A total of $100,000 in grants and scholarships benefiting the people and communities of Adams County has been awarded through the Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO).
“The goal of this annual funding stream is to support the people, projects and programs committed to ensuring Adams County is a place where youth thrive, businesses flourish and visitors have memorable experiences,” said Martin McAllister, community engagement specialist for TNC. “Adams County is full of individuals dedicated to this special place, and we are honored to play a role in helping turn their dreams for our communities into reality.”
Grant Recipients
Public and nonprofit organizations located in or serving Adams County, as well as groups working in fiscal sponsorships with a nonprofit or public organization, were invited to apply for grants for projects that support people and nature and/or reduce disparities.
This year’s grant recipients, receiving a combined $90,000 in funding, are:
· Adams County Agricultural Society to create a natural resources trail – a concrete walkway enhanced with stamped animal and plant prints and educational displays highlighting animals and plants native to the area – in Shade Tree Park at the Adams County Fairgrounds, making the space more accessible for individuals with disabilities
· Adams County Commissioners to support the preservation and restoration of the historic Kirker Covered Bridge, which sustained major damage from an April 2024 tornado
· Adams County Public Library to add more Wi-Fi hotspots, which will be loaned to Adams County residents who lack adequate home internet access
· Adams County Travel & Visitors Bureau to improve a public canoe/kayak access site on Ohio Brush Creek near Serpent Mound, including constructing a driveway, parking area and steps to the waterway
· Adams County Shelter for the Homeless to support a renovation of its kitchen, which serves clients three meals a day year-round
· Buckeye Trail Association, Appalachia Foothills Chapter, to enhance the hiking experience in Adams County by upgrading trail structures to improve accessibility and ensure safety and installing informational signs and kiosks that highlight geological landmarks and elevations as well as historical and boundary markers
· Leadership Adams Inc. to support the enrollment of Adams County children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, which mails children one free book each month through their fifth birthday
· Manchester High School to support educational trips to the Edge of Appalachia Nature Preserve and the Cincinnati Museum Center, classroom workshops with educators from the Cincinnati Museum Center and other elements of the Adams County Rockstars program, providing students with an immersive, hands-on educational experience that spans local geology, biodiversity and conservation
· St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy to help expand access to free prescription medications, clinical pharmacy care and insurance navigation services to Adams County
· West Union Elementary School to implement a hydroponic gardening system through which students in the greenhouse and gardening elective classes will learn about innovative, space-efficient and sustainable gardening methods while cultivating vegetables and herbs to be used within the school
Scholarship Recipients
Three Adams County residents were awarded a combined $10,000 in scholarships from the Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund Scholarship. They are:
· Hunter Grooms of Seaman, a 2024 graduate of North Adams High School who is pursuing a degree in Exercise Science at Northern Kentucky University
· Kash Hayslip of Peebles, a senior at Peebles High School who plans to study Natural Resources Law Enforcement
· MaRhea Unger of Peebles, a senior at Peebles High School, who plans to study Agricultural Business
The Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund Scholarship assists graduating high school seniors and students already enrolled in undergraduate or accredited trade, vocational or technical training programs who are pursuing postsecondary education in one of the following:
· Ecology, forestry, wildlife ecology or related natural resource fields
· Trade, vocational or technical training fields that contribute to energy efficiency, agriculture or land stewardship
· Programs that foster diversity, equity, justice and inclusion, including, but not limited to, Appalachian studies or women’s studies
“We are grateful to The Nature Conservancy for their partnership and generosity through the Adams County fund,” said Cara Dingus Brook, FAO president and CEO. “These grants and scholarships will open doors to countless new opportunities and help ensure the people and communities of Adams County can flourish.”
TNC established the Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund at FAO in 2023 to advance its longtime commitment to Adams County, home of the Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System, which is owned and managed by TNC and the Cincinnati Museum Center. Over the past two years, the fund, which is advised by Adams Countians to address the issues that matter most to the community, has awarded a total of $192,865 in grants and scholarships.
For more information about the Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund and to stay up to date on 2025 grant and scholarship application dates, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/AdamsCountyFund.
To learn more about FAO and how you can support and create opportunities for the people and communities of Appalachian Ohio, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org, email info@ffao.org or call (740) 753-1111.
Subscribe to the People’s Defender
https://www.peoplesdefender.com/subscribe/
Location:
206 N. Pleasant Street
West Union, Ohio 45693
E-Mail:
info@peoplesdefender.com
Call:
937-544-2391
Fax:
937-544-2298
