The African American Community Fund Gives Grants to Local Organizations
ZANESVILLE, OH – Ernie Bynum, the founder of the African American Community Fund, brought joy and anticipation to several community organizations today.
The foundation, which is committed to strengthening community resources to meet the needs of African Americans, distributed generous grants to four deserving recipients in Muskingum County.
“It means the world to me to give. That’s what my father always taught me. The more that you can give and help, it uplifts the entire community. It means a lot to me,” Bynum said.
The Gant House, a historical landmark, was awarded $8,000 to repair its parking lot and to pave the way for more community gatherings to learn about Nelson T. Gants story.
“We promote Nelson T. Gants story. Nelson T. Gant was a former slave who came to Zanesville in the 1850’s and eventually became a prosperous businessman in this area after being a slave. We promote the Gant story, the Gant family and the foundation. We also do events in the community,” President of The Gant House, Todd Ware said.
Enterprise Muskingum received an equal grant for $8,000, which will go towards a program designed to engage students in conversations about potential careers.
“The program that we’re looking at, this Enterprise Muskingum program, as it gets rolling, this is really going to helps us build the capacity for it, be able to get into the schools, be able to talk to young people about potential careers and areas they need to explore,” MCCF Chief Executive Officer, Brian Wagner said.
The Muskingum County Social Justice Coalition, with a $7,000 grant, plans to continue their Career Connections Camp to provide young individuals with the opportunity to explore various career paths.
“This year will be our third year doing the Career Connections Camp. We’ll host 25 to 30 13-year-olds from around the county from all the different school systems from around Muskingum County. It’ll be used primarily for that,” Darryl Graves, MCSJC Chair said.
Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, the recipient of a $5,000 grant, intends to direct the funds towards purchasing computers and desks for future youth programs.
“I’m going to use it for the youth and we’re going to try to get computers. We already redid the third floor. It took us a long time to do that. Right now, we’re just trying to have a after school program and a summer program is what we want to have. There’s a lot of things that we still need to get ready for that,” Calvary Baptist Senior Pastor, Keith A. Wyatt said.
For more information, visit the African American Community Fund website or Facebook page.
African American Community Fund | Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
