Ross Environmental Services, Inc. 
Lake Erie Nature and Science Center received $5,000 for their Wildlife Rehabilitation and Animal Care Program. This is the third year in a row LENSC has been awarded the grant. (May, 2022). The Ross Foundation has provided several other grants to the LENSC for past events such as the Fall Family Night and Hayrides Family Program (2018). Serving children and families for 75 years, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is a treasured community asset that gives people a living, breathing connection to the natural world through informal science education. A unique combination of resources can be found only at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center: live animal exhibits, wildlife rehabilitation services, a public access planetarium, a nature-based preschool and a park setting along the shores of Lake Erie. The Center is one of the region’s most affordable and accessible destinations to learn about our environment, offering free admission and free wildlife rehabilitation services.
Good Knights, Inc. was awarded a grant in the amount of $5,000 for its “Every Child Deserves a Good Night” Program. With the help of local volunteers, donors, and foundations Good Knights help build and deliver over 1200 beds to Lorain and Cuyahoga County children in the next 12 months. (May, 2022)
Avon Lake Saddle Club was awarded a grant of $10,000 for the purchase of materials to build a new horse arena at Weiss Field in Avon Lake. (November, 2021). The Avon Lake Saddle Club (ALSC) was founded in the mid 1960’s by local horse enthusiasts. Since the beginning, ALSC’s primary mission has been to offer a safe and fun environment for riders to compete in the show ring as well as adding to the diversity of activities in the Avon Lake and surrounding communities. Through the years, ALSC has contributed to/sponsored numerous fund raisers. For example, the ALSC has made blankets for Police Departments to take to children in domestic abuse situations, raised funds for a child involved in a major accident, and held an Annual Hay Day Event, which provides an opportunity for people with disabilities, as well as their caregivers, to interact and ride horses.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Lorain County was issued a grant for its Midview Based Mentoring Program (Oct. 2021). The Ross Foundation approved a grant in the amount of $2,940 in support of the school based mentoring program for the Midview Local School District. In the BBBSLC school-based program proposed for Midview Schools, a high school student mentor is matched with an elementary student mentee, who meet on a weekly basis. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County (BBBSLC) is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. We accomplish this by providing local children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported one-on-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. BBBSLC seeks to establish matches between youth (Littles) and volunteer adults (Bigs) that result in consistent interaction and a high level of relationship quality, marked by friendship, bonding and trust. Risks are diminished through supportive adult involvement; the caring adult volunteer focuses on the youth’s interests, strengths, and resources, rather than the youth’s deficits or deficits in their environment. An emphasis is placed on introducing protective factors into the child’s life weekly, for at least one year.
Black River Audubon Society received a grant for $1,000 to help fund its Anti-Plastics Campaign including the purchase of 100 reusable canvas bags to be distributed at outreach events throughout the county. (October, 2021). Established in 1958, members of Black River Audubon Society (BRAS) are committed to protecting birds and other wildlife while preserving their ecosystems and natural environment in our community. We are a membership organization dedicated to protecting our environment through conservation, education and advocacy. We have monthly speakers from September to May, as well as monthly field trips to birding hotspots across the state. We engage in conservation through our bird programs, such as our bluebirds and kestrels, and through the preservation of local natural habitats. We advocate for laws and policies that are favorable to our mission. The mission of the Black River Audubon Society is to promote conservation and restoration of ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, through advocacy, education, stewardship, field trips and programs for the benefit of all people today and tomorrow.
Blessing House received a grant from the Ross Foundation in the amount of $90,000 to complete landscaping and a memorial garden in memory of Maureen Cromling at its new facility located in Elyria Township (2021). The new facility offers greater flexibility for families with multiple children, provide two child intake rooms, including space for parent meetings and visits, which are segregated from residential area. Blessing House is a children’s crisis care center, caring for children birth through 12, whose parents or caregivers are facing a crisis or emergency or who are experiencing a high level of stress that might put their children at risk of abuse or neglect.
Eaton Township Fire Department received a grant of $20,593 for the purchase of an air compressor/purifier to fill Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) cylinders. (Aug. 2021). The Eaton Township Fire and Rescue Department is the primary provider of fire and emergency medical services for Eaton Township. Eaton Township Fire Department was established in 1944 after the loss of a church to a significant fire. The community came together to create the Eaton Township Fire Department. According to records, in the 1970’s Eaton Township Fire Department, became known as the Eaton Township Fire and Rescue Department as ambulances were purchased, and the Township provided both fire protection and emergency medical services to its residents.
