Residents of the Indian River Club gathered to bestow grants totaling $160,000 to 22 local nonprofit organizations at their 11th annual Head, Heart & Hands Grant Ceremony.
“Our purpose here today is to introduce 22 outstanding nonprofit organizations, all of them with a presence in Indian River County, and to learn a bit about the programs and projects that were selected to receive funding, made possible by the generosity of the residents and the members of Indian River Club,” said Steve Corrick, HHH board president.
Founded in 2013, the community outreach program is loosely divided into three parts, all with the ultimate purpose of community improvement.
‘Head’ relates to their Speaker Series, which addresses the issues, challenges and opportunities that exist within the county.
‘Heart’ is the philanthropic arm, with fundraising activities resulting in the disbursement of grants to local nonprofits.
‘Hands’ relates to the volunteer activities of residents, including the tutoring and mentorship of students at the nearby Indian River Academy.
“All the organizations work very hard to put good explanations of what they want to do with the money and make it a compelling case,” said grants committee chair Paul Pronsky, speaking about the extensive grants process.
As they accepted the grants, which were arranged within five broad areas and ranged from $5,000 to $15,000, each of the representatives expressed their gratitude, noting that the support was needed now more than ever.
Child/Youth Education, Tutoring & Mentoring: Ballet Vero Beach, Crossover Mission, Feed the Lambs Enrichment Program, Gifford Youth Orchestra, Helping Hands Program of South County, the Learning Alliance, Treasure Coast Girls Coalition, and Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy.
Shala Edwards, founder of the Treasure Coast Girls Coalition, pointed out that supporting quality, sustainable, youth development programs produces a nearly 13 percent return on investment.
Children/Youth Care, Welfare & Healthcare: Childcare Resources of Indian River County, Hibiscus Children’s Center, and Tykes and Teens.
Anne Posey, CEO of Tykes and Teens, stressed the critical nature of the grant, especially given that other agencies that accept Medicaid are closing, leaving limited resources for those in need.
Shelter: Hope for Families Center, Indian River Habitat for Humanity, SafeSpace and the Source.
Adult/Senior Services: Alzheimer & Parkinson Association of Indian River County, Bike Walk IRC, Literacy Services of Indian River County, and Veterans Council of Indian River County.
Food Insecurity Services: The Food Pantry of Indian River County, Senior Resource Association and the Treasure Coast Food Bank.
Mark Rice, Food Pantry development director, said their goal had been to increase food distributions but had recently received word that the USDA is cutting $1 billion in food assistance programs to schools and food banks around the country.
“It probably means that we will not receive any food from the USDA this year, which is approximately 25 percent of the food that we distribute. We have to make up that difference, because we are determined not to give less food to anyone who comes to our door to ask. So this is absolutely overwhelming and couldn’t come at a better time,” said Rice.
“Thank you to each grant recipient today for their continuing pursuit of their mission. They are the ones who are doing the real work and making a difference in so many ways in our community,” said Corrick.
“They thanked us, but as I say, they are the ones who really deserve the thanks,” he added.
For more information, visit IndianRiverClub.com.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
