Midlands Community Foundation Awards Grants Totaling $94,166

Midlands Community Foundation (MCF) (midlandscommunity.org) has awarded grants totaling $94,166 to 20 non-profit organizations serving Sarpy and Cass counties including: Assistance League of Omaha – $5,500; Bellevue Fire & Rescue Department – $1,911; Bellevue Little Theatre – $6,299; Boy Scouts of America – Mid America Council – $640; College Possible – $2,500; Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership – $3,000; Greater Omaha Attendance and Learning Services Center – $5,000; Habitat for Humanity of Sarpy County – $2,678; Keipos – $3,500; Kids Can Community Center – $5,000; Lift Up Sarpy County – $3,000; Merrymakers Association – $10,200; Moving Veterans Forward – $4,938; Ollie Webb Center, Inc. – $5,000; Omaha Area Youth Orchestras – $4,000; Omaha Performing Arts – $5,000; OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc. – $10,000; Papillion-LaVista Schools Foundation – $6,000; Share A Fare, Inc. – $5,000; Strategic Air & Space Museum – $5,000.

Pictured (L-R): Front Row – Naomi Warner (Assistance League of Omaha); Arvin Frazier (College Possible); Laurie Ackerman (Ollie Webb Center, Inc.); Ron Hernandez (Moving Veterans Forward); Sharon Boehmer (Lift Up Sarpy County); Shelby Rust (Habitat for Humanity of Sarpy County); Sandy Diaz (Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership ENCAP). Second Row – Karla Rupiper (Midlands Community Foundation); Brigid Howard (Greater Omaha Attendance and Learning Services Center) Sandy Lemke (Merrymakers Association); David Szymanski (Bellevue Fire & Rescue Department); Andrea Skolkin (OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc.); Julie Bear (Midlands Community Foundation Grants Committee Chair); Elaine Leibert (Strategic Air & Space Museum); Kinyetta Murphy (ENCAP); Diane Knicky (Midlands Community Foundation). Back Row – Tonee Gay (Midlands Community Foundation Executive Director); Joey Lorincz (Bellevue Little Theatre); John Erickson (Papillion-LaVista Schools Foundation); Alyssa Kohler (Omaha Performing Arts); Jonathan Dodd (Keipos); Robert Patterson (Kids Can Community Center); Jim Jirak (Share A Fare, Inc.); Brianna Lane (Boys Scouts of America – Mid-America Council); Rana Scarlett-Johnson (Omaha Area Youth Orchestras); Dick Weston (Share A Fare, Inc.).

Of the $94,166 that was awarded, $5,275 was awarded from MCF’s Education Fund which was established with proceeds from the Foundation’s Reflection Ball events in 2016. The remaining $89,891 was awarded from MCF’s General Fund.

This is the first of two grant distributions for Midlands Community Foundation’s fiscal year. The next grant deadline will be February 1, 2018, with funds distributed in April.

The mission of the Midlands Community Foundation is to benefit the diverse needs of the Sarpy and Cass county communities by providing financial support, involvement and service.

Through its grants program, Midlands Community Foundation places an emphasis on prevention and education. The Foundation has a strong commitment toward programs benefiting health, art, culture, community, economic development, education, and human services.

Find out more online at midlandscommunity.org.