[July 15, 2011] Medina County Community Fund awards grants Tweet MEDINA, Jul 15, 2011 (The Akron Beacon Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Medina County Community Fund, an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, has awarded $35,000 in grants to 13 nonprofit organizations. Over the last 18 years, the fund has granted more than $350,000 to agencies to assist Medina County residents. Nearly half of this year's grants will support programs that impact local children, including a $2,500 grant to Marian's Closet to purchase baby items for families in need. The grant will help the Wadsworth-based agency provide diapers, baby wipes, formula, children's socks and children's underwear to low-income families. Marian's Closet assists thousands of parents each year. Other grants this year will help meet residents' basic medical needs and bring free concert series to the county. "Our community has a wide range of needs that continue to increase," said Medina County Community Fund Affiliate Director Karen Widder in a statement. "As an endowment fund, we have the unique ability to meet these ever-changing needs, and we are committed to supporting programs that change lives, feed the hungry, protect the vulnerable, support the disadvantaged, impact the lives of children, and enrich the community as a whole." Grants awarded include: --The Children's Center of Medina County, $2,500 for a life-skills mentoring program for young adults transitioning out of foster care. --Cornerstone Wellness Center Inc., $5,810 to provide healthy food to students in poverty on weekends and school breaks. --Easter Seals Northern Ohio, $2,000 to purchase learning materials for children with speech and language disabilities. --The Kidney Foundation of Medina County Inc., $3,000 to provide residents with reliable transportation to hemodialysis treatments. --Literacy Council of Medina County Inc., $2,000 to purchase books for the GED program in Lodi, where one in five residents does not have a high school diploma. --Medina Cares Inc., $3,500 to provide financial assistance to residents in a medical crisis. --Medina County Arts Council Inc., $1,000 to support free Arts Week concerts featuring Medina County performers. --Medina County Soil & Water Conservation District, $1,330 to plant trees and create a wildlife pond for an ecological learning center at Crestview Elementary School in Brunswick. --Mobile Meals Inc., $1,500 to provide medically prescribed supplements to residents in need. --Ohio Regional Music Arts Cultural Outreach, $2,500 for the "Jazz Under the Stars" free concert series in Medina's Public Square. --Right Lead, $3,360 for a therapeutic riding program for abused and at-risk children. --St. Paul's Episcopal Church, $4,000 to provide food and household items to residents in need. The Medina County Community Fund is an affiliate fund of the Akron Community Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.mccfund.org. To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]