Making A Difference: Organizations Report Impact of 2023-24 Community Foundation Grants

From meals for the elderly to new downtown art, healthy pets and an insulated emergency shelter, 12 area nonprofits benefited from a total of $159,516 awarded from seven endowed funds managed by The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

Grant applications for the 2024-25 cycle are in the review process, with awardees to be announced in November.

A new safe floor for Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative

With a new “sprung subfloor” funded by a $17,814 grant from the Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts, dancers at the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative are reaching new heights. Since 2014, they’ve been dancing carefully on marble, wood, and concrete floors. But with the new surface, instructors have been able to incorporate jumps in movement training. This in turn has expanded class offerings and diversified performances. The cooperative can host workshops on injury prevention and bring in specialists like dance physical therapists to use the space for a safe dance practice. The floor has helped the company grow beyond its former numbers, and to open its doors to guest choreographers such as Beau Harman, a New York City-based artist who has worked with JMU dancers. “We are excited to see what this small-but-mighty space will continue to offer our community,” said cooperative partner Lara Mack.

Horses helping caregivers

Cross Keys Equine Therapy used their $10,000 award from the Alvin J. Baird Jr. Program Endowment to develop a curriculum for a special training program to equip parents, grandparents and other caregivers for recognition of and response to traumatic stress reactions in the children they are caring for. The organization hosted monthly groups that met five or six times, and plans to host another six-week group this fall. Feedback was positive and individual caregivers expressed gratitude for the information and the unique context of learning from and with horses.

A multi-purpose space for quilt museum

The Virginia Quilt Museum invested almost $17,000 in Earlynn J. Miller funding to transform the lower level of the museum into a space for hands-on activities, classes and programs. The space also provides for artists and scholars-in-residence with a research center and a permanent exhibition. Wall repairs, drywall, painting, technology equipment, signage and furniture were among the expenses covered.

Ballet’s costumes remain pristine

Rockingham Ballet Theater fundraised for years to purchase new costumes for the annual production of “The Nutcracker.” A new climate-controlled space funded by a $875 grant from the Valley Arts & Culture Fund has helped extend the life of these expensive and beautiful gems, bringing years of pleasure to local dancers – and area audiences.

Meals on Wheels provides a month of fresh food for seniors

A Community Endowment Fund grant of $11,273 to Valley Program for Aging Services provided 935 meals for adults age 60 and older in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, equal to one month of meals for 47 individuals.

Meals are prepared by A Bowl of Good using locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables when available. Milk is purchased from Mt. Crawford Creamery. All meals meet one-third of the daily nutrition requirements for older adults. The balance of grant funding – approximately $4,200 –  helped with costs of other items: food trays, hot and cold insulated containers, delivery costs, staff time, and related expenses.

Blue Ridge Free Clinic sees increased need

Blue Ridge Free Clinic received $34,592 from the Alvin V. Baird, Jr. Program Endowment Fund, which benefits nonprofit organizations serving unmet healthcare needs among local populations. The grant aided the clinic in serving 611 individual patients with 1,400 medical appointments. For 356 patients, a social worker provided consultation and resource navigation. The grant helped to pay for a contracted social worker, transportation, facility maintenance, interpreters, medication and supplies.

Funds help treat wildlife

About 12 percent of the sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife treated at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro come from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Nearly 900 animals were treated thanks to 2023 funding, more than $11,700 from the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund.

The Center’s treatment averages $179 per patient [2023 treatment costs]. This includes salaries and benefits for the wildlife medical care team, including veterinarians, licensed veterinary technicians, and wildlife rehabilitators, as well as food, medicine, medical and laboratory supplies, equipment costs, and more.

Saving one (of nine) lives

Cat’s Cradle staff heard plenty of thanks from the 250 cat owners aided in covering veterinary bills with $5,700 from the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund. In response to community need, the organization has expanded its pet retention program for clients needing financial assistance. The program funds veterinary bills and short-term costs of medical supplies to keep pets healthy and with their families rather than in the local public shelter. 

Anicira helps area pets

Mavin, Charlie, Toby and their owners will be forever grateful for Anicira’s Operation Free Pet Healthcare. Maven survived a life-threatening urinary blockage, Charlie endured surgery to remove a painful mass, and Toby had a major dental procedure. These are just a few of the dogs and cats aided by the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund, which supports agencies providing for the needs of domestic and wild animals. The $5,727 grant provided medical, surgical, and dental care to 80 pets, resulting in saved lives, reduced suffering, and the preservation of the bond between families and their beloved pets.

Emergency shelter protected from temperature change

The Salvation Army’s 28-bed emergency shelter needed an upgrade to the skirting and an access opening – to the tune of more than $13,000. The work was the final task left over from a successful 2022 renovation.

The Janet Sohn Endowed Fund, which awards funds to organizations that Janet supported during her lifetime, helped fund the work. In 2022, the shelter served 310 individuals and family members with basic and intensive case management, access to health and nutritional programs, and other community connections.

Three new installations and children’s “wild” paintings brighten downtown

Oasis Fine Art & Craft utilized an award from the Valley Arts & Culture Fund to fund three different projects. Local artist Gemma Amendola designed a window decal and banner for Beyond Restaurant. Oasis also framed two community mosaics, one constructed at the Farmer’s Market and a second mosaic featuring a family of ducks located on Water Street.

More than 300 area elementary students “captured” wild and wonderful animals in paint during a series of workshops. Oasis artists led the sessions, where children were taught the elements of line, shape, color and texture, and then practiced drawing real or imagined animals. Forty artworks were selected for an exhibit at Massanutten Regional Library. Funding from the Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts helped with the purchase of supplies, printing and the exhibit installation. The Explore More Discovery Museum hosted the field trips, and the project also involved Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley.

Making the arts accessible through events and a new website

Nearly $21,000 from the Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts, honoring the late dance professor, helped Arts Council of the Valley increase opportunities for local residents to enjoy, learn and experience the arts.

Building on the first year’s success of the community theater program ACT ONE, Arts Council of the Valley has expanded exploration of the performing and visual arts through the addition of free master classes for adults, providing welcoming, low-stress introductions for individuals who may not have outlets for artistic expression. Master classes for adults have drawn 115 participants to eight sessions.

Thirty scholarships of $299 each helped economically disadvantaged students attend summer theater camps, with each camp ending in a performance showcase.

Day of the Arts, on May 4, 2024, celebrated the vital role performing and visual arts play in our community, with some 950 people attending. The $6,000 grant supported workshops, lectures, performances, art materials; and the work of an exhibition curator.

The organization is undergoing a new website design, slated for a fall 2024 launch. Much of the work has been donated by local branding, web and marketing agency Estland, with the remainder of the costs financed through a grant from the Mary Spitzer Etter Endowed Fund. The new site will be “fresh, engaging, easy to navigate, and fully ADA-compliant,” says ACV Executive Director Jenny Burden. “The website will provide a more accessible, positive experience for online visitors, making it easier for them to connect with arts opportunities.”