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.
Bellevue City Schools
R1 2023 Grantee
Amount:
$5,400
Project Description
This project provides training in structured literacy, addresses high percentages of students reading below expectations, and provides compliance with Ohio HB 436.
Goals
The primary goal is to equip staff with skills for effective reading instruction, aiming for higher DIBELS 8th Edition scores. Trainees will implement a multisensory structured literacy curriculum, provide systematic instruction, and diagnose reading issues. By early 2024, all 8 trainees should achieve Ohio HB 436 certification, with plans to certify a long-term instructor. The project targets 80% of students meeting or exceeding grade-level benchmarks, particularly benefiting special education.
Outcomes
In the ongoing journey of our CALP training program, we've achieved significant milestones. Nine CALP trainees and one ICALP trainee have dedicated themselves to 47 instructional hours, delving into the intricacies of language and literacy. From understanding how our brains process language to mastering phonological awareness and decoding skills, each session has been a step forward in equipping our educators.
Beyond the classroom, trainees have spent over 60 hours tutoring children, applying their newfound knowledge in practical settings. Despite challenges and adjustments, such as changing students midway, these trainees have directly impacted the lives of 12 students, fostering noticeable improvements in their reading assessments.
As our trainees progress through their tutoring sessions, they continually assess their students' progress, seeing growth at every stage. Notably, oral reading fluency has shown marked improvement among our student population, as measured by DIBELS 8th Edition benchmarks.
The ripple effects of this training extend far beyond these direct interactions. Our trainees are actively integrating their skills into various classrooms—from kindergarten to high school science—bringing enhanced literacy strategies to diverse student groups. While we celebrate our achievements thus far, our focus remains on completing the training requirements, ensuring all participants pass their certification exams, and solidifying our commitment to educational excellence. The journey continues, and we eagerly anticipate the lasting impacts of this transformative program.
Organization: Campbell Christian Community Center
(formerly Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky)
Early Intervention and Family Engagement Pilot Program
Amount:
$5,000
Project Description
Through home visits, weekly parent gatherings, and kindergarten bootcamp, the Nehemiah Team aims to prepare children ages 2-7 for success in school and beyond.
Goals
The pilot program led by the Campbell Christian Community Center Team focuses on two primary initiatives: family engagement and education.
- Breakfast Buddies: Engage 30 children aged 2 to 7 and their parents/guardians weekly from 8:30 to 11:00 am. This program aims to educate parents on the importance of school and reading at home, equipping them with the necessary tools for these tasks.
- Kindergarten Bootcamp: Educate 24 children entering kindergarten and first grade in the 2023-2024 school year through a week-long summer camp. The goal is to enhance students' phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge.
In total, the Campbell Christian Community Center Team will directly support 50 children and 20 adults throughout the ten-week program. Additionally, approximately 30 children and 10 adults, including older or younger siblings and other family members in participating households, will benefit indirectly. This grant initiative will provide free educational services and meals to 110 individuals across Erie County.
Outcomes
The grant from Erie County Community Foundation has been a tremendous blessing for the Campbell Christian Community Center Team. With this support, we launched the Early Intervention and Family Engagement Pilot Program aimed at supporting local parents, grandparents, and their young children.
The pilot program focused on two main components: family engagement and education.
During the summer, the Breakfast Buddies program became a cornerstone of our community outreach efforts. We had the privilege of working closely with 35 adults and 55 children. Week by week, more families joined us as word spread throughout the neighborhood. Every session, we provided essential supplies like diapers, wipes, books, and snacks to support families. One dedicated mom even walked over thirty minutes with her young children to attend our sessions at the Center.
The success of Breakfast Buddies was amplified by the collaboration of our dedicated team members. Chris and Zach from Campbell Christian Community Center led the program, supported by two social workers from Project Strength, two teachers, and several other community organizations focused on parent support.
OHgo Reach
Pantry Supplies
Amount:
$13,230
Project Description
Providing healthy food for all through additional pantry supplies.
Goals
With the necessary supplies secured, our aim is to distribute enough food to provide over 800,000 meals this year to individuals facing food insecurity. Additionally, we plan to expand our services by introducing a monthly fresh market at Job and Family Services and ensuring the sustained stocking of nutritious food in seven Goodwill employee pantries. As we expand our off-site programs, there is an increasing need for additional deliveries, bags, boxes, coolers, and other essential resources.
