Jefferson County Foundation announces grant recipients

The Greater Jefferson County Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2020 grant program.

The foundation awarded more than $212,000 to 32 applicants, which will benefit residents in the Jefferson County area.

The grant process was amended to extend the grant deadline from June 1 to July 1, due to COVID-19. In addition to the annual grants, a Disaster Relief Fund was created using nearly half of the available funds to cover immediate needs due to the virus, as well as accepting donations for the fund for disbursement. The annual grant awards ceremony was canceled for this year.

Foundation president Kara Waugh said the board created the Disaster Recovery Fund to help the community survive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

'We not only saw the importance of assisting organizations who were providing immediate relief but also supporting organizations to make sure they would be able to continue their missions for years to come,” she said.

Waugh said the foundation is in a fortunate position to be able to issue disaster funds, scholarships and its annual grants.

'We were impressed with the applicants and very proud to be part of such an incredible community,” she said. 'There are so many great things happening in Jefferson County, for our residents and visitors now and in the future.”

Foundation Grant Co-Chair Frank Redeker commented that the 2020 grant season was 'nothing short of unconventional.” He said organizations dedicated to helping those in need were without resources of their own. He said shortages of protective gear abound in the health care field.

'Hopefully, we will be victorious over this virus very soon and return to a normal grant distribution in 2021,” Redeker said.

Foundation grant co-chair Ashley Manning said it was a challenging process to determine how to distribute the funds. She said the foundation would love to fund every application in full, but that wasn't feasible this year.

'We are fortunate to have the means to assist with feeding hungry families in our community, as well as funding projects for sanitization equipment and portable handwashing stations to assist with keeping our community members healthy moving forward,” Manning said. 'We are very thankful to all of the benefactors who make it possible to have this funding available, all of which stays right here in Jefferson County.”

The foundation has also awarded 39 2020 scholarships and administered 13 pass through company scholarships totaling nearly $100,000.

Foundation grant recipients include:

' Boy Scout Troop 64: meeting room improvements (concrete floor)

' CALU Apartments: elevator repair

' Carnegie Historical Museum: repair of the east stairs

' Center Township Trustees: repair fence/stones at Roth & Moorman Pioneer cemeteries

' City of Fairfield: eight steel tables in Central Park

' Supporters of Fairfield Arts & Convention Center: electrostatic cleaning System

' Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce: Nutcracker statues for Central Park

' Fairfield Area Soccer Association: Toro mower and soccer goals

' Fairfield Community Center: commercial motor for dishwasher

' Fairfield Productions: drone camera/equipment and production costs

' First Fridays Artwalk: portable handwashing stations

' Greater Jefferson County Fair: exterior improvements for Elm Grove Schoolhouse on Fairgrounds

' Jefferson County Girl Scouts: foam mattresses for Girl Scout cabin

' Lockridge Fire & Rescue: radios

' Locust Grove Township Trustees: pioneer cemetery repair at Smith & Gantz-Laughlin Cemeteries

' Maasdam Barns Preservation: land improvement/drainage/tile/seeding

' McElhinny Foundation: exterior building improvements

' Packwood Fire & Rescue: rescue struts, air compressor, water low level strainer and rechargeable flashlights

' Walnut Creek Cemetery: reset stones and new fence

' Food Bank of Iowa: purchase food items for local food pantry partners

Disaster Relief Fund disbursements include:

' Jefferson County Health Center: N-95 Fit Testing/Respiratory Protection Program

' Fairfield Community School District Food Service: refrigerated vehicle for food transport

' Boy Scout Troop 64: laptop and printer for Zoom meetings

' Fairfield Community School District: document cameras for long-distance learning

' Fairfield Public Library: lendable laptops

' First Lutheran Church: Come to Supper program

' Maasdam Barns: portable handwashing stations

' Carry On Bags Program: food bags for hungry students

' Pathfinders RC&D: overhead assistance

' Community Childcare: lost revenue

' Jefferson County 4-H: replace fair income for scholarships and annual awards

' First Augustana Lutheran Church: drive By Supper Program

' Greater Jefferson County Fair: lost revenue

' Pekin Childcare: lost revenue

Visit the website at GreaterJeffersonCountyFoundation.org for more information about foundation or follow the organization on Facebook.