After members’ votes were tallied, the $10,000 Giving Circle grant was awarded to Interfaith Human Services’ Financial Care Program, which assists local families who are experiencing short and long-term financial instability. Many of these families suffer from mental or intellectual diagnoses, are susceptible to financial scams and abuse, or rely on a financial power of attorney to oversee their financial matters.

“This grant allows us to expand our financial care program, helping more low-income families budget their finances through one-on-one money management counseling,” explained Wendy Vinhage, Executive Director at IHS. “If we can help more people with money management, we can put them on their way to self-sufficiency.”

Over 70 people gathered at the Mountain View Country Club on August 25th for the annual reception of Centre Foundation’s Giving Circle. The giving circle was established in 2006 as part of Centre Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration. To date, it has distributed $109,000 in grants to fund important projects of local non-profit organizations. This year, the membership drive was again successful enough to ensure that the runner-up organizations to also received grants.

“I’m happy to announce that Centre County Women’s Resource Center (CCWRC) and Mount Nittany Health Foundation will each receive a $2,500 grant due to the expanded membership and generosity of our Giving Circle members,” announced Molly Kunkel, Executive Director of Centre Foundation.

This year, the membership nominated local organizations that work in the fields of Health & Social Services. Members then ranked the nominations and the top three were asked to attend the reception to present their unique grant ideas before the full membership.

Anne Ard, Executive Director, and Lindsey Faussette, Director of Outreach and Education, were on hand to represent CCWRC. Matt Hardy, Foundation Director, and Dr. Veeral Patel, Radiation Oncologist, presented on behalf of Mount Nittany Health Foundation.

There was also a brief presentation by last year’s recipient, Park Forest Preschool, about how their grant was used for facilities renovations such as replacing asbestos flooring tiles and painting to help the program secure state licensure to become a Universal Pre-K site. Barbara Geist, Director of the Park Forest Preschool, provide this progress report.

Previous recipients of Giving Circle grant include Centre Volunteers in Medicine, House of Care, Discovery Space, Housing Transitions, Strawberry Fields, and the Community Help Centre.

More information about the Giving Circle program is available at centre-foundation.org.