Community Almanac
Smoky Mountain News
Safe Kids Macon County provides safety kids seats
Josh Randall with Macon EMS.
SECU to provide $10 million for COVID-19 relief The State Employees’ Credit Union and SECU Foundation Boards of Directors announced a commitment of up to $10 million to assist with COVID19 disaster relief efforts across North Carolina. The combined funding — $5 million each from the Credit Union and the Foundation — will help multiple nonprofit organizations meet basic food, clothing, shelter and financial assistance needs statewide. The donations will also support frontline medical providers and others as they carry out their missions to help the most vulnerable North Carolinians during this pandemic crisis. “With such a sizable commitment, we will be able to partner with many top-notch service providers who make a difference in the lives of North Carolinians every day,” added Mike Lord, President and CEO of State Employees’ Credit Union. “We will distribute funds where the need is immediate using structures already in place to provide the assistance. The Credit Union and Foundation are united in aiding our communities. We are here to help during this challenging time.”
Nonprofits received emergency grants The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina announced 25 grants totaling $166,650 from its Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to nonprofits addressing COVID-19 pandemic response and relief efforts in 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary. This third round of grants brings the total amount distributed to $729,550 in three weeks. The grants represent a coordinated response to immediate human service needs not covered or not yet covered by other emergency funding sources. The grants support nonprofits addressing sudden
Safe Kids Macon County is proud to work with Macon County EMS partners to ensure they have new, safe, child passenger seats for their ambulances. When EMS transport pediatric patients, they ensure that all pediatric patients less than 40 pounds are restrained with an approved restraint device either secured to the stretcher or the “captain’s chair.” They carry a car seat on all of their ambulances for this purpose for when the patient’s family does not have one or when theirs has been involved in an accident. Due to space issues on ambulances, the car seats are carried in an outside compartment. These compartments are “sealed” however over time, dust and grime do leave the seats in a condition where they are no longer able to keep them clean and they must periodically replace them. Safe Kids Macon County works with various local and state agencies to secure grants for child passenger safety seats. Together, this partnership helps keep EMS costs down and continue to provide for the safe transport of pediatric patients in our community. Safe Kids Macon County works with Safe Kids Worldwide to reduce the number of preventable injuries in children. and increased demands due to the pandemic. A complete list of grants is available at www.cfwnc.org. The Fund awards grants weekly on a rolling basis through a simple, expedited process. In addition to CFWNC, Dogwood Health Trust and WNC Bridge Foundation, funding partners include AMY Wellness Foundation, Biltmore Lake Charitable Fund, HCA Healthcare Foundation, Nantahala Health Foundation, Pisgah Health Foundation, Ramble Charitable Fund and Wells Fargo.
McKay named ‘Main Street Champion’ Alex McKay of Waynesville was recently named a 2019 North Carolina Main Street Champion. Main Street Champions are individuals that work and advocate for revitalized downtowns. “Vibrant downtown districts are important drivers of North Carolina’s economic prosperity,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. “These honorees have shown great dedication to improving their communities and we’re proud to honor their diligence as Main Street Champions.” Forty-five Champions received 2019 honors for contributions to their Main Street programs and downtown districts. McKay serves as vice president of the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society.
Pathways, WCU receive award The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning at Western Carolina University and the Haywood Pathways Center of Waynesville have been recognized with the 2020 Community Partner Award by North Carolina Campus Compact. The university has been associated with
Haywood Pathways Center since the center’s beginning in 2014, with WCU students, faculty and staff helping transform an old prison in Waynesville into a soup kitchen, homeless shelter and halfway house. A capstone class in WCU’s Integrated Health Sciences Program began a collaborative initiative where students developed an asset map and needs assessment for the center’s board of directors. The students also interviewed clients, served dinner each week, and offered tutoring and childcare services so that parents could attend support meetings and developmental programming. The program also helped about 100 center residents receive dental care.
Haywood Fund awards $67,669 in grants The Fund for Haywood County and the J. Aaron and Adora H. Prevost Endowment Fund awarded 12 grants in its recent grant cycle. A grant from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, for beautification, streetscape improvements and other public amenities in Waynesville, made one grant bringing total grantmaking in Haywood County to $67,669. Since 1994, The Fund for Haywood County, in partnership with CFWNC, has awarded grants totaling $1,171,688. The 2020 grants are: • $3,240 to Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry • $2,500 to Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas • $2,500 to Clothes To Kids of Haywood County • $7,000 to Community Kitchen • $5,100 to Fines Creek Community Association • $2,500 to Girls on the Run of WNC • $5,000 to Haywood Community College • $3,239 to Haywood Pathways Center • $7,000 to KARE (Kids Advocacy Resource Effort) • $4,500 to Plains United Methodist • $4,000 to The Salvation Army, Waynesville Corps
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• $7,000 to Vecinos Farmworker Health Program • $14,090 to Town of Waynesville from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund
Community Foundation awards grants The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina continues to review and distribute grants on an expedited schedule to support frontline human service organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary. Sixteen grants totaling $120,700 from its collaborative Emergency and Disaster Response Fund (EDRF) were announced recently, bringing the total amount distributed to $850,250 in four weeks. The grants represent a coordinated regional response by regional funders, fundholders, corporate partners and donors. The goal is to help fill critical voids as individuals, families and nonprofits await support from the government and other sources. As the scope of the crisis worsened, CFWNC rallied regional funders, redirected charitable assets and cancelled several public events. Most sponsors of these events converted financial commitments to the events to support for the emergency response effort. Donations to the EDRF total more than $1 million, with seed funding coming from CFWNC, Dogwood Health Trust and WNC Bridge Foundation as well as other funding partners including AMY Wellness Foundation, Biltmore Lake Charitable Fund, The Glass Foundation, Mission HCA Healthcare Foundation – North Carolina Division, Nantahala Health Foundation, Pisgah Health Foundation, Ramble Charitable Fund and Wells Fargo.
Apply for grant funds The Evergreen Foundation board of directors is accepting grant proposals for the first quarter 2020-21. Proposals for this cycle are due by May 29. Grant proposals submitted via email should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on the due date. Mailed proposals must be postmarked by 5 p.m. Applications and information on applying for funding can be found on the Evergreen Foundation website www.evergreenfoundationnc.org or by calling the office at 828.456.8005. To be considered for grant funding, organizations must be qualified for exemption as a public charity and must be providing support and services to individuals in the target population groups: behavioral health; and/or substance use disorders; or services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (BH, SU, I/DD). Organizations applying for support of a prevention program must be proposing an evidence based project. The foundation encourages coordination with other funding sources and service providers to leverage funding in the region. Foundation grants are available to support programs and services in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. For more information, visit www.evergreenfoundationnc.org.
