By Nancy Bowman

An avalanche of grants wrapped up the fourth quarter for the Tipp City Foundation. Ultimately, 13 organizations received 16 awards totaling $39,683.02. Total grants awarded in 2024 are $177,721.33.

Since 1943, $3,059,850 have been awarded to local causes.

New ideas seeking support include digitizing 155 years of Tipp City newspapers, a piano lab for Tippecanoe High School, and a portable planetarium large enough to hold an entire classroom of students. Read more about these below.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact these grants will make. Any additional support that donor advisors of the Tipp City Foundation gave through their grantmaking is noted.

RECREATION

Bethel Local Schools, $3,101.77, represents a payment towards the foundation’s 5-year commitment of $25,000 to build a new stadium. The stadium will be used for sports and marching band activities. A Bethel Arts Fund grant.

Miami County Educational Service Center, $850, provides developmentally appropriate playground structures for Tipp City and Bethel Twp. Preschoolers of all abilities to improve gross motor skills and encourage imaginative play.

Tipp Monroe Community Services, $3,600, defrays Camp Kern excursion costs for 100 campers in 2025.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Connections of Tipp City, $300, supports an after-school program for middle and high school students. 

Seeds of Hope OH, $1,980, supports foster and kinship families with the purchase of safe beds for children who have been through the trauma of abuse and neglect.

Troy Literacy Council, $1,533, adults of Miami County benefit from the Council. A Gillis Fund for Self-Sufficiency grant.

We Care Arts, $5,226.53 and award, continues Transition to Work classroom programming in high schools throughout Miami County. A William’s Gift Fund grant. Additional support from the Robinson-Walters Family fund rounds out this request for a total of $6,226.53.

ARTS & CULTURE

Bethel Local Schools, $1,500, builds upon the high school ceramics program with the purchase of clay, glazes, and tools. A Bethel Arts Fund grant.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $4,000, builds a piano lab in the high school. Each semester 20 learners of all skill levels receive lessons. Additional support from the Dave Drake Family Fund rounds out this request for a total of $5,000.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, award, supports the replacement of broken sousaphones with new contra tubas. A Dave Drake Family Fund award. 

Tipp City Parks Department, $1,692, supports maintenance in the Veterans Park. A Veterans Tribute Fund grant.

Tipp City Public Library, award, begins the digitization project for 155 years of Tipp City newspapers. A Wahl Family Fund grant.

Tippecanoe Historical Society, $2,022, underscores the importance of preserving and maintaining older buildings by supporting the Century Homes project. A Century Milestone Fund iho the Lantz Family grant.

NATURE

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $3,527, softens the landscape of the school under construction by planting new trees.  A Lucile L. Milner Trees for Tipp Fund grant.

EDUCATION

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $5,477.72, explores the far reaches of space with the Discovery Dome Digital Planetarium Theater. K-12 students can enhance their comprehension of state science standards all year long through this immersive galactic leaning experience.

HEALTH & SAFETY

New Creations Counseling Center, Inc., $2,000, assists with counseling and psychological services for those with financial need. Additional support from the Community Compassion Fund rounds out this request for a total of $10,000.

Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development, $775, rejuvenates the sensory garden by adding shade umbrellas, a rainbow viewing station, a caterpillar climbing toy and other sensory-stimulating equipment.

Tipp City Seniors, Inc., $2,098, supports emotional and physical wellness of senior citizens by underwriting programming such as chair yoga. A Senior Wellness Fund grant.

Discretionary grants are made possible because of contributions, of any size, from the public. A full list of the foundation’s 62 endowment funds is available at www.tippfoundation.org. 

Quarterly grant deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15 each year. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

Members of the Foundation are Heather Bailey, Richard Bender, president, Bryan Blake, Mary Bowman, Diana Featherstone, treasurer, Dee Gillis, Joellen Heatherly, vice president, Bruce McKenzie, Glen McMurry, Jim Ranft, distribution chair, Julie Taylor, Andrew Venters, Jackie Wahl, Bill Wendel, secretary and Carolyn Wright.

The Tipp City Foundation is a component fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution or how to establish an endowment fund, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

For more information visit www.tippfoundation.org or Tipp Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Author Series a Natural choice for Grant

By Nancy Bowman

When it neared time for the Tipp City Foundation to award its milestone $3 millionth discretionary grant dollar, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Author Series was a natural choice.

The author series, established in 2019, may be one of the foundation’s newer projects but also one its board has seen have a dramatic impact on the community. The foundation itself had been making grants since 1943.

Tipp City’s Helen Pritchard drew the public library into the peace prize author series, and it has been involved since, said Lisa Santucci, the library’s executive director. The library, in turn, reached out to the Tipp City schools to collaborate.

The program was highly visible again this year with a day of activities that included students, staff and the community at Tippecanoe High School. Featured was Alexander Starritt, author of the highly recognized We Germans.

