Veterans Council of IRC Archives - Indian River Community Foundation

(Vero Beach, Fla. – December 16, 2020) Indian River Community Foundation awarded grants totaling $200,000 to nonprofit charitable organizations serving Indian River County. The grants were reviewed by a Grants Committee comprised of volunteers Pat Brier, Toni Hamner, Dale Jacobs, Ed Massey, Sandy Rolf, and Larry Salustro.

The grants were awarded from the Community Enrichment Fund, and included the following:

$50,000 to Whole Family Health Center to support their behavioral health unit expansion.
$38,500 to Crossover Mission for salary support for a volunteer coordinator.
$35,000 to Senior Resource Association to replace the roof of their Sebastian facility.
$30,000 to Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy for operating support.
$25,000 to Veterans Council of Indian River County to support their Veterans Helping Veterans program.
$21,500 to Catholic Charities Diocese of Palm Beach’s Samaritan Center to purchase a 15-passenger van.

While most of the Community Foundation’s grants are awarded by clients through donor advised funds, Indian River Community Foundation’s competitive grant program is made possible through the generosity of anonymous donors to several grantmaking funds, including the Community Enrichment Fund. These valuable resources support the Community Foundation’s mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy.

Whole Family Health Center. Photo ID: Jeff Pickering, CEO of Indian River Community Foundation, with Marie Andress, Carly Pye, Christina Martinez, and Sophia North of Whole Family Health Center.

Indian River Community Foundation was established in 2008 with a mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy. With assets of approximately $80 million in 183 charitable giving accounts, the Community Foundation and its clients have awarded more than $73 million in grants, mostly to nonprofit charitable organizations located in Indian River County, Florida. Visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org to learn more.

Photo Identifications in this Article

Youth Guidance Program: Jeff Pickering with Sudan, Lea, Zaire and Phil Barnes, Executive Director.
Senior Resource Association: Karen Deigle, Senior Resource Association President/CEO; Robert Paugh, President of Bill Bryant & Associates; Shawn Callaghan, SRA Director of Programs; and Jeff Pickering, CEO of Indian River Community Foundation.
Samaritan Center: Jeff Pickering with Katy Ryan, Renee Bireley, Vania Bartee, Cindi Seipel, Vanessa McGriff of Samaritan Center; and Frankie Chevere, CEO-Executive Director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Palm Beach, Inc.
Crossover Mission: Antoine Jennings, Cathy De Schouwer, and Shala Edwards of Crossover with Jeff Pickering.
Veteran’s Council of IRC: Front Row L to R: Jeff Pickering, Jim Romanek, Executive Director, and Martin Zickert, Chairman of the Board. Back row L to R: Ken Dale, Treasurer; Samantha Brackett, Director; Curtis Holden, Vice-Chairman; Carroll Oates, Director; Sam Kouns, Director.
Whole Family Health Center: Jeff Pickering with Marie Andress, Carly Pye, Christina Martinez, and Sophia North of Whole Family Health Center.

Indian River Community Foundation awarded discretionary grants totaling $405,000 to 15 local nonprofit charitable organizations from its spring 2017 grants cycle. The grants were reviewed by three volunteer grant committees and approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“While most of Indian River Community Foundation’s grants are awarded from clients’ charitable giving accounts, these discretionary grants are made possible by dollars that are entrusted to us to find, fund and follow effective organizations, programs and projects that make our community better,” said Jeff Pickering, President and CEO.

All fifteen grants were awarded from the Community Foundation’s Community Enrichment Fund to address needs in the areas of education, environment or historic preservation as well as needs of vulnerable individuals, families and animals. The following grants were awarded in three categories:

Category 1 – Operating grants for small nonprofit charitable organizations in Indian River County.
• Girls on the Run — $5,000 to support work inspiring girls age 8 – 13 to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experienced-based curriculum that creatively integrates running.
• Laura Riding Jackson Foundation – $5,000 for informational signage and videos to enhance the visitor experience at the late poet’s historic home.
• LifeBuilders of the Treasure Coast – $5,000 to support an intervention effort to provide temporary housing assistance to 10 low-income individuals or families involved with local courts.
• Special Equestrians of the Treasure Coast – $5,000 to be used toward the salary of a riding instructor to teach horsemanship for students with special needs.
• Veterans Council of Indian River County – $5,000 to be used toward efforts to increase visibility of the organization’s mission and programs serving local veterans.

Category 2 – Capacity-building grants to help nonprofit charitable organizations in Indian River County to improve business operations or to move toward sustainability.
• Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River County – $2,461 to purchase fundraising and constituent relationship management software.
• Education Foundation of Indian River County – $25,000 for the cost of launching a new “Partners in Education” program to increase support from local businesses.

Category 3 – Operating grants for established programs or projects of nonprofit charitable organizations in Indian River County.
• Childcare Resources of Indian River – $49,740 for an Early Education Coach to work with early childhood educators throughout Indian River County.
• Environmental Learning Center – $42,574 to purchase a new 15 passenger van to expand outreach to persons with disabilities or other conditions that limit easy access to nature.
• Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition – $50,000 to support the Healthy Families of Indian River County program, which provides home visitations to families at risk for child abuse or domestic violence.
• Ocean Research and Conservation Association – $40,000 to expand a project to rank muck inputs into the Indian River Lagoon in Indian River County.
• Pelican Island Audubon Society – $50,000 to support the Audubon Advocates after-school lagoon science program for 5th graders in South Indian River County schools.
• SafeSpace — $30,000 for the Economic Empowerment Program which helps victims of domestic violence in Indian River County to establish financial independence.
• United Against Poverty of Indian River County — $50,000 for the STEP program to help low-income individuals and families lift themselves out of poverty and reach economic self-sufficiency.
• Youth Guidance – $40,000 to support the South County Sports Mentoring Program.

Indian River Community Foundation was established in 2008 with a mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy. With assets of $36 million in 150 charitable giving accounts, the Community Foundation and its clients have awarded $42 million in grants, mostly to nonprofit charitable organizations located in Indian River County, Florida. For more information visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org.