CUNA Mutual awards grants to local organizations

GPS Kids Club children sitting left to right: Taylor Smith; Dusty Rose Owen; and Harrison Henning. GPS Kids Club children standing left to right: Jillian Axman; Connor Boor; and Kayden Froelich. Back row standing left to right: Lisa Parr with Central Kansas Dream Center; Debbie Stephens with GPS Kids Club; Marge McGee with CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions; Chris Krueger with CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions; Robby Hernandez with Central Kansas Dream Center.

BUSINESS NEWS

GREAT BEND, Kan. – CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions awarded two local organizations with a grant from their endowment fund, the Barton County Quality of Life Fund, held at Golden Belt Community Foundation. Both organizations were presented with a check and thanked for their contributions to our communities.

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions requested online grant proposals for funding earlier this year. Since the fund was established in 2011, it has paid out more than $120,000 to Barton County organizations. The grants seek to improve the quality of life in Barton County. They received several applications from area organizations but only two nonprofits were selected for funding.

GPS Kids Club was awarded $4,000.00 to assist with a heating system being installed at their facility before the cold sets in this winter. GPS is a nonprofit child care organization, located in Hoisington, that provides services during non-school hours to approximately 40 children during the school year and 60 kids during the summer months. They work to provide care in a safe environment and are licensed for 120 children. The new heating system will replace their 1950’s boiler and be more efficient, which will in turn reduce their energy costs.

Central Kansas Dream Center was awarded $2,507.00 to assist with the remodeling the bathrooms in the Soup Kitchen area. The renovation includes the addition of a shower, available for people without running water, in a state of homelessness, or transients. Central Kansas Dream Center is a residential and outreach ministry-based organization that reaches hurting people, helping to restore their lives and realize their dreams.

At over $22 million in total assets and more than 180 funds under management, the Golden Belt Community Foundation has been connecting people who care to causes that matter since 1996. Golden Belt Community Foundation exists to provide non-profit organizations in central Kansas with a permanent source of support and to serve as a vehicle for charitable giving for donors. GBCF serves the counties of Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford. For more information about Golden Belt Community Foundation, call (620) 792-3000 or visit their website at www.goldenbeltcf.org.