$220K in grants issued to address loneliness, social isolation

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. announced $220,000 in grants awarded in partnership with the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation and Commerce Trust.

The Coover Regional Vibrant Communities Grants, made to 14 organizations, are intended to address loneliness and social isolation statewide, according to a news release.

“We're grateful to fund these grants that will bring residents of rural communities closer together,” said Jill Reynolds, senior vice president at Commerce Trust and chair of the Coover Foundation grant selection committee, in the release. “We congratulate these agencies for their innovative approaches to building community.”

The grant recipients, in alphabetical order, are:
• Aurora Youth Empowerment Project, $14,000 to host literacy workshops and buy outdoor recreational equipment.
• Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, $13,017 to provide wellness events for breast cancer survivors and their caregivers in the Branson and Joplin areas in partnership with Burrell Behavioral Health’s Be Well Initiatives.
• City of Cassville, $20,000 for four pickleball courts.
• Code 1 Wellness, $20,000 to form the Rural Unity Initiative in collaboration with Bates County Memorial Hospital to provide more mental health services.
• Community Betterment Foundation Inc., $20,000 to expand a classroom for students completing the High School Equivalency Test and access after-school mentoring, as well as create a community meeting space in Hartville.
• Community Senior Citizens Inc., $17,236 to buy a dishwasher and ice machine for the Qulin Nutrition Center in Butler County.
• Elkland Lions Club, $15,000 to buy new bleachers and lights for its arena.
• Glenwood Elementary, $20,000 for an early childhood preschool playground.
• Heart of the Ozarks United Way, $14,107 to support a collaboration of West Plains’ art and therapy communities for mental health and public art events.
• Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau, $10,000 to support community engagement through live music performances.
• It Takes a Village – SEMO, $15,000 to provide mothers in southeast Missouri with access to classes and other resources.
• Ozarks Regional YMCA, $10,000 for a senior connection program in Dallas County.
• Sarcoxie R-II School District, $20,000 to buy a sound system for a multipurpose building.
• SingerHill Music & Arts Inc., $11,640 to expand a concert series for nursing homes and public schools in Dade and Barton counties.

The late Julia Dorothy Coover, who worked for Commerce Bank for 30 years, established the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation in 1992 to honor her husband’s memory, according to the release. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded around $8 million in grants.