Akron Community Foundation's Millennium Fund for Children awards more than $60,000 in grants

Akron Community Foundation's Millennium Fund for Children recently awarded 35 grants totaling $60,200 to children's programs throughout the Greater Akron area.

A partnership of the Akron Beacon Journal and Akron Community Foundation, the Millennium Fund for Children began in 1999 when local residents donated their last hour's pay of the millennium to support children's causes in the next century and beyond. Since then, thanks to gifts of all kinds and sizes, the fund has awarded more than $1 million in grants to programs that meet children's basic needs, teach important life skills, enrich students' lives through visual and performing arts, and much more. Grants support children's programs throughout the Beacon Journal/Beaconjournal.com's audience coverage area.

Several organizations received grants this year to support innovative mental health programs. Pathway Caring for Children, a first-time grant recipient, received a $2,000 grant to support the TRUST (Teens Realizing and Understanding Self Together) Camp.

"TRUST Camp was developed by Pathway's clinical director and mental health director to provide growth opportunities for youth in foster care and mental health services. It meets the unique therapeutic needs of youth from challenging and traumatic backgrounds," said Deborah Garrott, the community engagement director for Pathway Caring for Children.

With support from the grant, campers will participate in a range of activities promoting emotional and physical health, including equine therapy, ropes courses, swimming, hiking and a trip to Lake Erie.

To donate to the Millennium Fund for Children, visit akroncf.org/give/millennium. Or, for information about making gifts of appreciated securities, real estate, retirement assets or life insurance, call Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522.

The following grants were awarded by the fund in 2024:

ACCESS, to support the Focus on the Future program, a shelter entry program designed to meet the basic needs of women and children experiencing homelessness, $2,000
Akron Youth Mentorship, to provide healthy meals for students participating in group mentoring sessions, $1,700
ArtSparks, to provide dance and music programming for all second grade students enrolled in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, $2,000
Autism Society of Greater Akron, to support iCan Bike, a five-day camp at Copley High School where children with autism will learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle independently, $2,000 with autism will learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle independently, $2,000
Ben Curtis Family Foundation, to provide McEbright CLC students and families with take-home bags of food and hygiene products, $1,000
Buckeye Community Theatre, to support an inclusive after-school and weekend theater program for children in Northeast Ohio, $1,000
CASA Board Volunteer Association, to provide warm winter clothes for children in Summit County who have experienced abuse or neglect, $2,000
Cast It Forward, to provide inclusive fishing excursions on Lake Erie for children with disabilities, children of single parents, and children who have experienced a loss, $1,000
Christ Child Society of Akron, to provide new mothers with educational materials and necessities for newborn care, $1,000
Cuyahoga Falls Library, to increase accessibility in the library's children's department by providing books and other materials for English language learners and children with learning or sensory needs, $1,500
Cycling Schools, to support free educational bike rides along the Towpath Trail for students from , $2,000
Embracing Futures, to support an oral health education program for third graders in Summit County, $2,000
Family Promise of Summit County, to provide essential supplies for children and families experiencing homelessness in Family Promise's Glendora House, $500
First Glance Student Center, to provide mentorship and educational programs for children in the Kenmore neighborhood, $2,000
GASP: Guardians Advocating Child Safety and Protection, to provide supplies for Child ID kits, including computer drives and DNA kits, $1,000
Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio, to support a running-based youth enrichment program for girls in the Akron community, $1,000
Good Samaritan Hunger Center, to provide Akron Public Schools students with weekend bags of food, $2,000
Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center, to provide necessities and programming for youth residing in the Summit County domestic violence shelter, $2,000
Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center, to support the Power Through Choices curriculum, an evidence-based prevention curriculum for teenagers, $2,000
Hope Meadows Foundation, to provide equine-assisted counseling and life skills programs for youth experiencing social and emotional challenges, $1,500
Limitless Ambition, to provide girls in Summit County, especially those recovering from trauma or living in foster care, with "Dream Kit" care packages, $2,000
Live Inspired, to provide early learning specialists for children and parents in Medina County, $2,000
Magical Theatre Company, to provide free theatrical performances and workshops for youth and families living in Akron shelters, $2,000
OPEN M, to provide nourishing food to children in Summit County experiencing hunger, $2,000
Pathway Caring for Children, to support the emotional and physical health of teenagers in foster care through the TRUST (Teens Realizing and Understanding Self Together) residential camp program, $2,000
RAHAB Ministries, to provide holiday gifts and outings for teenagers who have experienced sex trafficking, $2,000
Red Oak Behavioral Health, to provide mental health treatment for underinsured and uninsured children in Greater Akron, $2,000
RePlay for Kids, to support a partnership with Litchfield CLC that will educate middle school students about nonprofit careers and STEM fields, $1,500
South Street Ministries, to provide after-school programs for youth in Summit Lake and South Akron, $2,000
Stewart's Caring Place, to provide support services for children and teens experiencing cancer, $2,000
Summit Choral Society, to provide free tickets to the upcoming concert season for Akron Public Schools music students, $2,000
Victim Assistance Program, to support the Children Who Witness Violence Drop-In Center and to provide free child care for families during court proceedings, $2,000
Victory Gallop, to support a winter fitness horseback riding program for children with disabilities, $1,500
Wayne Center for the Arts, to support family-friendly art workshops in Wayne County, $2,000
The Well CDC, to provide year-round holistic support services for families, students and staff at Mason CLC, $2,000

About the Millennium Fund for Children
The Millennium Fund for Children is a permanent endowment that was founded in 1999 as a partnership between Akron Community Foundation and the Akron Beacon Journal. It supports arts, civic, education, and health and human services programs for children living in the Akron Beacon Journal/Beaconjournal.com's audience coverage area. Its mission is to make grants where even a small amount can make a big difference. Since its establishment, the Millennium Fund has grown to more than $1.4 million and awarded more than $1 million in grants. Last fiscal year, contributions totaling more than $45,000 from nearly 130 generous donors added to the fund. For more information, or to contribute to the Millennium Fund for Children, visit akroncf.org/Millennium or call 330-376-8522.

About Akron Community Foundation
For 69 years, Akron Community Foundation has been our community's champion and generator of enduring philanthropy. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of more than $305 million with a growing family of nearly 900 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation's funds have awarded nearly $250 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit akroncf.org.