At its January 15th meeting, the Granville Foundation awarded an unsolicited $1,000 grant to the Food Pantry Network of Licking County through Granville's "Feed the Dream" project. Established one year ago, "Feed the Dream" is a widely supported grassroots effort, which asks Granville to make Martin Luther King Day a special day of service to others by supporting the work of the Food Pantry Network of Licking County.
 
Foundation president Deb Tegtmeyer stated, "This is an exceptional grassroots project, which deserves widespread community support."  This year's goal is to collect two tons of food and $5,000 in cash donations.

A $5,000 grant made to the Granville Historical Society and St. Luke's Church played a key role in facilitating an important forthcoming change in the appearance of downtown Granville. In January 2013, the Village will issue a request for proposals for creating a new pedestrian walkway in the old alley between the Historical Society and St. Luke's. Village Manager Steve Stilwell has indicated that he expects the new walkway to be finished by not later than June 30th, bringing to fruition enabling legislation passed by the Village Council in mid-2012. Stilwell made it clear in negotiations over project cost that it would have been financially impossible for the Village to approve a walkway without material community buy-in.

The Granville Foundation announced its 2012 grant recipients. The Granville Foundation has awarded grants since 1971 to non-profit organizations that benefit the Granville community. According to Board of Directors President Scott Emery, $83,768 in grant requests was submitted, of which $56,997 were approved.

Kiwanis Club of Granville, $11,000
This grant award will allow the Kiwanis Club to continue offering fireworks at Wildwood Park during Granville’s July 4 Celebration. “We began supporting the fireworks last year when we became aware that funding was a concern. The fireworks show is an important tradition in our community, and we increased our support to make sure it can continue for 2012,” said Foundation President, Scott Emery.

Granville Public Library, $6000
The funding will allow the Granville Public Library, in partnership with the Granville Historical Society, to begin digitizing the Library’s collection of Granville Sentinel newspapers for online access. “We are a community that values its history, and we believe there will be great interest in accessing old issues of the Sentinel on the web,” said Emery.

Vintage Voices of Granville, $1000
The funding will support the Vintage Voices, a choir composed of senior citizens, to continue performing for local groups. “We have helped to support the Vintage Voices since 1985 and are proud to continue doing so in 2012,” said Emery.

Granville Federation for the Appreciation of the Blues, $6000
The GFAB is responsible for planning the annual Granville Hot Licks Bluesfest. “This is our third year supporting the GFAB. The Bluesfest is a signature event for our community and draws many visitors to Granville,” Emery noted.

Midland Theatre, $2500
The funding will allow visits to both Granville Middle School and Kendal at Granville by the performers Switchback when they are in town to perform at the Midland Theatre. “The Midland’s past programs have been well received, so we are happy to support this talented musical duo visiting and interacting with Granville’s students and senior citizens,” said Emery.

Granville Historical Society/St. Luke’s Church, $5000
This funding will allow for an engineering study of a proposed pedestrian walkway between the Historical Society and St. Luke’s Church. “The Granville Foundation is not endorsing the pedestrian walkway by approving the grant, but we believe by supporting the study it will allow the Village Council and other parties to carefully consider if the proposal is a positive one for our downtown,” Emery remarked.

Granville High School Alternative Spring Break Trip,$6700
The grant award will provide transportation costs for a group of Granville High School students and adult chaperones to perform volunteer work in Tuscaloosa, Alabama during the school district’s spring vacation. “The Granville Foundation has been so impressed with the leadership of GHS Assistant Principal Matt Durst in encouraging students to give their vacation time to help others. We are happy we can help make the trip possible,” said Emery

Granville Studio of Visual Arts, $5952
This grant will assist the GSVA in providing arts programming for community members at its Bryn Du Mansion facility. “GSVA, during its relatively short existence in Granville, continues to demonstrate its value to our community through its high quality programs for children and adults,” Emery said.

Granville Historical Society, $6000
The funding will assist the Historical Society in purchasing storage for its artifacts and archives. “The Historical Society’s collection is growing rapidly, and it’s critical they have the appropriate storage equipment to maintain Granville’s history,” said Emery.

Granville Fellowship,$3345
The grant funds will support monthly luncheons for Granville senior citizens and assist the Fellowship with improving its online presence. “The monthly lunches are a valuable social opportunity for Granville’s seniors, and with more seniors going online, having an up to date website is important for the Fellowship,” Emery remarked.

Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra, $3500
This funding will support the final concert of the NGSO’s 2012 season at Swasey Chapel on the Denison University Campus. “This annual concert is highly attended and appreciated by many in our community, and our support also makes tickets affordable for Denison and Granville students,” said Emery.