The final quarterly meeting of the Foundation was not short of ideas on how to best impact the community.

Though a pandemic prevails, so does a skilled community of nonprofit organizations supporting citizens in need. Health, nutrition, safety and literacy are fundamentals to quality of life. Each of these was addressed through the grants awarded. 

Ultimately, 10 organizations were chosen to receive 12 awards.  Grants totaled $28,403.40.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact grants will make. The additional support that donor advisors gave through their grantmaking is included.

COVID RESPONSE
Miami County Dental Clinic, $3,000.00, undergirds operating expenses, which have held steady during the pandemic, though partnerships with The Ohio State University dental program and fundraising events have been restricted. The mission of the clinic is to provide quality dental care to low-income, uninsured, and under-insured patients. 

Miami County Recovery Council, $2,843.80, continues to support the increased demands on Hope House, a residential opiate withdrawal management program. Located in Troy, it was the first facility of its kind in the Miami Valley. MCRC works closely with the courts, UVMC, employers and families looking for a safe location where a person can successfully withdraw from opiates or methamphetamine. The overwhelming majority of admissions are self-referrals.

Needy Basket of Southern Miami County, $1,000.00, helps purchase an additional 35,000 – 45,000 pounds of food above the original 2020 estimate. 

ARTS & CULTURE
Bethel Local Schools, $2,176.20, nourishes elementary students through unique musical experiences found in Orff percussion instruments. Bethel School’s long-standing tradition of music program excellence is born in the early years with hands-on class experiences. This grant was made possible, in part, by the Bethel Arts Fund, established in 2014.

Bethel Local Schools, $1,524.00, elevates the art department with floor easels, not commonly found in high school art rooms. Artmaking at an easel encourages artists to work vertically, which enables them to produce works of art in the same plane of their perception and in the same plane their work will most likely be experienced by others. This is a Bethel Arts Fund grant.

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, $2,000.00, tunes young learners into musical concepts while listening to orchestral recitals.  In the past this partnership with Tipp City Schools was in person, but due to the pandemic the five “live” performances will be experienced in a streamed format. All Tipp City elementary students will experience these professional productions.

Downtown Tipp City Partnership, $1,007.00, spruces up the exteriors of downtown properties identified by the Façade Improvement Program. This is an Urban Stewardship Fund grant.

EDUCATION
Child Care Choices, $4,000.00, purchases books and activity supplies for the Story Lady, volunteer educators promoting early literacy. Serving Miami Valley childcare centers and home childcare providers, Tipp City represents 20% of this outreach.  During the 2020-21 school year, educators will serve a total of 70 locations and reach 950 children.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $727.00, purchases a set of Literacy Footprints Guided Reading System for 4th grade readers.  These books help children develop strong literacy skills and a love for reading. This grant was made possible, in part, by the Youth of Tipp City Fund imo Sara Drexler, established in 2018.

Tipp City Public Library, $3,000, meets the needs of dyslexic and struggling readers through the purchase of large print and Hi-Lo books.  Hi-Lo books are high-interest, low reading level books designed to engage struggling readers by exploring complex, age-appropriate themes at a lower reading level. Book titles purchased were coordinated between the Library and the Media Specialist from Tipp City Schools.

ENVIRONMENT
Downtown Tipp City Partnership, $2,125.40, meets a need in Downtown Tipp City due to increased pedestrian traffic...there aren’t enough trash cans!  What a good problem to have.  This project is in conjunction with the Tipp City Street Department.  Additional support from Robinson-Walters Family Fund advisors rounds out this request for a total of $2,875.40.00.

SOCIAL SERVICES
Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, $5,000.00, contributes to the housing expansion project. Serving all of Miami County, victims of domestic violence from Tipp City and Bethel Township are eligible for emergency shelter and legal advocacy.

The deadline for 1Q grant submissions is March 1. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org. 

The arrival of COVID-19 has added to the stresses of teachers in classrooms as they juggle more responsibilities in uncertain times.

For teachers in the Bethel Local Schools, a new program coordinated by a district social emotional awareness counselor targets the wellness of teachers through distribution of new wellness care packages made possible, in part, by a Tipp City Foundation grant.

“This idea stemmed from the realization that teachers all over are once again being asked and expected to go above and beyond their training and contract hours to meet students’ needs,” said Sara Davidson, social emotional awareness counselor for the Bethel Elementary Building serving students in grades kindergarten-5. 

“In order to retain our amazing staff, they need to feel supported and taken care of as well,” she said.

In the program, the teachers each month will receive a package with a different focus. “Some months the package will focus on boosting their self-confidence as teachers, others will include tools to manage stress in the classroom, and others will include items to promote positive mental health outside of the classroom,” Davidson said.

The first packages were scheduled for distribution this Thanksgiving week. Among key goals is to avoid teacher burnout.

“The hope behind the grant is to provide the staff with a package that will boost different aspects of their mental well-being each month,” said Elementary Building Principal Jodi Petty.  “Some months will boost their self-confidence; other months will give them tools to let out their emotions and some months the package will include items that they can use at home as well. The hope is that staff feel supported and encouraged through this grant.”

