Grants awarded to local organizations

While some will use next Monday's day off for leisure, local volunteers in the Bloomington community will be donating their time for a good cause.\nThe city of Bloomington has been awarded a $7,500 grant distributed among 35 local organizations for the "A Day On! Not a Day Off!" volunteer services for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday Monday. \nThe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission received the grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and dispersed the funds to groups in need of supplies and materials used by volunteers.\nCraig Brenner, special projects coordinator for the community and family resources department, said he is very pleased with the grant.\n"We're really grateful to receive these funds," Brenner said. "It's an important day to honor Dr. King and celebrate his life."\nAfter the commission awarded the grant, Brenner said the King Commission subcommittee was formed to review proposals and decide which local organizations would receive funds.\nDetermining the amount of funds awarded to each group proved to be a challenge.\nBeverly Calendar-Anderson, chairperson for the 2004 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission for the City of Bloomington, also served on the subcommittee that chose which groups in the community received parts of the $7,500 for the project.\n"It was very hard to decide," Calender-Anderson said. "The subcommittee looked at every proposal and we just could not award the full amount requested by any group."\nThe amount of funds given was determined by what the groups would use the funds for and if local groups were planning to use the money just on MLK Day or over a period of time, said Brenner.\nCalendar-Anderson said she is happy with the amount of money given to the city.\n"I'm totally excited; we are the only community that applied for the Commission National Service that was funded for the full amount," she said. "I am very proud of what we do, this community is better and bigger when it comes to volunteering activities, and everyone really helps out. We're really keeping the spirit of the day to get out and about and volunteer."\nAnother local group that received funds was the IU Asian Culture Center, which received $50 and plans on holding a panel-led discussion Monday evening at the Union led by former IU students who were active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's.\nTheresa Chen, graduate assistant for the Asian Culture Center, said she hopes the panel discussion will be beneficial to those who attend.\n"I think it will be a very strong program," Chen said. "We wanted to celebrate MLK Day and bring a part of history back to life."\nThe Bloomington Opportunity House, in its sixth year of participating in the project, located at 907 W. 11th St., will have volunteers from the Circle K Club paint and refurbish two dressing rooms, two bathrooms and a cabinet.\nWilma Crewell, chairperson of the Board of the Directors for the Opportunity House, said she is happy to participate in the project.\n"I found out yesterday we received $90, and I am very pleased with that," Crewell said.\nThe Area 10 Nutrition Project received $400 that will help cover the delivery of shelf-stable meals for homebound seniors to parts of Bloomington and Monroe County. \nThe shelf-stable meals will be used during periods of inclement weather when meal delivery must be suspended.\nJewel Echelbarger, Executive Director of Area 10 Agency on Aging, said the money received by the Commission will be used to cover as many meals as possible.\n"I think that we welcome the cash and volunteers to help deliver meals," Echelbarger said. "We ask everyone to celebrate the spirit of MLK."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Jancek at lmjancek@indiana.edu.