Straker Foundation Empowers Local Projects with “Start to Finish” Grant Cycle
ZANESVILLE, OH – The J.W. & M.H Straker Charitable Foundation is continuing to make a big impact in Muskingum County.
The Straker Foundation awarded $320,000 to 21 organizations this fall as part of the 2024 “Start to Finish” grant cycle. One recipient was the Avondale Youth Center. They were awarded approximately $20,000 to repair their camera system, which was destroyed in a severe storm over the summer.
“We have a camera system at Avondale that’s really important to monitoring our grounds and our facility. This summer, many may recall that there was a weather event that was much like a tornado, and it hit our building pretty directly causing some expensive damage. A power surge caused our camera system to go out completely. The Straker grant, which was very generous, allowed us to upgrade our system to a system that would work much better for continuing to ensure safety and security at our facility, upgraded it to a better preforming system, and replaced that damaged system that was caused by the storm,” Avondale Youth Center Director Gary King said.
The Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District also received funding for just under $9,000. They’ll be using the grant to build an outdoor education space at the Marshall Greens Garden. This will provide the community a space to learn about cultivating food and fostering conservation practices.
“It will allow us to develop a beginner gardener series that we’ll be offering throughout the season. That will include education around prepping your space, growing our food, and harvesting. Also, the kitchen aspect of the project is to take that a step further and be able to offer education to our community around what to do with this food, how you prepare it, and how you preserve it,” Urban Agriculture & Education Specialist Betsy Rosser said.
Any 501 C 3 non-profit organizations, governmental entities, or accredited educational institutions interested in the Straker Foundations 2025 “Start to Finish” grant cycle can apply between January 6th and January 30th.
