Lancaster County Community Foundation on Saturday announced it is awarding six grants totaling $273,000 for projects to advance community health and wellbeing.
The grants are part of the foundation’s “Shaping Tomorrow” awards. Over the course of the year, the organization is disbursing more than $1 million in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Last month, the foundation awarded $275,000 in “Shaping Tomorrow” grants to arts organizations. Saturday’s “Wellbeing & Vibrancy” awards are the second category, out of four, and are as follows:
| Nonprofit | Grant | Project |
| Bright Side Opportunities Center | $90,000 | “Strong Choices, Bright Futures,” a comprehensive wellness model that directly addresses the needs of Seniors in Lancaster County. |
| Clinic for Special Children | $25,000 | The clinic’s new building in Leacock Township. |
| Lancaster Downtowners | $13,000 | Development of a hub-and-spoke network of villages to support seniors’ needs. |
| Mental Health of America | $75,000 | Development of a youth mental health “Continuum of Care” to bridge gaps in services. |
| UDS | $25,000 | “CAPABLE,” a comprehensive initiative that combines home modifications, occupational therapy and support services to address individual needs of older adults. |
| Union Community Care | $45,000 | Telehealth options, satellite sites and mobile health strategies. |
The grants were announced midway through a community wellness fair at Buchanan Park. It offered a range of activities, including exercise and writing workshops, health checks and financial counseling.
Keynote speaker Janine James, vice president of Work Wisdom, said wellbeing means different things to different people, and evolves as we pass through life’s stages.
She highlighted the African philosophy of “Ubuntu,” which she defined as the idea that “I am because we are.” Ubuntu involves moving beyond an individualistic concept of thriving to one that recognizes community and interrelationship, she said.
“My hope for Lancaster County is that we will practice Ubuntu,” she said, not just those from next door, but those from around the world, and those to come over the next 100 years.
The remaining two categories of Shaping Tomorrow awards are “Next Generation” and “Our Planet.” The foundation will accept applications for both of them from June 3 to July 22. The awards will be announced publicly on Sept. 28 and Oct. 17, respectively.
For more information on the Shaping Tomorrow grants and the foundation’s 100th anniversary, visit Changethenext100.org.
(Top photos: Tim Stuhldreher | Bottom photos: Brian Nguyen)
