Community Foundation for McHenry County awards ‘transformational’ grants to two charities, city of Woodstock

Transformational grant program is in its second year; this year’s grants total $222,000

The Community Foundation for McHenry County is located at 33 E. Woodstock St. in Crystal Lake.

The city of Woodstock, the Harvard Community Senior Center and Kids in Need of McHenry County received grants through the Community Foundation for McHenry County’s transformational grant program, which is in its second year.

The grants are designed to help the entities “launch groundbreaking programs, provide innovative services and be a source of positive change in McHenry County,” the Community Foundation for McHenry County said in a news release.

The city of Woodstock received an award of $75,000 for its Community Dot-Connecting with Age-Friendly Woodstock program, according to the release. This is the second year the city received a transformational grant.

A survey conducted using funding last year’s transformational grant program identified areas that would directly benefit the growing aging population around Woodstock, according to the release. This year’s priorities include partnering with Dorr Township to reinstate and expand its Senior Center, creating a centralized information hub designed for senior access and expanding housing options using senior and disabled universal design principles.

The Harvard Community Senior Center received $72,000 for its project: Reducing Health Disparities through Cultivating Health Ministries, according to the release.

This is also the center’s second year of receiving funding and this year’s grant will go toward expanding the number of new health ministries working to reduce health disparities for older adults and Latinx populations by providing access to screenings, education, support and community care through churches across the county, according to the release.

The final grant goes to Kids in Need of McHenry County, which received $75,000 for its Family Visitation and Resource Home, according to the release. This home is designed with family connections and reunification in mind for visitation between non-custodial parents and children.