The Mary Rutan Foundation Board of Directors allocates funds annually to award community grants for an established focus area. Identified as the highest priority of need for Logan County, through the 2018 Needs Assessment, mental health was the focus of this year’s grants.
Over the past five years, the number of adults attempting suicide has nearly doubled from 129 to 243. Signs of Suicide screenings of local 8th, 10th, and 12th graders show 21% of these combined students having attempted suicide one or more times.
A total of $50,859.01 was given to 12 local organizations, schools, and churches to address this alarming need in our community. This amount brings the total awards to $380,100.00 since the inception of the Mary Rutan Foundation Community Grant Program, in 2013.
The following awards were given for the 2022 cycle.
- Bellefontaine Elementary School, Nurture By Nature, $ 3,024.00
- Bellefontaine High School, Chieftain Pride Lab, $ 5,000.00
- Bellefontaine Intermediate School, Take a Break, $ 1,024.52
- Benjamin Logan Schools, Growing Gardens, Growing Minds, $ 3,000.00
- CASA of Logan County, CASA Volunteer Program, $ 5,000.00
- GRACE Riverside Pirate Power Pack, $ 3,000.00
- Indian Lake Schools, Driving Your Ship, $ 5,000.00
- Indian Lake Schools, Therapy/Facility Dog Program, $ 2,500.00
- Logan County Homeless Board, Homeless Shelter Liaison / Case Mgr., $10,000.00
- Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Inmate GED Program, $ 1,310.49
- Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, Hope Squad – Peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, $ 7,000.00
- Riverside Local Schools - GOAT Program, $5,000
In all, $156,225.00 from 19 grant applications was requested in 2022.