FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 22, 2009

GOLDEN BELT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCES FALL 2009 GRANT AWARDS

The Golden Belt Community Foundation recently completed its fall 2009 competitive grant cycle and awarded $8,468.20 to charitable agencies and projects in Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties.

The GBCF accepts applications for grants several times each year for its competitive grants process. Programs or projects must demonstrate need and show how the program will benefit the communities of the Golden Belt. Additionally, programs that established new or fostered existing collaborations among various groups or organizations also were considered favorably.

Since 2002, when the GBCF began awarding grants, over $900,000 has been reinvested into charitable projects and organizations in the Golden Belt. The following grants are made possible by the Kansas Health Foundation Youth Endowment Fund, Arts and Culture Endowment Fund, Amos E. Bayer Memorial Fund, John A. and Doris F. Graham Memorial Fund, Pawnee County Endowment Fund, and the Golden Belt Community Improvement Fund. The recipients are:

$866.00 Sunflower Diversified Services - Early Education Center for the purchase early invention curriculum and materials for Responsive Teaching.

$500.00 U.S.D. #354 Claflin for the purchase of books, CDs, and Accelerated Reading Comprehension tests.

$240.00 Great Bend Children’s Learning Center for the purchase of child size furniture.

$804.90 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Barton and Pawnee Counties for the purchase of a laptop computer and supplies for their new recruiter.

$1,000.00 St. John Development Center for the purchase of playground equipment.

$900.00 D.A.R.E. Great Bend Police Department for the purchase of a video projector.

$398.00 Central Kansas CASA to purchase care bags of toiletries and a comfort item to give to foster children.

$724.20 Barnard Library for the purchase of a child size table and chairs for their children's area.

$422.60 Stafford County Historical and Genealogical Society for the replacement of one window in the Museum Library.

$600.00 City of Great Bend/Municipal Band to use the Crest Theater for the Great Bend Municipal Band summer performances.

$330.00 Fort Larned Historical Society/ Santa Fe Trail Center to create a website that is current and appealing.

$682.50 City of Larned EMS for the purchase of three IV fluid warmers for the ambulances.

$1,000.00 Great Bend Public Library for the purchase of an automatic external defibrillator.

At nearly $6 million in total assets and over 90 endowment funds under management, the Golden Belt Community Foundation has been helping donors fulfill their charitable wishes since 1996.  For more information about the Golden Belt Community Foundation, call (620) 792-3000 or see their website at www.goldenbeltcf.org.