Millennium Fund for Children awards $46,578 to area youth programs

Akron Community Foundation’s Millennium Fund for Children recently awarded 32 grants totaling $46,578 to children’s programs throughout Summit, Portage and Medina counties. Akron Community Foundation’s board of directors ratified the grants at its Nov. 20 meeting, bringing the fund’s cumulative grant-making total to $623,922.

A partnership of the Akron Beacon Journal and the community foundation, the Millennium Fund for Children began in 1999 when local residents donated their last hour’s pay of the millennium. Since then, people have donated gifts of all kinds and sizes, growing the fund to more than $785,000 and making more than 400 grants to provide gifts for children in foster care, live music and theater performances for area students, food and clothing for at-risk youth, and much more.

The fund continues to seek gifts both large and small from individual residents. “Every gift — from dollar bills to stock transfers — helps,” said Akron Community Foundation President and CEO John T. Petures Jr. “Your gift will be combined with thousands of others and will grow over time, helping the fund make a big difference in the lives of our smallest residents.”

To donate to the Millennium Fund for Children, visit www.akroncf.org/give/millennium. Or, to inquire about making gifts of real estate, appreciated securities, retirement assets or life insurance, call Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522.

The following grants were awarded from the fund this year:

ACCESS Inc., to provide meals, health assessments, clothing and school supplies for children living at the shelter, $2,000

Akron Area YMCA, to purchase an inflatable water challenge activity for children at Camp Y-Noah, $1,000

Akron Art Museum, to support the Night at the Museum program, which showcases the artwork of local students through special exhibitions for students and their families, $1,000

Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs, to replace worn buoys and swim lines for the recreational swimming program for children with special needs, $1,900

Art Sparks, to expand the Fabulous Fitness dance program for second- and third-graders in Akron Public Schools, $1,200

Battered Women’s Shelter, to provide enrichment opportunities and field trips for children living at the shelter, $1,000

Birthcare of Medina County, to provide winter pajamas and blankets for infants and toddlers in need, $1,000

Bright Star Books Inc., to provide books to young children who are enrolled in the Summit Lake, Barberton and Stow WIC clinics, $2,000

Building for Tomorrow, to support family outreach events for low-income families in Twinsburg and improve their access to critical early childhood services, $1,000

Caring for Kids Inc., to purchase holiday and birthday gifts for children in foster care, $1,000

CASA Board Volunteer Association Inc., to provide a holiday party at the Akron Zoo for abused and neglected children in foster care and their caregivers, $1,000

Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture, to support art-based social events for children with autism that encourage friendship and self-expression through art, $1,000

Children’s Concert Society of Akron, to help children from low-income families attend the Concert Hall Series, $1,500

Christ Child Society of Akron, to provide essential newborn items and child safety literature to mothers of at-risk babies, $1,000

Crown Point Ecology Center, to introduce low-income children to organic farming and gardening through the 2016 Summer Farm & Science Camp, $2,000

Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio, for a ballroom dance residency program that fosters respect, teamwork and self-esteem among Akron Public Schools students, $1,000

Elves & More of Northeast Ohio, to purchase bicycles for children in low-income neighborhoods, $1,000

Embracing Futures Inc., to teach third-graders about the benefits of oral health through in-class demonstrations, where they receive free toothbrushes and other dental health items, $1,000

Family Promise of Summit County Inc., to provide car seats, diapers and wipes for babies in homeless families, $2,000

Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio, to provide nutritious snacks for participants of this nationally acclaimed program, which mentors girls in high-poverty neighborhoods through a combination of fitness training and discussions about personal values, respect and self-worth, $2,000

Good Neighbors Inc., to purchase uniforms for needy students in Akron Public Schools, $2,000

GriefCare Place Inc., for grief camps and school-based grief counseling groups that help children and teens cope with the loss of a loved one through art, music and therapeutic peer activities, $1,000

Leggett Community Learning Center, Akron Public Schools, to support the Leader in Me program, which helps increase attendance and test scores by teaching students about respect and personal responsibility, $1,000

Magical Theatre Company, to support theater productions and drama workshops for homeless children in Akron, $2,000

OPEN M, for an early childhood education program that prepares children from low-income families for kindergarten, $2,000

OutSupport Inc., for support services for transgender youth in Northeast Ohio, $1,500

Portage-Summit Diaper Bank, to provide diapers to families in need in Summit and Portage counties, $2,000

Rape Crisis Center, for the Tina Project, which helps prevent teen dating violence by educating middle and high school students about healthy relationships, $2,000

Shelter Care Inc., to support recreational activities for at-risk youth in the respite care program, $1,778

South Street Ministries, to support an art therapy mentoring program for teen girls in the Summit Lake neighborhood, $2,000

Victim Assistance Program Inc., for the “Kids Need a Firm Foundation” picnic for children who have witnessed or been victims of violence, $1,500

Weathervane Community Playhouse Inc., to provide theater class scholarships to children from low-income families, $1,200

About the Millennium Fund for Children
The Millennium Fund for Children is a permanent endowment that was founded in 1999 as a partnership between Akron Community Foundation and the Akron Beacon Journal. It supports arts, civic, education, and health and human services projects for children living in the Beacon Journal’s circulation area. Its mission is to make grants where even a small amount can make a difference. Since its establishment, the Millennium Fund has grown to more than $785,000 and awarded more than $620,000 in grants. During the 2014 campaign season, contributions totaling $37,321 from nearly 270 generous donors added to the fund. For more information, or to contribute to the Millennium Fund for Children, visit www.akroncf.org/millennium or call 330-376-8522.

About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 60 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. As of Sept. 30, 2015, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $176 million with a growing family of more than 500 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded approximately $128 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.