool programs, serving local families, and volunteering at community events, while gaining valuable workplace experience through partnerships with Kilted Cow Bakery and Sweet Cheekz Café. The program's impact was reflected in three students earning the OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal and one participant receiving the Leadership Erie County Youth Award. Overall, Thrive demonstrated that providing teens with meaningful responsibility, mentorship, and service opportunities builds confidence, leadership skills, and a lasting commitment to their community, establishing a strong foundation for the program's continued growth.

Sandusky Central Catholic Schools

STEM Exploration Day - 2025 Round 2 Grantee

Amount:

$1,200

Goals

  • Students will leave the event motivated to pursue more STEM learning opportunities at school, at home, or in the community.
  • Students will recognize that there are many different ways to solve a problem and that creativity and perseverance are important parts of the STEM process.
  • Students will be able to identify at least one way STEM is used in real life or in a job they might want in the future.

Project Description

SCCS STEM Exploration Day partnered with Imagination Station to provide students and families with hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math through interactive activities in coding, robotics, engineering, electronics, and fabrication. The event will include a high-energy science assembly, an evening family STEM experience, and classroom lessons aligned with Ohio learning standards. By engaging students, parents, and teachers together, the initiative will spark curiosity, strengthen school-family partnerships, inspire future STEM careers, and build a foundation for ongoing STEM learning and annual family engagement opportunities

Outcomes

With the support of the Erie County Community Foundation Grant, we successfully met our goal of increasing student interest and family engagement in STEM learning. The funding allowed us to partner with Imagination Station to provide both a daytime assembly for students and an evening STEM event for families in grades 2–5. During the school-day assembly, students were introduced to engaging, hands-on STEM concepts, which helped build excitement and curiosity. This directly supported our goal of increasing student buy-in and enthusiasm. As a result, we saw increased interest and participation in the evening family STEM night. The family event provided an opportunity for students and their families to explore STEM together, strengthening the home-school connection.

A key achievement of this program was the opportunity for students and families to interact with materials and technology they may not otherwise have access to, including Rigamajig kits, jitter critters, 3D printers, and 3D pens. These experiences promoted creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration among participants.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sandusky

Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner - 2025 Round 2 Grantee

Amount:

$2,000

Goals

To provide food for those who attend the dinner and to distribute approximately 300 bags of groceries as well as baby food and supplies.

Project Description

The purpose of this project is to provide free groceries to those in need in the Sandusky area. The grant monies will be used to purchase groceries and baby food/supplies. The Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner on November 27, 2025 was the 43rd consecutive year that Zion Lutheran Church and Holy Angels Catholic Church have co-sponsored the free Thanksgiving Dinner in the community. The distribution of free groceries is an extension of the dinner and is provided to the participants of the dinner. This project benefits many residents of Erie County. As many as 300 bags of groceries have been distributed in the past, including many being delivered along with Thanksgiving dinners to those who are elderly or otherwise physically unable to attend in person but are in need. Baby food, supplies, and diapers are distributed to those with infants.

Outcomes

Our program successfully met its primary goal of providing food assistance and community support to individuals and families in need. During the grant period, we served approximately 2,100 meals at our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, ensuring that community members had access to a warm holiday meal in a welcoming environment.

In addition to the Thanksgiving Dinner, we distributed 250 bags of groceries along with baby food, diapers, and other essential baby supplies to families experiencing financial hardship. While our original goal was to distribute 300 grocery bags, we were unable to reach that target because rising food costs significantly reduced our purchasing power, resulting in a reduction in the number of bags of groceries and quantity of food provided in each grocery bag.

Round 1 INITIATIVES 2025

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