Over $40,000 awarded by Jaycees

Coats and Boats for Kids was one of the organizations to receive a grant.

Over $40,000 awarded by Jaycees

LUDINGTON – Over $40,000 has recently been contributed to various community organizations by the Ludington Area Jaycees. The Jaycees’ mini golf course, located at Stearns Park, recently donated $20,000, as a result of funds raised by its Major Project Grant program, to the following non-profit organizations: 

Hand 2 Hand Food Program: $5,000

Hand 2 Hand, which is based at Mason County Reformed Church in Amber Township, partners with local churches, Mason County Central and Mason County Eastern Schools to provide a weekly backpack filled with supplemental food that bridges the 68 hour gap of weekend hunger many children experience. 

Sandcastles Children’s Museum Michigan Woodlands Exhibit: $4,000

Sandcastles Children’s Museum of Ludington is planning the Woodlands Exhibit that will include a realistic maple tree with a view into the worlds above and below ground, small woodland animals, and an interactive beehive. Many scientific concepts will be incorporated, including pollination, hibernation, metamorphosis, and photosynthesis.  

Coats and Boots For Kids: $2,500

Coats and Boots assists financially-challenged families with children by furnishing – at no charge – winter clothing essentials. Students are identified through the school liaison who makes requests to the Coats and Boots program.   In the past, most items provided were “second hand” items donated to the program by community members.  A small group of individuals would wash and mend these items and get them out to needy school children.  Although the program still asks for donations, the need has grown exponentially and donations no longer satisfy all the requests.

C.O.V.E. (Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters): $2,500

The project is based on creating healing for domestic violence survivors. COVE strives to create a space where survivors can come and not only receive support through their trauma but start to learn positive coping strategies that will assist them in their healing journey. Every week advocates host a healing arts workshop for shelter survivors and sexual assault outreach survivors. These workshops not only create a safe space for survivors but it allows them to heal slowly through different mediums of art including meditation and yoga. 

Creator’s Club partnership with Art by Mary Case Gallery/Studio and Sandcastles Children’s Museum: $2,400 

Creator’s Club is an afterschool program for children ages 9 – 14. The club will be held at the Sandcastles Museum, in the craft room, on Tuesdays, for 10 weeks. The program will provide a safe, wholesome, and creative environment for children to explore and create through different art mediums, including cooking, while creating a sense of community with other club members.

Creativity Art Kits through LACA (Ludington Area Council of the Arts): $1,800

This funding will purchase supplies for its monthly Creativity Art Kit project which aims to get free art supplies and art education lessons into the hands of  underserved children and adults in and around Mason County in an attempt to feed creativity in our  community. 

Lakeshore Food 4 Kids: $1,200

Due to a longer winter break this month, an increase in the amount of nourishing food was needed to provide to pre-K through 12th grade students at Ludington Area Schools experiencing food insecurity/chronic hunger.  

Mason County Pilots Association: $600

A two week Aviation School during the summer at the Mason County Airport is conducted to foster interest in aviation careers, for middle and high school students from Mason, Lake, Manistee, and Oceana counties. This grant will cover tuition and costs as a scholarship for one student. 

Ludington Area Jaycees’ Mini Golf also donated over $4,000 to 14 nonprofit organizations through it mini golf’s Charity Mondays; about $18,000 to the Ludington Area Jaycees Freedom Festival Fireworks, held on Independence Day, through the Fund the Fireworks Fridays; and contributed toward the Jaycees’ Community enrichment projects, such as Easter Baskets for 24 financially struggling families, Thanksgiving Baskets for 65 families experiencing food insecurity; Staircase Youth Services Back to School Backpack Bonanza; and monthly bingo money for residents at Oakview Medical Care Facility.  

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