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THE CORYDON DEMOCRAT
MARCH 27, 2002Foundation gifts help hard-pressed agencies
By JO ANN SPIETH-SAYLOR
Staff Writer
Having much-needed equipment or additional supplies can make a tremendous
difference in how an agency serves the public or helps institutions
complete its purpose.But with tight budgets and state funding being reduced, there isn't a lot
of money to go around.That's why Capt. James Sadler of the Corydon Police Dept. is so
appreciative of the Harrison County Community Foundation."Through a grant we just received from them, we were able to purchase two
new bulletproof vests and three needed cameras," he said.The Foundation recently awarded its spring round of grants, totaling
$322,239, to various projects and agencies. another $200,000 in scholarship
funds was awarded to Harrison County high schools.The Corydon Police Dept. first purchased vests for its officers in the
early 1990s, thanks to funding from the Corydon Wal-Mart. Companies that
manufacture bulletproof vests recommend that the vests be replaced every
five years to maintain their effectiveness.Sadler said officers who received those early vests have not had them
replaced due to budget constraints, but donations have been used to
purchase the lifesaving equipment for officers who have been hired."Bulletproof vests should be standard pieces of equipment issued to
officers," Sadler said, but smaller police agencies often can't afford to
include them in their budget.With its $2,050 grant from the Foundation, the Corydon Police Dept. also
purchased three cameras. Sadler said one is a Polaroid specially designed
for documenting domestic violence injuries."Two of our police cars had this kind of camera in it," he said. The
Harrison County Prosecutor's office purchased several of those cameras a
few years ago and distributed them to police agencies in the county."We wanted to put one of them in our third car so they'd be equipped the
same," Sadler said.A digital camera, for the third police cruiser, and a 35mm camera for the
department also was purchased with the grant.St. Joseph School in Corydon was another recipient of a Foundation grant.
The school actually received two grants - one for $10,350 and another for
$10,000.
School officials said the larger grant is being used to expand the school's
technology department, while the other grant allows for the purchase of
geographical materials such as maps, globes and software.The Foundation has provided more than $2.6 million to support
not-for-profit projects and scholarships since October 1997. An agreement
made by the Harrison County Commissioners created the Foundation with an
initial contribution of $5 million from Caesars Indiana. With additional
contributions from Caesars, donations from the community and growth through
investments, the Foundation has a market value of about $16.5 million.Recipients of the other grants, and amount awarded, were:
Blue River Services, $30,000 for matching funds for federal and state
public transportation grant, and $25,000 for matching funds to supplement a
Child Care Initiative Grant;Habitat for Humanity, $30,000 for matching funds for public donations to
build its first house;Southern Indiana Regional Alliance to Prevent Exploitation Inc., $30,000 to
establish regional sexual assault center for medical/forensic examinations;
Harrison County Community Services, $29,725 to support one full-time client
specialist staff person's salary;Leadership Harrison County, $25,000 to support Harrison County 2016
planning project;Lanesville Youth Baseball/Soft-ball, $19,000 for matching funds to install
lighting on ball field;Town of Elizabeth, $18,000 to complete sidewalk and curb construction in
the town;Lifespan Resources Inc., $16,516 to provide an activities coordinator to
implement activities for senior citizens;Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Dept., $15,975 to purchase pagers and
hand-held radios;Kentuckiana 211 Partnership, $11,613 to provide Indiana 211 start-up and
program sustaining costs;Big Brothers/Big Sisters, $10,000 to support growth of the agency's
mentoring program;FYI Inc./Gerdon Youth Center, $10,000 for exterior building renovations;
Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, $8,320 to support art education
workshops in Harrison County schools;Hoosier Hills PACT, $6,000 to help provide sex offender treatment services
in Harrison County;Harrison County Chaplain's Association, $5,000 to help fund the
association's assistance program;American Heart Association, $4,000 to purchase automated external
defibrillator (AED) for Milltown Police Dept.'s police cruiser;Community Systemwide Response, $2,220 for matching funds for State Juvenile
Accountability Block Grant for the Juvenile Diversion Program;Thompson's Chapel United Methodist Church, $1,400 to purchase materials to
repair church steeple;Our Place, $570 to support teen pregnancy prevention programs in Harrison
County schools;Corydon Central High School, $500 to support after-prom activities;
Lanesville Junior-Senior High School, $500 to support after-prom activities, and
North Harrison High School, $500 to support after-prom activities;
Applications for the next semi-annual round of grants will be accepted
after June 1 and must be postmarked by July 15 to be considered. The
applications will be available after May 1 from the Internet at
www.hccfindiana.org or by calling 738-6668. All not-for-profit agencies
serving Harrison County are invited to apply. Due to recent changes in the
application, any agency interested in applying for a grant from the
Harrison County Community Foundation should plan to attend one of the
workshops scheduled in April and May.