Posted 5/2/08

Centerville-Washington Foundation Awards Grants To TJ’s Place of Hope, Centerville Arts Commission

The Centerville-Washington Foundation announced grants to two community organizations -- TJ's Place of Hope, and the City of Centerville for the Centerville Arts Commission --at its Annual Membership Breakfast Thursday, April 17, at Yankee Trace.

A $500 grant went to TJ’s Place of Hope, 85 East Franklin Street, and a grant of $2,000 went to the Arts Commission, Judy Stang, Grants Committee Chair, said.

TJ’s was founded in 2007 and was organized to help young people recover from a seemingly helpless state of mind. The non-profit was founded after the 2005 death of T. J. Whitehead, an 18-year-old graduate of Centerville High School who took his own life after battling drug and alcohol addiction for the majority of his adolescent life.

TJ’s Place of Hope provides a haven for adolescent and young adults to stay sober and share their stories with others their own age as well as a means for them to seek professional referrals.

The grant to the Arts Commission will support Art in the Heart of Centerville, a celebration of art, music, food and shopping in downtown Centerville. Funds will help provide entertainment, staging and tents, and arts and crafts materials for children’s activities. The program will be held on four Saturdays this summer -- June 28, July 26, August 30 and September 27 -- from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Art in the Heart has been held in 2006 and 2007. This year’s program will be the first time the Arts Commission will partner with the Heart of Centerville in producing and promoting Art in the Heart.

The Centerville-Washington Foundation invites grant requests from government or non-profit organizations for review two times a year, in March and September. The Foundation funds projects in the areas of arts and humanities, civic affairs, the environment, education, health and social services. Foundation grants have ranged between $500 and $2,500.

Forms for grant requests are available on the Foundation’s web site or at Centerville City Hall. Forms are also available by writing to the Centerville-Washington Foundation, P. O. Box 41125, Centerville, Ohio 45441.

A community partner for corporations and individuals interested in charitable giving, the Foundation serves as a source of funds for community groups.

An affiliate of The Dayton Foundation, the Centerville-Washington Foundation also invests and manages donors’ charitable funds. Through the Centerville-Washington Foundation, each donor has a range of options and the opportunity to preserve and strengthen the Centerville-Washington Township community. For more information about the Centerville-Washington Township Foundation, please contact Bob Daley at 433-0811.

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