Huntington student’s grant proposal accepted
FOR RELEASE: Monday, July 7, 2008
Huntington, Ind.-The Boys and Girls Club of Huntington County will gain a new program, thanks in part to the work of Ashley McCann, a senior at Huntington University. McCann authored a grant proposal that was accepted by the Huntington County Community Foundation. The $3,200 grant will supply the Boys and Girls Club with the funds needed to begin a new art program for the 2008-2009 academic year. McCann's involvement came about through taking a grant proposal and fundraising course at the university, requiring her to write a grant proposal. McCann chose the Boys and Girls Club because she wanted to work on a grant that would affect children and teenagers.
"For me, this was a whole new experience," said McCann, a recreation management major from Fort Wayne, Ind. "I have never written a grant before, and I was a little apprehensive about this project, but the more I met with Mandy (Reber), the easier this project was."
The program is geared toward children who may not excel at sports or education, but that still have a talent and need an outlet for that talent, said Mandy Reber, director for the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington County. Art majors from Huntington University will work with the children four to five hours a week.
The Boys and Girls Club of Huntington County is a non-profit organization geared toward assisting children in realizing their potential.
"Our whole purpose is to help children to strengthen skills that they might not have discovered otherwise," said Reber.
Another benefit to come from this project, according to Reber, is a mural painted by the children and Huntington University students on the wall of the Boys and Girls Club that will represent the new art program and what it will mean to those involved.
Regarding the acceptance of the grant proposal, Marcia McClelland, executive director of the Huntington County Community Foundation, said, "The Huntington County Community Foundation Board of Directors felt the Boys and Girls Club does an outstanding job of meeting the needs of and addressing problems with the children the organization serves."
