Bath Community Fund's Impact: Crown Point Ecology Center
Bath Community Fund has proudly supported Crown Point Ecology Center for many years. From a cob wood-fired oven and workshops to an outdoor pavilion and donation garden, visitors can see projects that Bath Community Fund helped to fund just about anywhere on the farm's vast property.
Crown Point first received a $5,000 grant to support the construction of a cob wood-fired oven in 2016, the first year that Bath Community Fund awarded grants. The organization uses the oven to fire clay projects during summer camp, cook pizzas during events and more.
In 2018, the organization received a $2,000 grant to support the Tiny Tillers program for preschoolers and their caregivers. Crown Point's vision is to be a role model for food security and sustainable land use through farm stewardship, advocacy, education and collaboration. This eight-week program saw that vision come to life as children and caregivers learned about gardening, local wetlands and the woods. Children planted seeds and harvested mature crops, while caregivers found a new appreciation for a natural resource in Bath Township.
A $3,500 grant in 2019 and a $2,000 grant in 2020 supported the construction of an outdoor pavilion and classroom, complete with a steel fire pit and seating. These grants allowed the staff and volunteers of Crown Point to fully utilize the outdoor space by hosting summer camp sessions, adult education programs, and groups of students from the Bath community.
In 2020, Crown Point also received a $2,420 grant from Bath Community Fund through the Community Response Fund for Nonprofits. This funding allowed the farm to build a donation garden that provided organic produce to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, volunteers harvested and donated 271 pounds of produce. Volunteers still work in the donation garden today, and all produce from this plot is donated to the food bank or directly to food pantries in Bath.
Crown Point received a $2,500 grant in 2022 to support a series of educational workshops focused on sustainably using Bath Township's natural resources in creative ways. Topics included how to compost at home, creating wreaths using local plants, and how to use wild plants in yards.
Executive Director Kevin Gross stated, "The funding we received helped us launch our community outreach program to promote the healthy use of nature in our community. We hosted a series of free hikes and workshops for more than 50 community members. Thanks to this grant, we have been able to connect individuals and families to the natural world in ways few organizations have the opportunity to do in our region."
Most recently, Crown Point received a $2,500 grant at the end of 2023 to support general operations and programming. Gross explained the need for additional funding for educational programming, saying, "We expect an increase of visitors to our hiking trails this year. By providing fun and engaging educational material, Crown Point encourages local school children, adults and retired folks to actively participate with their environment."
Learn more about Crown Point Ecology Center at crownpointecology.org.