Craven County Community Foundation hands out $70K to schools, nonprofits

Schools and nonprofit groups in Craven County are receiving grants totaling $70,000 in 2011 from the Craven County Community Foundation.

The awards, announced this week by the foundation and board president Dan Pritchett, go to 21 institutions and organizations and range from grants for medical care for the indigent to support for schools, Scouting programs and the arts.

"These grants are important to our community and our quality of life,” Pritchett said in his thank you to the community for supporting the foundation.

"Critical programs would not be possible without the generosity of many individuals and organizations that have supported Craven County’s community fund,” he said. "We are also grateful for the legacy of generosity left by Mr. (Richard Chapman) Cleve” of Vanceboro, who left a more than a $1 million unrestricted gift to the foundation when he died in 2004.

Grants go to Carolina East Foundation for the Carolina East Foundation Indigent Care Fund; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh-New Bern Regional Office for the Senior Pharmacy Program; Coastal Carolina Chamber Music Festival to support Carolina Chamber Music Festival community outreach programs; Coastal Women's Shelter for the CWS Resale Store Seed Funding Project; Craven County Partners in Education for the Beginning Teacher's Toolbox program.

Other recipients include Craven Cherry Point Child Development Center for the Child Development Services and Family Support Program; Craven Literacy Council to provide GED and pre-GED training classes for adults in New Bern’s Five Points and Duffyfield communities; Girl Scouts-North Carolina Coastal Pines for the Craven County Girl Scout community outreach program; Habitat for Humanity of Craven County for the Havelock Community Build, Service Men and Women Building for Habitat for Humanity program; USO of North Carolina’s Jacksonville Center to support the USO of NC Information Desk at the Coastal Carolina Airport; MERCI Clinic for restorative dental care for uninsured adults and Monarch Health for the Monarch Ability Garden.

Grant money also went to Prevent Blindness North Carolina for the vision screening and eye care program; Boy Scouts of America - East Carolina Council to support the Neuse Basin Scout Scholarship Fund; New Millennium Theatre Works for the Carolinian Shakespeare Festival; North Carolina Coastal Land Trust for the Havelock Area Conservation Initiative; Promise Place for the "Business of Child Sexual Abuse" program; Religious Community Services for the Perishable and Prepared Food Recovery Program; Tryon Palace Council of Friends to provide Tryon Palace History Camp Scholarships for underserved children; West Craven High School for three programs: Can You See Me Now?, Books a Million? Not Anymore, and Students Helping Students program and West Craven Middle School for the Curriculum Book Mobile-Experience, Engage and Excite program.

The Craven County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation.