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Eight County projects share $32,380 from Stark Family grants

Stark-Group-2013Eight  Prince Edward County organizations will share $32,380 in grants from the Stark Family Fund this year.

“Half the grants this year support projects that provide care to the elderly, and the other half was granted to projects that benefit children – both are causes that were very dear to the Stark sisters,” said Tim Beatty, co-chair of the Stark Family Fund Grant Selection Committee.

The presentations were made Thursday, May 31 at the location of the County’s new residential Hospice building to open later this month, at 40 Downes Ave., Picton.

The Stark Family Fund Grants, administered by the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, were established with a bequest of more than $1.3 million from Ruth Stark, the last remaining member of a family that included four other sisters, Leata, Keitha, Sylvia and Ival.  The five sisters were lifelong residents of the village of Bloomfield, and it was their wish to see the village and county’s residents continue to be supported, particularly in the educational, health and cultural fields.  To date, 116 grants totaling $513,285 have been made from this fund while growing the original donation by more than $85,000.

The grants included $15,000 for furnishings of the new residential home of Hospice Prince Edward, $2,430 for a specialized foot care chair for the PEC Community Care for Seniors Association, $3,000 worth of pool play equipment for the Prince Edward Fitness & Aquatic Centre, as well as $2,500 for a teen after school program of the Recreation Outreach Centre.

The grant recipients were selected by an independent, local committee.

2013 Stark Family Fund Grants:

Hospice Prince Edward, Hospice Prince Edward Community Residential Home: $15,000 Hospice Prince Edward (HPE) is realizing its goal of establishing a community residential hospice home in Prince Edward County. We believe that our hospice home at 40 Downes Avenue in Picton represents the single most significant expansion of services by HPE for our community in our twenty-two year history. We have purchased a beautiful 3 bedroom home in Picton which we anticipate will be operational in the spring of 2013. The grant will be used to furnish the family’s living area, which includes a library, pull-out sofas for overnight visits, a children’s play area, as well as table and chairs for our community education room. This area will be used by our clients’ families.

The Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors Association, Foot Care Chair, $2,430 Prince Edward Community Care provides high quality foot care to seniors with clinics held in two locations – Picton and Wellington. Providers are nurses with specialized training in foot care. We have seen a huge increase in foot care clients over the last four years and would like to replace our existing chair at the Picton clinic with a chair that is specifically designed for foot care so that our nurses can easily perform the care required in an ergonomic way that is comfortable both for the nurse and the senior.

Prince Edward Fitness & Aquatic Centre, Pool Play: $3,000 PEFAC’s Pool Play project includes the purchase, installation and programming of large inflatable water structures called ‘wibits’. These floating play structures can be used for children to play on, use as learning tools for swimming lessons and be active in Prince Edward County’s only community pool. This grant would cover the purchase and shipping/handling costs for this project.

Recreation Outreach Centre (ROC), YouthMOB: $2,500 YouthMOB (“Youth Making Ourselves Better”) is a new project that will enable all high-school age youth in Prince Edward County (ages 14-18), both boys and girls, to develop their interests and talents in physical fitness, technical skills and creative arts. The YouthMOB project operates as 6-week after-school programs that feature a variety of activities, including: Videography & Photography, Martial Arts, Fitness Dance, Street Art and Music. The YouthMOB project will develop self-confidence, healthy self-image and help youth identify options for their future that otherwise would not have been available.

County of Prince Edward Library, Inspiring County Children: $1,000 This is a partnership of two Prince Edward County family organizations: the County of Prince Edward Public Library and Prince Edward Child Care Services. The two groups are working together to promote early literacy, social development, and learning through play by purchasing new resources to delight children and their parents, such as a sensory table (sand and water), a puppet theatre and a play kitchen for role play. A launch celebration including a puppet show in the newly re-designed space in the library with hands-on workshops at both the library and the P.E.C.C.S. centre is planned.

Prince Edward County Arts Council, Classics for Kids: True North Brass: $1,500 The Prince Edward County Music Festival’s Schools Concert series brings classical music at the highest level to students from Prince Edward County. In 2012, demand for that concert was so high that we were unable to accommodate every school that expressed interest in attending. Now moving into its tenth year of operation, the festival plans to expand its program in order to accommodate students from all local public schools, as well as some home-schooled attendees, by offering two schools concerts. The Stark Family Fund grant will be used to bus school children to the concert.

Rotary Club of Picton, Annual Scholarships: $5,750 This grant will pay for five annual scholarships that will be awarded by the Rotary Club of Picton to individuals attending postsecondary facilities in the fall.

Canadian Diabetes Association, Camp for children with Type 1 diabetes: $1,200 For nearly 60 years, local children with Type 1 diabetes have been attending a special medical camp conducted by the Canadian Diabetes Association called Camp Banting. A unique place for chronically ill children, the camp teaches youth how to avoid diabetes complications that can lead to a painful and premature death. It is the only camp of its kind in Canada for local children (ages 8 to 15) with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease without a cure. When not managed properly, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, blindness and amputation. This medical camp teaches children about proper diabetes management in a safe and relaxed setting. Camp teaches children about balancing proper nutrition, physical activity and insulin use in a supervised and fun environment.

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  1. fed up says:

    Excellent choices–especially Hospice!

  2. Sally Kellar says:

    My parents grew up with the Stark sisters and were friends. I am always delighted to read what is being done with their money as there were no children. I think the choices for this year are excellent and send kudos to the fund manager.

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