INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — John’s Island residents provide a significant economic boost to local charitable organizations each year, delivering grants through two separate entities – the John’s Island Community Service League, which provides grants towards general operating budgets, and the John’s Island Foundation, which grants capital projects and improvements.
Despite the fact that many John’s Island residents are here just a few months each season, their generous contributions, individually as well as through these two granting processes, have a lasting beneficial effect on the community’s welfare.
This spring, the John’s Island Community Service League gave $500,000 to 34 non-profit agencies, and the John’s Island Foundation approved $493,665 to 22 charitable agencies in Indian River County.
The JICSL, founded in 1980, has distributed more than $5 million to Indian River County agencies which deal with the health, education, and human services issues of women, children and families in need. League efforts are concentrated in the areas of adult/senior care, counseling/mental health, crisis/ foster care, education, food, homeless housing, nurturing children, and care for the physically/mentally challenged.
Since its inception, the league has also provided almost $265,000 in scholarships to children of John’s Island employees.
This year, 18 students with outstanding academic records received scholarship support.
Established in 1999, the John’s Island Foundation has distributed more than $6.9 million in grants to local nonprofit agencies to support their capital needs. Foundation efforts are concentrated on agencies whose programs are primarily directed toward supporting basic human needs such as food, shelter, assistance with disabilities/health issues and safety from abuse.
Grants, up to $50,000, are awarded to fund the tangible capital needs which help agencies provide better care to their clients, including building renovations, major equipment, transportation and computer systems.
An example is the recent $50,000 grant allocated to The Source to buy industrial-sized appliances and upgrade the kitchen to comply with codes, which will help it better serve hundreds of homeless people each day.
“Their chef is an angel; he’s amazing,” said Jennifer Jones, John’s Island Foundation executive director of Rich Coyne, chef at The Source. “He’s someone who’s been put on this earth with a true purpose and he is following that purpose.”
“We are thankful for the continued support of our fellow John’s Island community members. Their generosity has enabled us to provide funds to non-profit organizations who serve the neediest of our community,” said foundation president Daniel E. Somers.
