2020 Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund Grantees Announced
Craftsmen for Kids and the Pregnancy Distress Center of Coshocton Receive Grant Awards
Nelsonville, OH – The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is pleased to announce two grant awards from FAO’s Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio, which will help to improve quality of life in underserved Ohio communities.
“This year’s grantees are, in different ways, helping to create a strong future for some of the most vulnerable children in Appalachian Ohio,” said Eric Myers, a Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund Committee Member and Don Myers’s son. “These grants will help to ensure that youth have access to education and basic needs, which reflect my father’s lifetime commitment of improving the quality of life in Appalachian Ohio.”
This year’s grantees include Craftsmen for Kids and the Pregnancy Distress Center of Coshocton. Both grantees received $650 awards to make a difference in their local communities by addressing education and access to basic needs through this year’s funded projects.
Craftsmen for Kids was awarded $650 to purchase supplies to create Sensory Writing Boxes that help children master letter and number formation through tactile learning. The boxes will specifically support education for children ages 3-5 in Head Start programs across Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Gallia, Guernsey, Highland, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Washington counties.
The Pregnancy Distress Center of Coshocton was awarded $650 to purchase layettes for new babies, which consist of onesies, sleepers, bibs, blankets and diapers. The Pregnancy Distress Center of Coshocton provides free pregnancy tests, emotional support, information on medical and financial resources, and other basic needs items such as cribs and clothes for expectant mothers in Coshocton County.
The Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio was created to honor the legacy of Don Myers in 2008. The Fund recognizes the service of Mr. Myers as the longtime executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Alliance (OMEGA) and the president of the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance (EODA). The Fund is a permanent source of funding to encourage and support Appalachian Ohio’s nonprofit and government organizations in collaborative activities that support quality of life.
Hosting an annual grant round open to organizations throughout the 32 Appalachian Ohio counties, the Fund focuses on projects that improve quality of life with an emphasis on concerns that Mr. Myers worked so passionately to address, including education, regional networking opportunities, support for community leaders, and fulfillment of basic needs.
The Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio grant application opens annually in February. To learn more about the fund and how it honors the legacy of Don Myers, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/Myers.
Gifts to the Fund are tax deductible and can be made in a number of ways, including cash, gifts in wills, and life insurance. To make your donation, please designate the Donald R. Myers Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio and mail to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, PO Box 456, Nelsonville, OH 45764. Donations can also be made online at www.AppalachianOhio.org by selecting the Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio when donating.
To learn more about how you can honor the legacies of individuals making a difference in Appalachian Ohio, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org or call 740.753.1111.
About the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is a regional community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation creates opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. For more information about FAO, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org.
