At the Albion Community Foundation, there are dedicated funds created by donors that have advisors for the charitable actions that occur. During the second round of grants every year, the donor advised funds grant applied organizations. The established funds at the Foundation that granted applicants this past round include The Andersons Charitable Fund, MACI Youth Fund, Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund, Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund, and The Jack L. Hoaglin Family Fund. Each fund has a different purpose or requirement for applications, some have a narrow scope while others can be more general.
The Andersons Charitable Fund
The Andersons Charitable Fund is established to support charitable activities in the greater Albion area. The fund is supported by The Andersons Albion Ethanol, a local corn refinery creating millions of gallons of ethanol a year. Ethanol is a low-cost, clean-burning renewable fuel.
MACI Youth Fund
MACI Youth Fund is intended to support youth educational and enrichment opportunities in Albion. The applied programs should be designed to challenge, build, grow, and continue to impact participants after the initial program is completed.
Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund
Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund supports public welfare through cultural, health, youth development, recreational, or environmental purposes.
Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund
The intentions of the Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund is to provide educational opportunites to benefit the citizens of the greater Albion area.
The Jack L. Hoaglin Family Fund
The Jack L. Hoaglin Family Fund is an established fund to support youth programs in Albion that have an emphasis on science and math education for girls, as well as support early childhood education programs. Hoaglin was a lifelong resident of Albion who established the Johnson Child Care and Development Center to serve Albion’s youth. He was devoted to the Albion community.
Awarded Grantees
INNOVATE Albion received funds for their “Greater Albion Area Youth Robotics Program” including $1,089.69 from The Andersons Charitable Fund, $340 from MACI Youth Fund, $2,500 from Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund, and $1,500 from Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund. The financial support from these funds for the “Greater Albion Area Youth Robotics Program” will help support additional robotics teams at INNOVATE Albion. Robotics programs assist students with critical skills such as problem-solving,collaboration, and creativity all in the realm of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Executive Director, Caroline Hurteau said that they hope that students who are a part of the robotics teams “feel a sense of accomplishment, knowing they work with their peers to solve problems and can tackle new challenges in a short time period.”
INNOVATE Albion also received $1,000 from The Jack L. Hoaglin Family Fund for “Girls Who Code Club”. This program works to address the gender disparities in the technology field by giving girls a safe and supportive space to explore coding and computer sciences. It is one of the longest standing programs at INNOVATE Albion. Hurteau commented that she has “seen girls grow their confidence and interest in computer coding, robotics and technology.”
CharitableUnion received $340 from MACI Youth Fund, $2,000 from Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund, and $1,500 from Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund in support of the “2023 Back to School” event. This is a clothing distribution event held in August of 2023 for children to receive proper clothing for the school year, allowing each student to start off the school year on the same footing with clothing that fits. The Chief Executive Officer, Teresa Allen emphasized that Charitable Union wants “to ensure kids are focused on school, not the way they are dressed. The first day of school provides for many first introductions, within a tenth of a second your first impression is made.”
Play Right Sports Academy received support for their overall program needs including $340 from MACI Youth Fund, $500 from Rotary Club ofAlbion Charitable Fund, and $1,500 from Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund. Play Right Sports Academy empowers the youth through after-school programming and team activities including basketball, tee-ball, flag football, golf, and tennis. Students learn everyday life skills such as communication and leadership. President and Founder of Play Right Sports Academy, Milton Barnes stated that “by playing teams sports like basketball, tee ball and flag football young people begin to learn they represent Albion especially when they travel to another community. We want our youth to have a sense of pride when they represent Albion. So many lessons are learned through sports rather it’s through the schools or Play Right. It’s vital to youth development here in Albion.”
Friends of the Bohm Theatre received $340 from MACI Youth Fund, $1,000 from Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund, and $1,500 from Team 1 Plastics Corporate Advised Fund for “Family Film Saturdays”. This is a weekly summer program offering free movies every Saturday until August 26th. The movies are family friendly and offer a learning opportunity for children to learn proper theatre etiquette. Shane Williamson, the Executive Director, explained that the free movies bring the opportunity for families to spend some quality time together, when they may not have the chance or the means to do otherwise. Showtimes are 11AM.
The Welcome Home Organization received $340 from MACI Youth Fund for “GIG (Get it Girl) Girls Mentoring Program”. GIG focuses on empowering young women from 4th to 12th grade with mentorship and activities to grow strong in the world. The funding will specifically assist with the Healthy Body Image Workshop and the Harmony Healing Center Workshop: Mindfulness Centered Activities and Mental Health. Executive Director, Vittoria Jimerson-Overmyer explained that the programming helps support young women seeking outlets for exercise, mental health support, mentorship, and leadership opportunities who may not get the support from other places.
The Welcome Home Organization also received $500 from Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fund for “Girls WHO Golf”. The “Girls WHO Golf” (GWG) Summer Program teaches young girls to collaborate with each other directly focused on leadership, friendship, community, and respect for each other. Jimerson-Overmyer explained that “our goal is to create a positive life learning space through golf and women mentorship.”
Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum received $1,000 from Rotary Club of Albion Charitable Fundfor “Storyland: A Trip Through Childhood Favorites”. This program is a traveling exhibit designed to provide imaginative and book-based experiences for children from birth to eight years old. The immersive exhibit will begin in early 2024 with a range of authors and illustrators. The Director of Kids ‘N’ Stuff, Katie Gigliotti provided that the last two venues saw about an 18% increase in overall attendance with the Storyland exhibit, impacting the young children as well enjoyment for the parents. Some stories to look forward to including “Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter, and “Where’s Spot” by Eric Hill.
