Marion Community Foundation

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2019 Community Grants: Health & Wellness

Dr. Frederick Smith and Dr. Phillip Smith would be proud. Their foresight and diligence more than 60 years ago are still paying “healthy” dividends in Marion. Health and wellness is a major focus of Marion Community Foundation’s 2019 Community Grants Program awards – due in large part to the Foundation’s Health Care Fund, its first and one of its largest funds that is a direct result of the Smith brothers’ efforts. Of the 32 programs awarded funding this year, ten of them relate to health and wellness.

“We are pleased to be able to support local programs that will positively impact the health and quality of life in Marion,” said Dean Jacob, President and CEO of Marion Community Foundation. “None of these worthwhile programs could be supported by Marion Community Foundation without the original gifts from our donors – including those of our founding Board of Directors, families like the Browns’ and Roberts’, and donors who created funds to honor local people like Helen Cunningham, Vera McDanel, Jerry Grubaugh, and others.”

Several of this year’s Community Grants address the needs of the developmentally disabled in Marion. Marion County Special Olympics will receive two grants, $4,200 from the Health Care, Helen Cunningham Handicapped, and Marion Speech and Hearing funds to send 26 athletes to the 2020 Special Olympics Ohio State Summer Games and $1,940 from the Health Care Fund to add volleyball to their athletic program.

The 2020 Special Olympics Ohio State Summer Games will be held on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus on June 26-28. Marion County Special Olympians will compete in volleyball, bocce ball, and track and field. Volleyball will be a new event for the local team, due in part to the community grant.

MARCA Industries is looking to expand their workforce development programming and has been awarded $7,619 from the Health Care Fund to enable them to apply for CARF Accreditation. Once received, this accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities will enable them to serve more Marion residents. In addition to serving developmentally disabled adults, the accreditation will allow MARCA to open services to Marion youth, veterans, individuals with mental illnesses and individuals going through rehab and recovery.

Wings of an Angel, which provides specialized support for disabled children from birth to age 17, will receive $5,000 from the Marion Speech and Hearing Fund to support their ‘Specialized Equipment for Special Children’ program and purchase therapy equipment not paid for by insurance. The equipment provided teaches the child to become more self-sufficient and, because it can be taken home, assists with therapies, including speech, language and hearing impairments.

A long-time supporter of the Marion Family YMCA, Marion Community Foundation is awarding two programming grants to the local Y — $3,738 for Delay the Disease for Parkinson’s Disease and $2,010 for Arthritis programs. The Parkinson’s grant is a combined effort of the Dave & Anne Brown Family, James and Margaret Coulson Charitable, Smith-Brown Family, and Francis & Thelma Wise funds. The arthritis grant comes from the Francis & Thelma Wise Fund. Both of these are ongoing programs at the Marion YMCA and have received support from the Community Grants program previously.

“Several of the funds that make up our Community Grants Program are donor advised funds which support specific causes, as in these cases,” said Julie Prettyman, Vice President and Director of Programs at Marion Community Foundation. “Families like the Browns, Coulsons, and Wises have chosen to support health programs which are meaningful to them.”

Additional Health and Wellness grants include:

  • Center Street Community Health Center, $7,525 to provide for individual requests for health services, from the Helen Cunningham Handicapped, Francis & Thelma Wise, and Vera O. McDanel Senior Citizens Transportation Funds;
  • Eye-to-Eye Low Vision Support Group, $2,238 from the Marion Noon Lions Club Fund for their Spread the Word campaign to education the community about their vision support services;
  • Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission, $5,000 from the Health Care Fund for the United Community Rx Program;
  • Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program, $10,625 for their “Changes and Choices” educational program; and,
  • Resource Foundation, $4,414 from the Jerry Grubaugh Memorial Fund to support the MUDE program for HIV treatment in the Dominican Republic.

Marion Community Foundation has been, since even before its inception, focused on caring for the community of Marion, Ohio. What is now known as Marion Community Foundation began in healthcare as the Ohio MedCenter Foundation – and its predecessor, the Mary Elizabeth Smith Foundation, named in honor of Drs. Frederick and Phillip Smith’s mother. When MedCenter Hospital’s assets were sold, in 1998, those assets, and a name change, became Marion Community Foundation.

Overall, the 2019-2020 Community Grants Program awards are supporting 32 local programs and nonprofit organizations. In addition to the ‘Health & Wellness’ category, awards have been made to address ‘Arts, History, and Culture,’ ‘Food, Shelter & Support,’ ‘Children, Families & Seniors,’ ‘Community Development,’ and ‘Education.” Additional information is available by clicking HERE.

Marion Community Foundation is located at 504 S. State St. in Marion. Office hours are weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information is available by calling 740-387-9704.