The Piqua Community Foundation grant award is delivered to the Piqua-Caldwell Historic District Association (PCDH) with the following representatives, from left, Don Smith, Sue Smith, Chuck Black, Shelley Black, Susan Haas, Mary Frances Rodriguez, Melanie Walker, Beth Kazer and Randi Pearson.
Submitted photo
PIQUA — The Piqua Community Foundation awarded $67,684 to organizations that serve Piqua residents this month.
The distribution is part of The Foundation’s twice-annual standard grant cycles from unrestricted funds. The Foundation’s Distribution Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors for approval based on a grant application and review process.
The organizations awarded 2023 spring grants are:
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami Valley — MENTOR Piqua
• Elizabeth’s New Life Center — Earn While You Learn program
• Friends of Piqua Public Library — 10th annual Holiday Cabaret
• Health Partners Free Clinic — women’s health clinic
• Isaiah’s Place Inc. — foster care recruitment
• Miami County Public Health — The Diaper Bank of Miami County
• Miami County YMCA — new facility campaign
• Miami Valley Veterans Museum — educational equipment improvement
• Piqua-Caldwell Historic District Association — self-guided walking tour signs
• Piqua Catholic School — new restroom stalls
• Piqua City Schools — kindergarten — All Kids Bike Piqua
• Piqua City Schools — Piqua Central Intermediate School — Community Days: Create-A-Book
• Piqua Compassion Network — signage for new offices
• Upper Miami Valley Young Life — summer camp
• Wayne’s Legion of Fort Piqua — History Alive at Fort Piqua
• Wilma’s Place — mattresses and bedding for cold shelter
The grant awards were made in a variety of project sectors — from education to human service and from basic needs to access to medical care — all with a demonstrated impact on Piqua residents. Members of the Distribution Committee of The Foundation visited three recipients earlier this month to present the grant awards and learn more about their programs and needs.
Members of the Piqua-Caldwell Historic District Association board accepted the organization’s first-ever grant award on May 10. Mary Frances Rodriguez, president of the board, said the district was registered with the National Trust of Historic Places in 1985 and it wasn’t until 2017 that the association was organized, later earning its 501(c)(3) designation. Until now, the association has funded projects through private donations and fundraising events.
The grant award from The Piqua Community Foundation will allow the organization to create a self-guided walking tour via signs with QR codes in the yards of featured properties to complement existing programs such as the Historic Holiday Tour hosted each December.
“The Piqua-Caldwell Historic District Association is grateful to be the recipient of our very first grant funded by The Piqua Community Foundation. Until now, our organization has been self-funded with voluntary support,” Rodriguez said. “With the self-guided walking tour in place, visitors can enjoy strolling the area at their leisure to enjoy learning about the rich history of Piqua and an unprecedented variety of architectural styles. To start, our self-guided walking tour will include 36 properties showcased in previous holiday tours with more to come in the future.”
The Piqua Community Foundation’s next grant cycle has a Sept. 30 deadline. To learn more about the grant and scholarship programs of The Piqua Community Foundation, visit piquacommunityfoundation.org/grants.
