Bath Community Fund celebrates $300,000 grant milestone during 10th anniversary

On Friday, Dec. 6, the Bath Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation awarded 22 grants totaling $50,000 to nonprofit organizations serving Bath Township. This is the fourth year in a row that the fund is distributing $50,000 to nonprofits dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Bath community. This latest round of grants brings the fund's cumulative grantmaking total to more than $300,000 since it was established in 2014.

Several of the grants awarded in 2024 will support youth mental health programs, including a $2,000 grant to Greenleaf Family Center to continue providing counseling to Revere Local School District students at risk of losing services due to financial hardship. The program meets two of Bath Community Fund's funding priorities: serving youth through education and recreation and meeting residents' social service needs.

"Our staff see clients within the schools, effectively eliminating barriers to our counseling services," said Greenleaf Family Center CEO Jill Oldham. "With this financial assistance, our staff can continue providing crucial services to students who are at risk of losing them."

"We are proud to continue supporting the nonprofits that impact Bath Township," said Diana McCool, chair of Bath Community Fund's Grant Committee. "As Bath Community Fund celebrates 10 years of strengthening our community, we want to express our gratitude to the donors whose gifts enable us to fund a wide variety of projects that touch the lives of everyone in Bath Township."

In honor of its 10^th anniversary, Bath Community Fund recently launched the "For Bath, Forever" 10^th Anniversary Campaign, which aims to grow the endowment by $400,000 and engage 100 new donors before August 2025. These goals will ensure the perpetuity of Bath Community Fund as it moves into its second decade. As of early December, the fund has raised nearly 75% of its financial goal. To donate to the campaign, visit akroncf.org/give/BCF.

The following is a complete list of grants awarded by Bath Community Fund in 2024:

Apollo's Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, to provide discounted concert tickets to Bath residents and in-school workshops for students at Bath Elementary School, $2,000
The Bath Church, to provide immediate financial aid to Bath Township residents experiencing housing or food insecurity, $1,500
The Bath Church, to support the Music at Bath Concert Series in the historic chapel of The Bath Church, $1,000
Bath Park Board, to improve the new shelter at Bath Hill Park by installing eight picnic tables, a permanent outdoor grill, and a coal/ash receptacle, $2,000
Bath Police Department, to purchase a camera for the automated license plate reader on Springside Drive, $1,500
Bath Pony Club, to preserve and repair the historic hound house and to erect a sign honoring the life of Connie LaSalle Wyatt, $3,000
Bath Township/Discover Bath Barns,to promote the Heritage Barns of Bath Trail by installing a new sign at the Wayside Exhibit on Cleveland-Massillon Road, $2,000
Crown Point Ecology Center, to support sustainable farming practices through the purchase of a new flail mower, $3,000
Embracing Futures, to support an oral health education program for third graders at Bath Elementary School, $1,000
Greenleaf Family Center, to continue providing counseling to Revere students who are at risk of losing services due to financial hardship, $2,000
The Heart of Revere, to provide monthly care packages with clothing, household items, and school supplies for students and families in the Revere Local School District, $5,000
Hope Meadows Foundation, to support equine-assisted therapy programs with a focus on emotional health for Revere students, $3,000
Revere Baseball-Softball Association, to support a sports mentorship program that pairs Revere High School softball players with girls in the Bath Youth Softball program, $2,500
Revere Community C.A.R.E., to support a district-wide drug, tobacco and alcohol prevention program, $1,000
Revere High School PTSA, to support the biannual Senior Citizen Breakfast, a program that allows Revere theater students to perform for senior citizens, $1,000
Singers Companye, to support music classes and free concerts at The Bath Church, $1,000
Stewart's Caring Place, to provide support services for Bath residents impacted by cancer, $4,000
Tuesday Musical Association, to support in-school workshops and free concert tickets for Revere music students, $1,500
The University of Akron Field Station, to support hands-on environmental education, both in the classroom and on-site at the Bath Nature Preserve, for Revere students, $4,000
Victory Gallop, to support therapeutic horseback riding programs for children with disabilities and life-threatening illnesses, $3,000
Western Reserve Historical Society, to support experiential and virtual educational programming at Hale Farm & Village, $2,500
Western Reserve Playhouse, to purchase new audio equipment and provide high-quality entertainment to the Bath community, $2,500

About Bath Community Fund                          
Established in 2014 by a group of committed Bath residents, Bath Community Fund is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the Bath community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of charitable giving. The fund is committed to responding to community needs, helping the less fortunate, supporting local nonprofits, and reinforcing and preserving Bath's historical and environmental legacy. Since its inception, the fund has grown to more than $1.4 million and reinvested more than $300,000 into the Bath community. For more information, contact Affiliate Fund Engagement Manager Deb Hoffman at 330-436-5614 or dhoffman@akroncf.org.

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 $254 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.