$47,792 AWARDED IN GRANTS BY THE M&M AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

A total of $47,792 in grants has been awarded to 16 non-profit and charitable groups in Marinette and Menominee counties.  This is in addition to the $32,395 in grants made by the Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee, the $13,525 awarded to health related programs and the $10,900 awarded from the Roger & Lyn Derusha AAOD Family Fund earlier this year.  Since inception, the Foundation has awarded over $1,300,000.

Grants were awarded at the Annual Meeting of the M&M Area Community Foundation Tuesday, August 19, 2008, at Riverside Country Club.  Grant Committee Co-Chairs, Doug Oitzinger and Dr. North Shetter presented awards to the following organizations:  

·        Neuroscience Department at Marquette General Health System - $2,000 for Memory Loss Awareness, Education and Screening

·        Mid-County Rescue Squad - $1,763 to help construct a storage facility for the Rescue Squad

·        Menominee County Historical Society - $690 for their Preserving Menominee’s Historical Images Project

·        Wausaukee Rescue Squad - $750 for Full-Body Vacuum Splints

·        Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund/Energy Services - $5,000 for the Culver’s Day of Warmth Project

·        Friends of the Wausaukee Branch Area Library - $4,000 for Internet Access and Computers for Public Use Project

·        Area Community Food Pantry - $2,500 for Second Harvest Food Purchase Project

·        River Cities Concert Association - $5,000 for their “You are the Key” Project

·        Twin Bridge Rescue Squad - $3,000 for Portable Radio Replacement Project

·        Menominee County Intermediate School District - $2,500 for their Imagination Library Project

·        River Cities Habitat for Humanity - $1,700 for their Tools for New Trailer Project

·        Marinette County Committee on Aging/Marinette County Elderly Services - $5,000 to help purchase an Elderly/Disabled Accessible Bus

Mary Staudenmaier presented the following awards totaling $4,295 from the Mrs. Louis W. Staudenmaier Donor Advised Fund:

·        FRONT 40 – Citizens Dedicated to Protecting the Menominee River Watershed - $500 to help fund the Public Information Effort – 2008

·        University of Wisconsin – Marinette Foundation - $2,695 for the Art Department Digital Lab Update

·        University of Wisconsin – Marinette Continuing Education Department - $1,000 for Earth Day Celebration 2009

Granted from KMF Fund for St. Thomas Aquinas Academy

·        St. Thomas Aquinas Academy - $9,694 for their Computer Workstations Project

Also at the meeting officers elected for next year were President Dr. North Shetter, First Vice-President Larry Valencic and Secretary/Treasurer Robin Kinzer West.  Newly elected Directors include Randy Neelis, Ruth Thielen, Michelle Biehl and Gerald Schmidt.  Retiring Directors are Katherine Holewinski, Ken Jones & Roger Peters.  Robin Kinzer West reported that the annual audit conducted by Kerber, Rose & Associates, S.C. was “clean” with no major discrepancies and that the Foundation grew by $581,000 in 2007.  Total assets managed at the end of 2007 were $5,800,000.  Copies of the annual report are available at the Foundation office.