–by Erika Buri
PUBLICATION DATE: Mar 03, 2020

The Sylvania Area Community Improvement Corporation (SACIC) executive committee recommended grant awards to eight area organizations, totaling $5,000, as part of its annual Community Organization Grant program. Interested organizations completed an application process detailing their need request.
“SACIC hopes that these modest grants will help the award winners continue the great work they do improving lives throughout the Sylvania area,” said SACIC President Jerry Arkebauer.

This year’s Community Organization Grant recipients include:

• • Sylvania Area Family Services: $1,000 to turn its existing garden into a raised bed community garden to allow senior citizen clients and neighbors more accessibility to the garden.
• • The Ability Center: $750, to aid with the training and placement of a school therapy dog for Stranahan Elementary.
• • Sylvania STEM Center: $750 to conduct a study in how to expand the organization’s programs and structure.
• • Lourdes University: $500 to conduct an Economic Impact Analysis to measure the true impact of the institution on the Sylvania and northwest Ohio economy.
• • Heritage Sylvania: $500 to purchase hardware and software to digitize its archives and to move the current paper-based donor records to a computer-based system.
• • Sylvania Community Action Team: $500 to expand its Core Committed program into all three Sylvania Junior High Schools, Arbor Hills, McCord and Timberstone.
• • Downtown Sylvania Association: $500 to support the maintenance plan of the DORA Composting Program to ensure cups are being composted properly by purchasing additional DORA Compost Bins.
• • Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce: $500 to assist with the purchase of 21 trees to be planted at Olander Park in recognition of the 21 new businesses that “planted roots” in the Sylvania Community in 2019.

The Community Organization Grant program was set up by SACIC to support local nonprofits in promoting their mission with an emphasis on benefiting the citizens of Sylvania. The grant program committee specifically looked for proposals that might help create jobs, contribute to community wellbeing, generate tourism, or in some way help to drive the economy forward.
SACIC is a non-for-profit organization representing a collaboration of business and government working to enhance balanced economic growth and the quality of life in the greater Sylvania area. SACIC board meetings are open to SACIC members and lunch is provided. For those interested in becoming a member of the Sylvania Area CIC and joining SACIC during its quarterly meetings, membership information is available at sylvaniaareacic.org or by contacting John Healey, SACIC Membership Committee Chair, at jhealey@millerdanbery.com.