$45,000 in Community Grants Awarded in White County!

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the Community Foundation of White County’s Community Cares Round 2 Grants, totaling $45,000. Community Cares Grants, funded by unrestricted donations to the Community Foundation, are designed to address a wide range of community needs such as youth education, historic preservation, civic engagement, and so much more.

General unrestricted gifts are placed into the Community Cares Fund, an endowment that supports these granting opportunities that uplift our partners in the community doing important work. Additionally, over 50 named unrestricted endowments bolster our efforts in supporting the community that we call home.

The Boys & Girls Club of White County will expand opportunities for local youth through STEM programming and the purchase of new tables for the Monticello and North White sites. With 500 members participating in daily activities, the Club provides a safe, engaging environment where students can learn, grow, and thrive.

Brookston Public Library is enhancing its seminar room to better accommodate community gatherings, classes, and public programs. This updated space will give residents access to a state-of-the-art, technology enhanced meeting space.

Food Finders will continue its vital agency support in White County, helping to ensure that local families have consistent access to nutritious food. According to Map the Meal Gap data, over 3,400 individuals (including 800 children) do not know where their next meal will be coming from. Food Finders partnered with local agencies to ensure that these families are fed.

Heartford House is strengthening White County’s Child Safety Multidisciplinary Team by providing specialized training for about 12 local professionals. This project equips child protective services, law enforcement, medical, and mental health providers with updated trauma-informed tools, ensuring child abuse cases are handled with compassion, coordination, and best practices.

At Meadowlawn Elementary, a guest speaker during B.E.A.R. Week will encourage students to “Be Excited About Reading.” This initiative inspires children to discover the joy of reading while fostering lifelong learning habits.

Mental Health America is offering free online mental health screenings to residents. By removing barriers to early detection, this program helps individuals take the first step toward wellness and connects them with resources for ongoing care.

North Central Nursing Clinics will purchase a new baby scale to replace outdated equipment. Tracking an infant’s weight is one of the most reliable indicators of healthy growth and development, helping providers catch feeding concerns or growth delays early. This upgrade ensures families in White County have accurate monitoring and peace of mind as their babies grow.

Roosevelt Middle School is modernizing its choral program with a digital music display system for accompanying vocal groups. Serving nearly 200 choir students each year, this technology allows the director to turn pages seamlessly with a tap or pedal, keeping both hands free for piano and eyes on the singers. The result is smoother performances, stronger direction, and more focus on supporting students’ musical growth.

The White County Historical Society will purchase a new water heater to improve its facilities for staff, volunteers, and visitors. As stewards of our county’s history, the Society ensures that local heritage is preserved and shared for generations to come.

Wolcott Public Library is investing in new accounting software to strengthen its operations. This upgrade will allow staff to better focus on what matters most—serving library patrons and expanding community resources.

Finally, Tri-County School Corporation is sending 68 sixth-grade students to the Challenger Center, a nonprofit honoring the crew of the space shuttle Challenger and inspiring a love for STEM. Through hands-on simulated space missions, students take on real-world roles—from mission control to research labs—that build teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Thank you to all the donors who make these grants possible! Donations of any size at any time may be given to support the Community Cares Fund. Many individuals and families have chosen to establish their own unrestricted (discretionary) fund to provide ever-lasting support to the community they love so dearly. Thank you for your steadfast dedication!

Discretionary Funds: Kathy Sue Altman Endowment

Wayne C. Anderson Memorial Endowment Fund

Annie Horton Fund

Annis Family Endowment

Oscar and Hattie Baer

BLF Opportunity Fund

Bossaer Family Endowment

Dave and Becky Crosby Family Endowment

Keith and Dorothy Culp Endowment

John and Nancy Demerly Fund

Tom and Marge Diener Family Endowment

Art and Sarah Dragoo

John and Patricia Engler Family Endowment

Erdmann Family Fund

Dean and Judy Fleck Family Endowment

Governing Council Endowment

Hubert and Marcy Howard Endowment

Jim and Gloria Humphreys Family Endowment

Charles R. and Elizabeth J. Goss Fund

Skinner Family Farms Endowment

Kristin Hall-Whitacre Endowment Fund

Carl and Margaret Hall Memorial Endowment

James J and Phyllis Marie Hallar Family Endowment

Dave & Linda Kilmer Family Endowment

Elmer "Mike" and Ruth Klink Memorial Fund

Larry and Pamela Leman Endowment

Bill, Mary, and Steve McKinley Family Fund

Dave and Tami Parrish Family Endowment

Youth Philanthropy Council Endowment

Howard and Lucile Saylor Endownment

Ruth & Dempster Martin Family Endowment

Steve and Kathy Meadors Family Fund

Shari and Brad Moore Family Endowment

Mike and Marty Scheurich Family Endowment

Becky Wrede Shook Memorial Endowment

Colleen Shook Memorial Fund

Steve & Tracey Simmerman Family Endowment

Bob and Suzanne Smock Endowment

Ross and Madelene Westfall Family Endowment

Charles R. and Margaret H. Wineland Endowment

Twin Lakes Class of '71 Memorial Endowment

Katie and Charlie Wolf Endowment Fund

Larry and Nancy Crabb Family Endowment

Paul and Charlotte Neininger Community Fund

Roach Family Farms Endowment

Larry and Linda Yerk Kilmer Family Endowment

Community Cares Fund

Phil and Susie Vogel Family Endowment

Louanne Watson Condreay Endowment

Charles & Mary Watson Memorial Fund

Jeff and Cindy Wiese Campbell Family Endowment

Dave and Debbie Shook Youth Philanthropy Council Endowment

Robert J. Smith Fund