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STEUBENVILLE -- Two area nonprofit organizations have been awarded grants through the Dale Hileman Legacy Fund and the Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio.
The Buckeye Ruritan Club received $500 from the Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to support the creation of the Free Little Lending Library that will serve the village of New Alexandria, which has no public library branch. The project was developed by Gretchen Yanssens, a club member and retired special education teacher, who hopes to spread her love for reading within her community.
Steubenville-based Urban Mission Ministries received grants from the Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund and the Dale Hileman Legacy Fund.
The $900 from the Myers grant will support the nonprofit's Next Steps for Homeless Shelter Residents program, which will enable shelter residents to acquire documents essential to gaining employment, housing and other life advancements, including copies of birth certificates and Social Security cards as well as state-issued photo IDs.
The $1,400 Hileman funding will assist the Urban Thrift and Opportunity Center in launching its Recycled Remnants program, a social enterprise that employs people to cut clothing that would have been recycled into remnants to be sold.
"This funding will not only support individuals and families but will provide for the betterment of Appalachian Ohio communities," said Eric Myers, a Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund committee member and Myers' son. "Behind each of these projects and programs are individuals who give to uplift lives and livelihoods of our communities, embodying the same passion and generous spirit as my father. We are proud to partner with each of them to make a difference while continuing his legacy."
The Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio was created in 2008 to honor Myers' service to the region and to continue his legacy as a champion of Appalachian Ohio. It provides a permanent source of funding to encourage and support nonprofit and public organizations across the 32-county region, with an emphasis on areas Myers worked passionately to address: Education, regional networking, support for community leaders and fulfillment of basic needs.
Myers served as executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Alliance and president of the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance. During his years of service, he advocated for Appalachian Ohio and generated financial investments to support the region's progress.
The Dale Hileman Legacy Fund was created in 2015 in partnership with FAO and with support from EODA. It supports causes that were close to Hileman's heart -- economic development and growth -- and organizations within EODA's service area of Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Tuscarawas and Washington counties.
A native of Columbiana County, Hileman's legacy includes a lifetime of service to Eastern Ohio. He worked for Columbia Gas of Ohio for 40 years, serving Carrollton, Jackson and Cambridge in Appalachian Ohio, and helped establish EODA to promote economic development and growth in Eastern Ohio.
In retirement, he remained committed to improving quality of life and to promoting his community of Cambridge in Guernsey County, where he lived with his wife, Evelyn.
"Dale's legacy of service to Eastern Ohio and dedication to the communities he called home lives on in the grants bearing his name that are supporting work he would have been proud to have been a part of," said Jim Schoch, EODA executive director. "It is an honor to provide this funding to projects that are improving quality of life and moving our communities forward."
For information about the Dale Hileman Legacy Fund, the Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to Support Partnership in Appalachian Ohio, and how to support opportunities throughout the region, visit AppalachianOhio.org, e-mail info@ffao.org or call (740) 753-1111.