Central Minnesota Community Foundation Supports Local Youth and Community Building

The Central Minnesota Community Foundation, St. Cloud, has supported youth and community-building issues in central Minnesota through its latest round of grantmaking.

In the area of youth, the foundation awarded $15,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota to implement and expand the SMART MOVES Programs—a series of prevention programs that develop children’s (ages 5-18) skills to resist tobacco, alcohol and drugs—at 12 after-school sites and Roosevelt Early Elementary Center. The foundation also awarded $3,600 to the Pierz Pioneer Elementary School to increase community involvement in their Early Learning project. The Central Minnesota Task Force for Battered Women received a $2,500 grant to support the Life Choices School Program, a conflict resolution and life skills-building program offered in nine elementary schools in Benton and Stearns counties.

In the area of community building, the foundation provided $5,000 to Bridging, Inc. to assist with the merger between Share A Chair and Bridging, two organizations with similar missions to serve people who need household items and beds. The Central Minnesota Housing Project received a $2,500 grant to continue offering Home Stretch, a first-time homebuyer training program in 16 counties throughout central Minnesota. The foundation also awarded $1,500 to the Church of the Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre to support the re-establishment of a community-wide mental health support group.

In total, Central Minnesota Community Foundation awarded seven grants totaling $35,100.

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