NEWS & PRESS

Barberton Community Foundation is pleased to announce our third quarter grants totaling $89,584 to six area nonprofit organizations serving Barberton. Grants were awarded to:

Greenleaf Family Center’s Adolescent Suicide Prevention Program was awarded $3,000. This program provides presentations to middle and high school students, staff, and community members regarding mental health, depression and suicide. Their goal is to reduce stigma, help identify and respond to youth in distress, and teach students a help-seeking process for themselves and peers in need. It is an evidence-based program that has been proven successful.

Embrace Clinic & Care Center’s program “Strong Start: Barberton” was awarded $3,000. The Strong Start program works in collaboration with the Safe Kids program from Akron Children’s Hospital. The program provides material assistance, as well as educational and emotional support to families for the first year of a child’s life. Funding this program allows Barberton families currently on a waiting list to receive support.

AxessPointe Community Health Centers, Inc. was awarded $15,000 for the expansion of the Barberton Health Clinic. AxessPointe provides dental, medical, behavioral health, and women’s health services to Barberton residents. The expansion will provide additional dental, behavioral health, and medical services, as well as a 340b pharmacy.

Embracing Futures, Inc. received funding for their Orthodontic Care Program totaling $5,584.00. Embracing Futures is a nonprofit organization helping children with severe orthodontic problems. Serving southern Summit County, 95 children received care in 2018. Funding directly supports programming and services.

Child Guidance and Family Solutions received $8,000 to support their Toddlers and Preschoolers Succeeding (TAPS) program. This grant impacts the Foundation’s educational excellence focus area. The TAPS program provides coaching and professional development for early childhood educators. Educators learn how to incorporate social-emotional skills in the classroom, and how to support children as they learn to process and communicate emotions. The program has been successful in decreasing preschool expulsions. Child Guidance and Family Solutions currently supports four Barberton preschool centers, impacting 200 children and training 30 educators.

Barberton City Schools received $55,000 for playground improvements to provide safety and handicap accessibility at Barberton Preschool. We understand that play is an essential component of learning for young children. Barberton Preschool is a high-quality preschool program that works to get Barberton students ready for kindergarten. This grant provides rubberized flooring for the first phase of the play space.

Barberton Community Foundation partners with community stakeholders, donors, and charitable organizations to improve the quality of life for Barberton residents by maximizing the strategic impact of charitable contributions. Our mission is to strengthen the Barberton community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of giving to do good.

Barberton Community Foundation awards grants on a quarterly basis. For the next grant cycle, proposals are due October 1, 2019. For those nonprofits interested in applying to the Foundation, please download a grant application from www.barbertoncf.org or contact Carrie Herman, Director of Community Impact, at 330-745-5995. Grant recipients must be a nonprofit and must benefit Barberton residents.

Barberton Fire Department was able to purchase a new boat thanks to a generous donation from the City of Barberton Safety Services Fund held by Danny Sanchez at Barberton Community Foundation. 

Lt. Mike Beckman said the fire department desperately needed a boat like this. “It’s quick, versatile, and deployable which is important. We can fill it up using the air at the station or off the truck,” he said. The boat is made of a heavy durable material, and has many straps for places to hold onto. When not in use, it collapses to the size of a duffle bag for easy storage on a truck. The boat was built by Phoenix Safety Services in Ohio. 

Lt. Beckman explained that the boat could be used in many instances, such as ice rescue, in the canal, or during a flood. “We have a larger metal boat, but we can’t use that in knee deep water. With this boat, we can walk beside it, or  row it,” he explained. 

During the June floods Lt. Beckman said they received multiple calls for rescue. “In flood situations, a boat like this is handy for multiple rescues as we work down a street. Even in shallow water, you can’t always see where you’re walking. You don’t know where a curb or hole could be. Now we can help elderly or disabled individuals get out of their homes more safely.” 

Lt. Beckman continued, “This boat has made our job a lot easier, so thank you to the Foundation and Danny Sanchez with the Safety Services Fund for making this possible. We really appreciate it.”   

Danny Sanchez, from Casa Del Ranchero, said he had the idea to start a fund because he wanted to give back. “Both the Barberton fire and police have been coming to our place for years. We just really wanted to give back and do something for them.” Danny typically hosts a golf tournament every year to support his fund. “It has done more and grown bigger than I ever thought it would. Everyone wanted to get involved.” 

Photo- (L-R) Danny Sanchez, firefighter Chris DeFrange, firefighter Dominic Morbel, firefighter Richard Schwenning, Carrie Herman from Barberton Community Foundation, Lt. Mike Beckman, and Mayor Bill Judge

Photo- (L-R) Danny Sanchez, firefighter Chris DeFrange, firefighter Dominic Morbel, firefighter Richard Schwenning, Carrie Herman from Barberton Community Foundation, Lt. Mike Beckman, and Mayor Bill Judge