Clay Electric Foundation awards grants totaling $146,900

The Clay Electric Foundation said it awarded 12 grants during its October grant cycle, with five going to Clay County-based nonprofits. The October awards included:

Bright Minds Youth Development – $10,000 (Clay County)

Bright Minds Youth Development in Orange Park is a tutoring and mentoring program for youth and young adults. Grant funds will support programs like summer camp scholarships and tutoring sessions.

Knights of Columbus – $12,000(Clay County)

The Knights of Columbus Council of Keystone Heights provides support in the community by offering services or products to individuals, families or organizations in need. Grant funds will support the Holiday Helpers program, which will supply toys for children and meet the needs of families and seniors during the holidays.

Woman’s Club of Keystone Heights- $6,500(Clay County)

The Woman’s Club of Keystone Heights is a community service organization that supports the local area in various ways. Funding from the grant will be applied to revitalizing and restoring the club building.

Service Dogs for Patriots – $15,000(Alachua County)

Service Dogs for Patriots serves and supports veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder living in Central Florida by providing qualified dogs and service dog training. Funds from the grant will provide service dog training to five veteran-service dog teams.

Educational Foundation of Lake County – $10,000(Lake County)

The Educational Foundation of Lake County is a nonprofit organization that directly supports the Lake County Public School district. Grant funds will help purchase equipment for high school science labs.

Operation Barnabas Inc. – $15,000(Clay County)

Operation Barnabas, located in Keystone Heights, is a nonprofit that strives to provide hope, encouragement, and mentorship to at-risk Clay County veterans and first responders through outreach and resources quickly. Grant funds will support The Vet We Haven’t Met Yet program.

Regional Food Bank of Northeast Florida Inc. – $15,000(Putnam County)

Feeding Northeast Florida is the region’s largest food bank and hunger-relief network, working to establish food security across eight counties. Grant funds will go toward the Snack Pack Child Feeding Program, which provides food for children over the weekend.

Ferst Readers Inc. – $10,000(Bradford, Baker, Volusia counties)

Ferst Readers is a community-based organization founded to address the problem of children entering kindergarten without basic early literacy skills and school readiness. Grant funds will be used to support the early childhood literacy development program in Bradford, Baker and Volusia counties.

Friends of KHHS- $15,000(Clay County)

Friends of Keystone Heights High School was formed in 2020 to support and assist programs of KHHS. Grant funds will support band, business and JROTC programs, as well as the Clothes Closet community program.

CDS Family and Behavioral Services Inc. – $8,400(Putnam County)

CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services Inc. is a nonprofit social services agency that targets familial strength through prevention, counseling and youth shelters. Funds from the grant will be applied to improvements to the facility.

American Red Cross of Northeast Florida – $15,000(All counties)

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing volunteers’ power and donors’ generosity. Funds from the grant will be applied to the Home Fire Campaign to provide critical services to people impacted by home fires and tools and information to support home fire prevention efforts.

Florida Center for the Blind – $15,000(Marion County)

The Florida Center for the Blind Inc. is a nonprofit serving Marion and surrounding counties. The organization provides services to any individual who is blind or visually impaired. Funds will be used to support the intervention program to provide rehabilitative training and intervention services to individuals with severe visual impairment or progressive disease to give them the skills to maintain their confidence and independence as their vision deteriorates.