$54,421 for Recreation Projects from Manistee Community Foundation

Manistee Community Foundation awarded several grants in 2007 which will directly enhance recreation in Manistee County.

• The Manistee County Recreation Plan received $17,000
• Casman Academy of Manistee received $6600 for development of a Community Fitness Trail
• Arcadia Township Parks and Recreation received $10,416 for Grebe Park Pavilion at the foot of Arcadia Dunes
• Pleasant Valley Community Center received $6800 for its recreational facility
• The Village of Bear Lake received $13,605 for the Village Park to convert a vacant Village space into a multi-use visiting area

"The Community Foundation is about enhancing the way we give and improving the way we live in Manistee County," said Foundation Board member Beth McCarthy. "These [and other] grants respond to documented needs and will spread benefits countywide. As a Foundation, we want to encourage giving, whether it is the donation of time or funds, to address needs identified through the community-driven Envision Manistee County process."

Funding for these projects was made possible by grants to the Manistee Community Foundation from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan the Oleson Foundation, based in Traverse City, Michigan, and private donations.

"Manistee County has deservedly gained our attention and support by using community driven visioning and goal-setting to chart a course for the future," said Dr. Gail Imig, Program Director of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. "Rural communities like Manistee County have special challenges as well as opportunities. This effort is resulting in a positive transformation of Manistee County and serves as a working model for other rural communities."

Members of the Envision Implementation Team that reviewed the applications included Manistee high school students Analise Johnson and Anna Veverica; County Commissioner Erv Kowalski; business owner/operator Suzanne Riley; Dick Hitchingham and John Hoch who served as co-chairs for Envision Manistee County Work Groups; and Mike Acton and By Lyon, members of the Board of the Manistee County Community Foundation. Laura Heintzelman was available through the Manistee Economic Development Office to provide technical assistance to grant applicants.

Projects in three categories received funding during 2007: Envision Implementation, Envision Youth Solutions, and Envision and Small Town Design Initiative.

from a news release of Manistee County Community Foundation
from the Ludington Daily News, Dec 21, 2007
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch