Wallaceburg organizations approved for grants

The Chatham Kent Community Foundation and South Kent Wind have announced the next wave of grant recipients across Chatham-Kent, and four Wallaceburg organizations are included in the mix.

In total, 19 Chatham-Kent charitable organizations will be receiving grants totalling $130,533 before the end of the year. The grants range in size from $3,000 to $20,000.

In Wallaceburg, the following groups will be receiving a portion of these funds:

– Community Living Wallaceburg: $8,000 for Assistance to help with the purchase of a new handicapped accessible vehicle.

– James Street Ministry: $6,750 to go towards the mom’s baby cupboard and community meals program.

– Wallaceburg Senior Citizens Club: $6,586 towards the purchase of fitness and exercise equipment.

– AA Wright School Public School: $2,000 towards a snack program for students.

Of this amount, $112,491 comes from the South Kent Wind Community Fund. This announcement is the follow up to grant distributions made by both organizations earlier this year that totalled $220,000 and were shared among 47 charitable organizations.

“The Chatham-Kent Community Foundation is very grateful for the generous support of all of its donors, which has allowed the Foundation to make grants to charitable organizations within all Chatham-Kent communities in 2014 of over $350,000,” stated James Wickett, chair of the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation.

In the spring of 2013, the Chatham Kent Community Foundation and Samsung and Pattern Energy’s South Kent Wind project initiated the creation of the South Kent Wind Community Fund, a donor advised fund within the Chatham Kent Community Fund, with an initial donation of $1 million.

Over the next 20 years, South Kent Wind will contribute another $10 million to that Fund.

A percentage of the money will be available each year for direct grants to Chatham-Kent charitable organizations and the balance will be put into a perpetual fund that will also provide annual grants to Chatham-Kent charitable organizations using the investment revenue produced by the perpetual fund.

This means that the South Kent Wind Community Fund will provide grants to Chatham-Kent organizations for years to come.

“South Kent Wind is pleased to have contributed to more than a quarter of a million dollars in grants going to Chatham-Kent charitable organizations this year,” said Robert Boak, South Kent Wind Facility Manager. “We would like to thank the Chatham Kent Community Foundation and the grant recipients for their dedication to Chatham-Kent, and we look forward to continuing our support of local organizations that make Chatham-Kent such a great community to live and work.”

Organizations receiving grants during this funding cycle are improving the quality of life for residents across Chatham-Kent and include groups addressing health and wellness needs for our children, families and seniors and improving access to education and recreation for youth and adults.

Watch for follow-up stories with the Wallaceburg organizations in the weeks to come.