Save Our Children was awarded $23,700 for their Cultural Arts and Enrichment Program which provided funds for Weekly Elementary, Middle School and Teen Field Trips. (July 2021). Save our Children of Elyria (SOC) is a free after-school program designed to support socio-economically disadvantaged youth in our community. Their current program grew out of the youth ministries work started by Asbury Methodist Church more than 30 years ago. They are a literacy-first program working to improve the academic outcomes of students while strengthening their engagement in the learning process. Save Our Children provides targeted instruction, homework assistance, transportation, meals, mentoring relationships, and a safe space for Elyria’s most vulnerable youth. Their mission is to change lives by improving literacy, cultivating leadership skills, and promoting academic excellence among the at-risk youth in our community. The Ross Foundation has supported Save Our Children for many years.
The Lorain County Fair received $10,000 to purchase a new public address system installed on the Lorain County Fairgrounds property (May, 2021). Prior to the new sound system, the fairgrounds only had permanent systems in the Jr. Fair buildings. (May, 2021). Begun in 1846 and located in Wellington, Ohio, the Lorain County Fair is Ohio’s second largest county fair. The goal of the Fair has always been to educate people about animals and to hold a family-oriented event representing high standards set over many years. The fair is always held in August two weeks before Labor Day.
The Village of Grafton Fire Department was issued a grant in the amount of $7,318.93 for the purchase of a turnout gear washer (March 2021). With the grant, the fire department was able to purchase a Ready Rack Extractor washer unit which allowed them to wash four sets of turnout gear at one time, cutting the wash time in half. This allows the department to have staff available for another call faster. This washer also allows the department to do more at training sessions where products of combustion are present as they can wash the gear more quickly. With the combination of the more hands on realistic training & the ability to wash the gear faster, this has allowed them to train and be able to serve the community better, while keeping their members safer from the carcinogens that put them at risk for various types of cancer.
Carlisle Township Veterans Memorial received a grant from the Ross Foundation in the amount of $11,300 for the construction of a Veterans Memorial. The Carlisle Township Veterans Memorial Committee was formed in order to accomplish the building of a memorial to recognize and honor the commitment and sacrifices the citizens of Carlisle Township and Lorain County have made while serving in the Armed Forces. This memorial is dedicated to all the men and women from Carlisle Township and Lorain County who served in our country’s Armed Forces from the time of the Civil War, during World War I, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and all the way through modern wars. The memorial will pay tribute to the commitment and sacrifices men and women made to protect the freedoms we enjoy. The building site is located at 11969 State Route 301, LaGrange Rd., LaGrange, Ohio.
Western Reserve Land Conservancy was awarded a grant for $5,000 for the construction of a boardwalk at the Oberlin Prairie Reserve. (Feb 2021). The Oberlin Prairie Reserve is home to hundreds of native wildflower and trees species, wetlands and mature forests. The Prairie is now permanently conserved and open to the public for the first time ever. Funds were used to construct a boardwalk at the preserve and provide a bench in memory of Maureen Cromling. The mission of Western Reserve Land Conservancy is to provide the people of our region with essential natural assets through land conservation and restoration. Founded in 2006 and now the largest land trust in Ohio, the Land Conservancy works across a 21-county service area stretching from the Sandusky Bay to the Pennsylvania border, and from Lake Erie to Mansfield and Steubenville. Over our history, which includes numerous mergers with other organizations, they have permanently conserved over 68,000 acres across more than 800 unique properties, including more than 180 public parks and preserves.
Second Harvest Food Bank received $20,000 for the Midview/Clearview School Districts’ “School Markets” to provide food for those in need. (January 2021). The School Mobile Pantries is a program designed to alleviate child hunger through the provision of food to children, their families and the immediate school community. School-based markets are located at school properties and are intended to provide a more readily accessible source of food assistance to low-income students and their families. School-based markets serve entire families and increase the amount of fresh food entering homes. Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio (Second Harvest) strives to alleviate hunger and eliminate its root causes in a four county service area that includes the counties of Crawford, Erie, Lorain, and Huron. With the help of a dedicated staff and board, Second Harvest is committed to collecting and distributing resources through a strong network of hunger-relief member agencies. For 40 years, Second Harvest has served the community by distributing 119 Million Pounds of food and grocery products, equaling 78 Million meals for families that are struggling with hunger.
Angels Haven Horse Rescue received a grant for $5,000 to help fund educational activities, community group programs, and summer camp. (January 2021). Angels Haven Horse Rescue’s mission is to save as many unfortunate victims of the horse world as we humanly can. In some instances, AHHR has to purchase the horses to remove them from harm’s way. To that end, they provide care for abused, abandoned, neglected, aged and unwanted horses or those horses that can no longer be cared for by their owners for whatever reason. They accept them in any condition and provide needed care and veterinary services. They seek to be a hub of education in humane horse care and training methods, alternative therapies, horse rehabilitation and rescue. Every day young horses in their prime are starved to death, abused or sent to slaughter.