The grant request was described by foundation member Heather Bailey as “out of the box thinking … creative, thoughtful, wellness centered, COVID-responsive.”

Davidson is one of two social emotional awareness counselors in the Bethel Schools. The other serves the middle and high schools, Petty said.

When Davidson proposed the grant application as a way of meeting added staff needs during the pandemic, school administrators were on board, Petty said.

“We all agreed that that social emotional health of our staff is directly tied to meeting the needs of students.  Any time a person feels supported and has a place to turn for additional help, the quality in their role at a school increases,” she said. “One of the positive aspects of the pandemic has been the awareness of how much we really depend on one another during times of crisis.  Our staff and overall school community has been brought closer together during this pandemic.”

  The Tipp City Foundation and the city of Tipp City are partners in making Tipp City “a desirable community in which to live or raise a family,” said City Manager Tim Eggleston.

This cooperation and the resulting offerings has become even more important during the months of COVID-19.

“The foundation helps the community in providing matching funds for local parks projects that may otherwise not have taken place, such as equipment for the dog park and pool equipment for the little kids at the aquatic center,” Eggleston said.

The long-running partnership not only allows the city to offset project cost, but gives staff the ability to spend city money saved on an unexpected project, or move a needed project up on the ever-existing list.

“These types of funds have not been available in any of the communities I worked in,” Eggleston said of his previous jobs. “It is a blessing for sure,” he said.

Parks are essential in providing recreational opportunities for a community, open space to serve as a buffer between different land uses and habitat for wildlife, Eggleston said. 

“They allow us a place to get away from the stress in our daily lives. During COVID, parks give parents relief from the kids and a place for kids to get rid of pent up energy,” he said.

Grants from the foundation for park improvements add “immeasurably” to the community’s quality of life, said Jim Ranft, OD, of the Tipp City Foundation board.

“During the grant making decision process we like to fund projects that touch a large group of people, getting a lot of bang for our buck. Parks grants are unique in that we can touch all age groups and demographics,” Dr. Ranft said.

Through its grants, the foundation board has been able to diversify recreational opportunities locally with projects such as the disc golf course and the ADA accessible water features at the Family Aquatic Center, he said. 

“It is also an opportunity to stretch our tax dollars with charitable giving.  I believe these grants are also an economic development tool for the city, making Tipp City a more desirable community to live in and attracting visitors to our local businesses.”

Living in Tipp City without the benefits offered by the foundation would be much different, Eggleston said.

“I venture to guess that if the Tipp City Foundation was not here, a lot of projects and programs would not have taken place, and what a loss that would be,” he said.

To learn more about the Tipp City Foundation and how it impacts the community, visit www.tippfoundation.org.

Listed below are recent grants from the foundation and from its endowment funds:

Recent Tipp City Foundation grants to the city parks:

SEPTEMBER 2020
$1,754, rallies man’s best friends at the popular dog park in Kyle Park, as they romp on new exercise equipment.  A jump bar, A-frame unit and stairways will be added.

JUNE 2020, 
$4,500, repurposes an area near the Nature Center by building a 12’ X 24’ open-air picnic shelter. With easy access from the bike path, this will make a welcome rest stop. Additional support from Lucky 13 Fund advisers rounds out the request for a total of $5,000.00. 

MARCH 2020 and DECEMBER 2019
$1,839.32 and $904, to maintenance and upkeep at Veteran’s Memorial Park. 

DECEMBER 2019
$2,650 to purchase new playground equipment for Kyle Park.

SEPTEMBER 2020, DECEMBER 2019, JUNE 2018 and MARCH 2018
$3,060, $3,096, $5,207 and $4,793, continues the partnership with the City to plant trees in Kyle park.

DECEMBER 2018
$2,542, expands the walking path around City Park with a 180-foot addition.  

Endowment Funds in the Tipp City Foundation that exclusively support parks or outdoor life:

Lucille L. Milner Trees for Tipp Fund – 1998 — For more than 70 years, Mrs. Milner enjoyed the beauty, shade, fragrance and texture added to Tipp City’s parks and streets by its urban forest. Her desire to help ensure the same beauty for future generations led her to establish this fund for the purchase of trees for planting in the parks and along the streets. Plantings are coordinated by Tipp City and its Parks Advisory Board.

Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund – 2008 — This fund supports the out-of-doors that he held dear through the acquisition, upkeep, maintenance, and preservation of public parkland or other natural areas. 

Outdoor Experiences Fund iho Abby Kessler Bowling – 2017 — Outdoor recreation and education, as well as parks in Tipp City and Monroe Township, receive support from this fund. Abby, a retired teacher and nature enthusiast, encourages people to explore the great outdoors through the creation of this fund.

Veterans Tribute Fund – 2013 — Public spaces set aside to salute military veterans receive grants from this fund for maintenance and upkeep. This fund is an extension of a commitment to honor those who have served our country, which began in 2005 by a band of volunteers who laid the groundwork for the Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of West Main and Hyatt Streets.

(Grants/Endowment information courtesy of Tipp City Foundation)