More than $81,000 in Witwer Trust Grants awarded

The Linn County Board of Supervisors has awarded $81,614 in grants from the Witwer Trust Fund to 39 nonprofit organizations whose work benefits Linn County residents. The recipients were selected through an annual competitive grant process that began in November. The Board of Supervisors received nearly $175,000 in grant requests.

The Witwer Trust was established by Weaver Witwer, a Cedar Rapids grocer and landowner who died in 1979. Witwer owned and operated a food processing plant, a number of local farms and what became known as the 'Me Too” grocery stores.

The Witwer Trust grant cycle begins Nov. 1 of each year. For more information, go to linncounty.org/witwer.

Here is a list of 2017 grant recipients and the amount of money they received:

l African American Museum of Iowa - video surveillance system upgrade, $1,824

l Alzheimer's Association - enhanced safety for people with alzheimer's or dementia, $1,382

l Best Buddies Iowa - Linn County High School Friendship Program, $2,876

l Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa - Male Mentoring Project: Phase II, $4,076

l Catherine McAuley Center - Offering Hope and Opportunity Through Adult English Education, $1,576

l Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation - Student Enrichment Program $1,226

l Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival - Special Needs Rock N Bowl, $676

l Cedar Valley Friends of the Family - victim services programming, $2,176

l Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity - 2017 Hope Builders Home, $4,976

l Coggon Area Betterment Association - window replacement in Coggon Center, $831

l Community Circle of Care Inc. - 2017 sleep-out, $2,476

l Community Health Free Clinic - CHFC Prescription Services Program, $2,176

l Cornell College - AED enhancement to Community CPR Training Initiative, $576

l Discovery Living Inc. - Home Accessibility and Independence Initiative, $2,176

l Eastern Iowa Health Center - Reach Out and Read, $1,156

l Families Helping Families of Iowa - Clothing Closet Car Seats, $3,423

l Foundation 2 Inc. - website mobile optimization, $776

l Gems of Hope - Join the Gems Circle, $1,576

l HACAP Food Reservoir - Eastern Iowa Freedom from Hunger, $1,776

l Hope Community Development Association - Construction Jobs Training Program, $3,976

l Iowa Dental Foundation - 10th annual Iowa Mission of Mercy, $2,376

l Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa - Cultivating a Skilled Future Workforce through Junior Achievement programs, $1,677

l Kids First Law Center - Help Us Help Kids, $2,076

l Marion Chamber of Commerce Foundation - Marion Arts Festival 2017, $1,176

l Marion East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club - Shoes for Kids, $1,776

l NTS, program of Horizons a Family Service Alliance - Horizons mental health rides, $1,376

l Orchestra Iowa - 2016-17 Music in the Schools, $1,676

l Peer Action Disability Support - 2017 ADA Celebration, $3,476

l Riverview Center - transportation assistance for crime victims to receive trauma-informed services, $776

l Tanager Place - Children of Promise, $4,376

l The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success - The Academy Expansion Program, $1,676

l The Arc of East Central Iowa - disability supports and programming enhancements, $1,601

l The Hook - The Living Room series, $3,754

l The Natural Conservancy in Iowa - wetland restorations upstream of Cedar Rapids for reduced flood risk and improved water quality, $1,836

l Theatre Cedar Rapids - Spotlight on Kids theater accessibility, $1,376

l Trees Forever - supplies for volunteers, $2,276

l VALOR, Inc. - Five Seasons Stand Down, $2,176

l YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area - providing access to quality child care for all income levels, $2,276

l Young Parents Network - organizational enhancement grant, $2,176.