Activities also include a podcast with WYSO Youth Radio with extensive planning including training, transportation, lunch and getting books for all the students. Santucci, who previously worked as an academic librarian at Miami (Ohio) University, said she had the opportunity to see students interact with authors and see how that experience could change them.

“I wanted this to happen in this town, for our school district especially since it's happening right down in Dayton,” Santucci said of the peace prize program.

For students, preparation can be extensive with reading and discussing the texts along with literary analysis studies of characters and characterization, and analysis of the narrative techniques the author used, said Brenda Mahaney, Tippecanoe High School English teacher. This year about 230 students were involved in the project along with teachers from the history and English departments.

The program is paid for using grants from several sources including the Tipp City Foundation, which provided $6,500.

The community is fortunate to have the program for its students, Mahaney said.

“Living in a small town is a beautiful thing, but it does have its limitations, especially when it comes to developing a robust and multi-faceted view of the world.  People say that books can be mirrors or windows, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize always provides our students the opportunity to look out of a window they might have never previously considered,” she said.

"Our students must be equipped to leave this town and prepared for a world that doesn't look or think like them and with very different experiences.  These texts and experiences help prepare them to be the leaders and forward thinkers that our world needs,” she said.

By Nancy Bowman

Tipp City Area Arts Council’s revamped Plen Air Event on Oct. 4-5 will give artists the opportunity to highlight the community’s offerings through their artwork.

This event was part of arts council activities of the past but died during the COVID pandemic.

En Plein Air is a French term, literally translated to mean “open air,” and is taken to describe active painting outdoors.  Artists create paintings and renderings in a variety of mediums depicting how their subject appears in natural light, at the moment of creation. The artworks are completed within the day.

The Paint Ohio History Plein Air event will begin with a Plate & Palette Dinner & Demo on Friday, Oct. 4 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Tipp Center, 855 N. Third St., Tipp City. The registration for the Friday dinner is Saturday, Sept. 27. Register at www.tippcityartscouncil.paint.

Artist registration will be on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. at the Tipp Center, also the location for judging and Wet Paint Sale on Saturday from 3-4:30 p.m.

On Saturday, artists will be working across the Tipp City area from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., including downtown, residential neighborhoods, parks and the riverbank.

“Tipp City has such attractive, historic architecture in both downtown shops as well as its well-preserved homes. The natural settings in and around the city provide artists with a breadth of subject matter choices,” said Marti Goetz and Christine Hirsch, event co-chairs. Lynn Shirk Terrell is the council chair.

A free Children’s Plein Air will be in front of Topsy Turvy store at 115 E. Main St.  from 10a.m. – 2 p.m.

Those interested in participating in the event are asked to visit www.tippcityartscouncil/paint and go to the register button.

The Tipp City Foundation supports the Plein Air Event with $2,286 from the Tiny and Emma Drewing Fund. Added support from the Lucky 13 fund brings this project’s grant total to $3,500.

“It's a very big project for a small organization to undertake,” said Heather Bailey of the Foundation. “Marti and Christine's re-invigoration of the event is positive for our region. Marti has served several roles for the council over the years. Christine is relatively new to Tipp City."

One reason that the foundation wants to support the plein air event is self-serving, Bailey said.

“Our annual report is mailed to homes in 45371 each spring. Pages are embellished by area artists' work,” Bailey said. “Last year's report featured Trish McKinney; the 2024 report will feature the work of Susan Kuntz. By photographing the plein air works on easels while artists capture Bethel Township and Tipp City, these images will become the featured work for the 2025 annual report.”

By Nancy Bowman

The annual Tippapalooza Music Festival coming downtown Aug. 31 will not only highlight area talent but, in a less obvious way, the support of this and other events by the Tipp City Foundation.

Grants provided by the foundation are being used for a new stanchion fencing system to help secure this and other event venues, and stacking tables and chairs for use by attendees. These items will then be available for borrowing by area nonprofits for other public events.

The Tippapalooza Music Festival was the recipient of a $1,982 grant for the safety stanchions used to keep a gathering safe. Another grant of $6,227 to the Downtown Tipp City Partnership (DTCP) purchased the tables and chairs.

“The lightweight, durable tables and chairs will be an invaluable resource for DTCP, especially during our events. By owning these items, we eliminate the need to rent, which helps reduce event costs and allows us to allocate those funds elsewhere,” said Tasha Weaver, executive director of the DTCP.

These items will be used throughout the year including the DTCP’s upcoming Tunes Tour Beer Crawl, HarvestFest  and the Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting.

Tippapalooza, in its 13^th year, is grateful for the foundation support, said Bill Wendel, a Tippapalooza founder and spokesperson.

“The stanchion system will give us a more professional, safer and flexible border for our festival. And in the spirit of supporting the local community, we are making the system available for use to any local non-profit for use at their events,” he said.

The foundation has supported the festival in the past as a financial sponsor.

