$189,262 to 37 in latest DCCF grants

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The DeKalb County Community Foundation has announced grants of $189,262 to 37 area non-profit and community organizations. The awards were made as part of the Foundation's Community Needs Grants - fall grant period, and many will be presented at an upcoming Grants Reception on November 13 at the new Kishwaukee Community Hospital's Conference Center in DeKalb. These grants push the Foundation's total awards to approximately $8.7 million since the organization started 14 years ago. With total assets in endowments totaling approximately $25 million, the Foundation anticipates distributing over $1 million in grants and scholarships in DeKalb County this year. The most recent grants had been recommended by the organization's Grants Committee, chaired this year by Mariam Wassmann, Waterman. Other committee members include Joan Fenstermaker, Sycamore; Larry Bolles, DeKalb; Lana Haines, Kingston; Jesus Romero, Sycamore; and Dan Gudmunson, Somonauk. Grant requests submitted numbered 43 and totaled $476,082. The foundation's four interest areas - Arts & Culture, Community Development & Civic Affairs, Education, and Health & Human Services - all received positive consideration, according to Wassmann. Templin announced the deadline for the next Community Needs Grants - Spring Period will be March 1, 2008. For further information, residents are encouraged to call Templin at 748-5383 or visit http://www.dekalbcountyfoundation.org. that serve hundreds of DeKalb County youth. “This Community Needs Grant to KEC is the second largest grant award in the Foundation's history. The total grant will be paid to KEC over a four year period. The largest grant previous to this award was in 2005 to Kishwaukee Community Hospital's new facility in the amount of $250,000, according to Dan Templin, program director. In addition to the Community Foundation's regular fall round of Community Needs Grants, two special awards were approved by the organization's Board of Directors, accessing its Emergency Fund. A grant of $2,000 was given to the Kishwaukee United Way, which will be the administrator for a local fund to be established to provide remaining support to those who suffered losses in the recent area flooding. It is expected that the local United Way board, along with several other area groups, will support the fund - primarily for “loose ends” items that may not have been covered by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) or the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additionally, an emergency grant of $2,000 was provided to TAILS Humane Society, to assist that local animal shelter in covering costs associated with the recent animal hoarding case. TAILS was asked to board and administer medical treatment to hundreds of dogs and cats, following their rescue from a rural Rochelle-area site. Foundation Executive Director Jerry Smith explained that the two grants mark the first time the Emergency Fund has been used in several years, adding that the organization normally has a small discretionary fund to allow for unexpected expenses of area non-profits. Unfortunately, that fund had been “pretty much tapped out for 2007,” Smith explained, and the Emergency Fund came to the rescue.