Outcomes
OHgo has far surpassed its goals for 2023. We've made a significant impact by providing food to 54,058 households, totaling 152,327 individuals. Among them are many repeat clients who rely on our services regularly. Our meals distribution goal was nearly tripled, reaching an impressive 1,493,857 meals distributed to families in need.
Moreover, we expanded our outreach by organizing over 200 events for pantry food and fresh markets. Currently, 42 kid pantries are operational in schools and after-school facilities, ensuring children have access to nutritious meals without the need for a parent or supervising adult to sign off. Additionally, we've delivered 6,000 senior food boxes, provided 2,000 books through our traveling library, distributed 3,500 Christmas gifts, assembled 240 birthday bags, and shared 400 pumpkins to bring joy and relief to our community.
Recognizing that food insecurity often accompanies other hardships like housing instability, we understand the importance of partnerships. To enhance our impact, we're developing more efficient strategies for collaboration and data sharing, ensuring that our efforts continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.
Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana
Safe Housing with Dignity
Amount:
$15,000
Goals
Upgrades to substance-use disorder recovery housing and mental health recovery housing to create a positive environment of care.
Goals
The project goals and anticipated outcomes include:
- Completion of some kitchen renovations
- Completion of some bathroom renovations
- Providing safe housing
- Positive recovery environment for peer recovery
- Full use of a kitchen
- Residents cooking together
- Fostering a sense of community
Over the past year, introducing new small appliances, dishes, tables, and curtains has had a profoundly positive impact on our residents. It has fostered communal dinners, friendships, and support networks crucial for recovery. A simple addition like a pressure cooker sparked creativity among the men, leading to memorable family meals and strengthening bonds. This initiative not only encouraged collaborative meal planning and preparation but also promoted reconnecting with family and building camaraderie, enhancing both physical and mental wellbeing. Looking ahead, the potential of a fully renovated, welcoming kitchen holds even greater promise.
Outcomes
We couldn’t be happier with the overall outcomes. A few notes about the two renovations. At our 906 Decatur Recovery Housing, all capital renovations are finished, and final purchases of new appliances are in process. We liked the contractor so much that we enlisted his help at the 322 Decatur Adult Care Housing. This put us a bit behind the anticipated completion schedule. The final work and billing are anticipated to be completed soon. (Note: all funds from the Erie County Community Foundation have been expended on both properties, and have been supplemented by other local foundations. The supplemental funding is supporting final renovation costs at our Adult Care Housing.)
Also, combining excellent contractor rates, the Erie County Community Foundation support, and other foundation support has allowed us to go above and beyond our initial improvement plan. We have increased the scope of work in the spaces, fully finishing them. We had enough funds at one of the homes, to fully renovate a bathroom slated for future renovations. We've also been able to purchase appliances (large & small), linens, all eating- and cook-ware, and more. Our goal was to invest in the spaces and we’ve been able go beyond and fully enhance the spaces with new … everything. This has created highly functional and now much-loved areas of the home.
Testimonials
“I can’t thank the Community Foundation enough for this beautiful transformation. Our clients are inspired, and our staff is feeling so proud of the spaces now. This is more than updated kitchens and bathrooms. From the before pictures, this was about dignity too. A space to live in, thrive in, and be proud to call home. You made this possible.”
- Becky Carlino, Vice President of Development, Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana
“The difference from before to after is excellent. The kitchen is uplifting. It’s more inviting to cook in. It’s clean, more modern, and more efficient. I really like the faucet.” This is from a resident who does most of the cooking at our adult recovery housing.
- Resident in Housing
“It’s more updated. The backsplash and the flooring are a lot prettier. The sink is easier to clean and it’s deeper and more functional.”
- Resident in Housing
“It’s beautiful. The tile and the counter are easier to clean. It’s nice to have flooring that we aren’t tripping over. It’s much more appealing. I’m thrilled to see our residents using the spaces happily. The bathroom is just wonderful now, clean and refreshed. It’s all so wonderful, sometimes we find it hard to resist joining the residents around the table. We love seeing their pride and new joy as they recover with us. Especially now.”
- VOA Staff member
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Call the Community Foundation office at 419-621-9690 for more information.