Tippapalooza will be held on South Second Street between Main Street and Dow Street. The doors open at 5 p.m. and music starts at 6. The featured acts this year are Colin Richards and Spare Change, The Tyler Cochran Trio, Freya’s Felines and The New Old-Fashioned.

Proceeds will benefit Dream Pet Rescue and its mission to rehome cats and dogs. There will be food trucks and adult beverages served by Chaffee’s Brewhouse. This is a family friendly, all-ages event, Wendel said. Presale tickets can be purchased for $10 at www.tippapalooza.com; tickets are $15 the day of the show. Those attending are invited to bring lawn chairs and their dancing shoes.

Tippapalooza was created by a group of local friends and music fans with the desire to promote local talent and to benefit local charities. This is the festival’s 13^th year highlighting talented musicians from the Miami Valley and supporting local charities.

The popularity of Tippapalooza continued to grow over the years until it was established enough to focus on and hire professional musicians. Since 2017 it has only featured professional artists from the Miami Valley who write and record their own music, Wendel said.  The event was moved to the downtown in 2023.

By Nancy Bowman

An addition to the offerings at the Tipp City Public Library is designed to help children develop creativity, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The MagnaTiles Light Table was purchased by the library with a $1,385 grant from the Tipp City Foundation.

“They can learn shapes, colors, patterns, letters and explore how two primary colors make secondary colors. Children can learn about the principles of construction. The light table offers a fun, engaging environment for children to explore,” said Wendy Torrence, children’s librarian.

The light table adds another learning opportunity in the children’s play area that already includes books and computers.

Children can create from their imaginations and develop more controlled fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. The light table is portable, allowing it to also benefit toddlers and preschoolers during Storytimes, which are held in the downstairs library  Meeting Room, Torrence said.

Patrons have been very complimentary about the table, she said.

“When I walk into the children's area, I see tall towers, houses and acrylic shapes overlapped and spread around like walkways. Our Storytime children have gleefully written in the sand on top of a colored acrylic panel and made flowers using assorted materials,” Torrence said.

"Parents engage in the building process with younger children and observe as older children work their magic with the tiles. Not a day goes by that the light table is not used.”

The library will purchase additional MagnaTiles and acrylics for the light table and will use it more during Storytimes, such as when programs explore veterinary care and examine X-rays. “The children's department works very hard to create a positive environment for learning and to offer programs that encourage children to have fun, learn and grow,” Torrence said.

She began her professional life as an educator and spent 10 years teaching high school, middle school and preschool. She has been a librarian for 11 years in school and public libraries.

“I greatly appreciate the support of the Tipp City community and love engaging with families who attend our library events,” she said. “I believe the public library has something to offer every citizen, and I encourage those who are not our patrons to walk through our doors and experience the quality of our services.”

For more information on the Tipp City Public Library, visit tippcitylibrary.org.

By Nancy Bowman

A year following the passing of Tippecanoe High School student Carson Robbins, an endowment fund is being established to continue honoring him and to support activities building positive connections among local school students.

Robbins died April 14, 2023, following a brief illness. A healthy athletic senior at Tippecanoe High School, Carson experienced his first seizure and passed away two months later. He was diagnosed with NORSE, a rare epileptic condition that tends to affect healthy young adults and children with no history of epilepsy.

“Carson loved life big. He was a loyal friend, brother and son. Everyone’s biggest cheerleader. No one was a stranger. He was mischievous and fun. He certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was perfectly ours and we miss him every single day,” said his mother, Carrie Robbins.

The Live Loud Like Carson: A School Spirit Fund was suggested by two of her friends, Becky Jones and Amanda McDowell, said Robbins

“They wanted to find a way to continue to honor Carson. The endowment fund was a perfect match for what we were wanting to accomplish. Carson is forever 17 - right in the prime of sharing his pride and spirit for Tipp City,” she said. “With this endowment fund we can continue to share that spirit with the youth of Tipp City. We are incredibly blessed to have a big group of supportive friends that are helping Becky, Amanda and myself as we navigate through this fundraising process.”

The Live Loud Like Carson Fund was kicked off earlier this month with a basket raffle during the Jeep Cruise In in downtown Tipp City. “The fundraiser was very successful, and we are grateful for all that contributed,” Carrie Robbins said of the fundraiser held at the Eagles.

A T-shirt and bracelet sale will be launched soon along with a LIVE LOUD Like Carson Family Fun Day, which will be held Aug. 17 at Tipp Eagles Park. Activities will include a kickball tournament, cornhole tournament and a kids zone. More details will be released soon, Robbins said.

Plans also are being made for an annual fundraiser to be held for his birthday each year in April.

The endowment fund will support activities that build positive connections among students at Tipp City Schools, aimed at fostering a positive environment for students of all ages. The awards are not limited to sports (which was Carson’s main love) but academics, fine arts and youth programs among others. “We want everyone aged K-12 to have the opportunity to be touched by Carson’s fund,” Robbins said.

Those interested in donating to the fund can do so at the Tipp City Foundation website at TippFoundation.org.