Berrien Community Foundation (BCF), the area’s premier philanthropic organization, held their 72nd annual meeting and celebration last night and awarded $269,000 in grants to nonprofit groups and community members for their work in Southwest Michigan.

At the event held Wednesday at the Mendel Center’s Grand Upton Hall at Lake Michigan College, the BCF gave five major awards: Alamar Nonprofit Sustainability Grant, Carolyn’s Kids, The Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant, Golden Acorn Volunteer Award and Golden Acorn Excellence Award.

“We are celebrating a year of exploring innovative solutions to challenges we’ve experienced and seen right here in Berrien County,” said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey. “If we couldn’t go over an obstacle, we figured out how to go under, around or through it. Our successes and the successes of our nonprofit friends are what we celebrate at our Annual Meeting & Celebration.”

BCF leaders announced new programs including micro-loans and an urgent needs scholarship fund. The BCF/Emerge Micro-Loan Program is a new micro-loan program partnership available to entrepreneurial businesses working with Emerge Innovation Hub. The program is the first initiative in Berrien Community Foundation’s Local Impact Investing efforts.

The Berrien Community Foundation also announced the launch of the Urgent Needs Scholarship Fund. Through a partnership with local donors, and a donation from the Baird Wealth Management Charity Golf Outing, the fund will help students “when life happens.”

The following are a summary of last night’s awards with descriptions provided by BCF.

Alamar Nonprofit Sustainability Grant

The $75,000 Alamar Nonprofit Sustainability Grant supports nonprofits as they seek creative ways to take care of their employees and find organizational sustainability. The grant is paid out over three years.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Michigan, Inc. (CASA) received the 2024 Alamar Nonprofit Sustainability Grant.

CASA will invest in its staff and volunteers’ mental health through regularly provided training, consulting, and coaching on secondary traumatic stress and burnout prevention. CASA serves some of the region’s most vulnerable children — those who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or other adversity and placed in the foster care system.

“CASA of SWMI recognizes that our volunteers go above and beyond a traditional volunteer role,” said Kate Rendell, CASA executive director. “We feel it is our responsibility to them to provide them and our staff with the best training, tools and skills to navigate the tough situations and subject matter they are exposed to.”

This means reduction in work-related stress and anxiety, which often relates to improved physical health, sleep quality and work-life balance, as well as boosting confidence, job performance and retention.

Last year, 50 trained volunteers served 158 abused and neglected children in the foster care system by learning their stories and advocating for their best interest in the courtroom and meetings.

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Carolyn’s Kids

The Carolyn’s Kids grant program awarded a total of $140,000 in grants to support the needs of children.

With their $50,000 Carolyn’s Kids grant, Tri County Head Start (now Flowers Early Learning) will transform their current play area into a nature-inspired playground that includes water features, garden, slide, drums, tree house, trike track and much more. Tri County Head Start said science suggests children learn best when all their senses are engaged, and natural playgrounds are innovative, exciting, educational and provide a multi-sensory experience.

Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Michigan received a $50,000 Carolyn’s Kids grant to support the career training and exploration program — Workforce Development Framework — for K-12 students.

This program ensures that all club members have the skills, knowledge and self-awareness they need to plan and build a viable career. Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Michigan club members explore and match possible careers with their strengths; they develop social and emotional skills and, for the older children, provide work-based learning experiences.

First Congregational Church UCC Saint Joseph’s Bear Packs weekend meals program received a $40,000 Carolyn’s Kids grant to address food insecurity and childhood literacy in Saint Joseph Public School students. Funds will help over two years to purchase food, books and supplies to continue to provide supplemental weekend nourishment to Saint Joseph Public School elementary students and Logan Autism Learning Center families in need. With this grant funding, they will also expand to serve Upton Middle School and Saint Joseph High School students.

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The Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant

Emerge Innovation Hub received the $50,000 Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant to support their Catalyst Project; to empower minority business owners to scale their companies. This project focuses on business owners who create items that are consumed in everyday life.

The Love Your Community Grant is presented each year to a Berrien County nonprofit organization that addresses a crucial community need and makes a positive impact in the lives of Berrien County residents.

According to Emerge Innovation Hub, the consumer-packaged goods industry in Berrien County is highly competitive. Faced with a competitive market, minority business owners and entrepreneurs often have few resources and economic limits. These problems make it harder for entrepreneurs and business owners to launch and run companies that will generate revenues. The Catalyst Project was created to provide tools and resources they need to start companies.

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Golden Acorn Volunteer Awards

Berrien Community Foundation honored two community members with the Golden Acorn Volunteer Award. Each recipient receives $1,000 to direct to the nonprofit organization of their choice.

Berrien Springs High School student Steven Thames received the BCF Golden Acorn Volunteer Award after spending countless hours helping with the BCF Backpacks for Good program this summer. He moved backpacks and school supplies from location to location; and frequently hauled, counted, loaded and unloaded backpacks and other school supplies.

Nancy Teutsch was also awarded a Golden Acorn Volunteer Award as the leader of the Pink Hat Ladies who work constantly to improve the lives of those in Coloma. The Pink Hat Ladies — who wear pink and are 30+ women strong — fundraise for local causes such as: splash pad, Hope Resources, Readiness Center and Coloma Trunk or Treat. Teutsch is known to be a “communicator extraordinaire” who sends out daily emails that include group information and a thought for the day or a fun quote.

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Golden Acorn Excellence Award

Berrien Community Foundation awarded the 2024 Golden Acorn Award for Excellence along with a check for $13,000 to Neighbor By Neighbor for their compassion and care for senior citizens living in Harbor Country. Neighbor By Neighbor got creative in helping low-income senior citizens stay safely in their homes through the “Help to Home” program. “Help to Home” does small home repairs for low-income seniors who are struggling to stay in and maintain their homes. Neighbor By Neighbor purchases the necessary supplies while partnering with community volunteers or local professionals to do small repairs and keep seniors safe and able to live at home. The grant funds will allow them to do additional home repairs.

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The Berrien Community Foundation provides grants and scholarships, and helps individuals develop funds and endowments focused on specific interests or agencies they feel are worthwhile to create their individual charitable legacy through life-end giving and estate planning. For information about BCF call (269) 983-3304 or visit www.berriencommunity.org.