Bath Community Fund celebrates $250,000 grant milestone

The Bath Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation awarded 17 grants totaling $50,000 to nonprofit organizations serving Bath Township. This round of grants, awarded Dec. 1, brings the fund’s cumulative grantmaking total to more than $250,000 since it was established in 2014.

BCF is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the Bath community for current and future generations. The organization is committed to responding to community needs, helping the less fortunate, supporting local nonprofits and reinforcing and preserving Bath’s historical and environmental legacy.

This is the third year in a row that the fund distributed $50,000 to nonprofits dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Bath community. This milestone was made possible in part by two anonymous donors who generously contributed to increase the fund’s grantmaking to the $50,000 level.

One of the notable grants is to the Summit County Astronomy Club so the observatory in the Bath Nature Preserve can complete all capital renovations ahead of the anticipated surge of visitors for the 2024 total eclipse.

“The Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau expects the population of Summit County to more than double for the April 8, 2024, total eclipse. The new astronomy camera will allow the observatory to livestream the event,” said Summit County Astronomy Club President John Shulan. “The new camera will also have the ability to broadcast a variety of daytime and nighttime astronomical events to schools.”

“We are a consistent source of support for many nonprofits, but we were also thrilled to read applications from many new applicants this year,” said Diana McCool, chair of Bath Community Fund’s grant committee. “We hope to continue growing our endowment in 2024 so we can support even more of the important nonprofits that serve our friends, family and neighbors in Bath and Revere.”

The following is a complete list of grants awarded by BCF in 2023:

Akron Symphonic Winds, to support a concert celebrating the role that bands have played throughout U.S. history at the 2024 Made in Ohio Festival at Hale Farm & Village, $3,300.

Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, to provide discounted concert tickets and an in-school workshop for students at Bath Elementary School, $2,000.

Bath Township Service Department, to purchase enhancements, including side panels, for the township’s large event tent, $2,000.

Crown Point Ecology Center, to support general operations and programming serving Bath residents, $2,500.

Embracing Futures, to support an oral health education program for third-graders at Bath Elementary School, $1,000.

Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio, to support a running-based enrichment program for girls in the Bath community that combines physical activity with lessons about social and emotional well being, $5,000.

The Heart of Revere, to provide monthly care packages with clothing and personal hygiene items for approximately 80 students and families in the Revere Local School District, $5,000.

Hope Meadows Foundation, to support equine therapy programs with a focus on emotional health for Revere Middle School students, $4,000.

Revere Baseball-Softball Association, for a sports mentorship program that pairs Revere High School softball players with girls in the Bath Youth Softball program, $2,500.

Singers Companye, to support a free choral concert series and music classes at The Bath Church, $1,000.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocese of Cleveland, to provide resources and financial assistance to Bath families without housing, $2,500.

Stewart’s Caring Place, to provide support services for Bath residents impacted by cancer, $4,000.

Summit County Astronomy Club, to enhance the solar scope mount, the astronomy camera, and the observatory’s live streaming capabilities in order to optimize the public viewing experience ahead of the 2024 eclipse, $3,500. 

The University of Akron Field Station, to support two nature-based art exhibitions that will inform Bath Nature Preserve visitors about the local ecosystems, $3,000.

Victim Assistance Program, to increase awareness of support services for Bath residents who have been impacted by crisis, violence or trauma, $1,000.

Victory Gallop, to support therapeutic horseback riding programs for children with special needs and life-threatening illnesses, $5,000.

Western Reserve Historical Society, to support both experiential and virtual educational programming at Hale Farm & Village, $2,700. ∞