20/20 Circle Celebrates 5 Years of Grants

On Wednesday, October 9th, members of the 20/20 Circle of the Carbon County Community Foundation met to select area charities to receive grants from the 20/20 Fund. At a dinner event at Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton, an audience of 100+ made up of 20/20 Circle members and guests listened to presentations from four area nonprofit organizations and then voted to award grants of $4,350 each to Penn-Kidder Ministerium After School Program Kidz Zone in Jim Thorpe and Raising the House in Palmerton.

The 20/20 Circle brings individuals and businesses together to amplify their community impact by pooling their philanthropic funds and collectively deciding which local projects to support with grants from the 20/20 Fund.  Typically, each year one grant is awarded from the 20/20 Fund.

For the third year in a row, individual members of the 20/20 Circle donated additional funds so that all of the nonprofit finalists would receive a grant through the Carbon County Community Foundation.  St. Vincent dePaul Society of Lehighton will receive a grant of $4,350 through the Joseph & Debra Kay Bennett Charitable Fund; Manufacturers Resource Center of Allentown will receive a grant of $4,350 thanks to an anonymous donation.

The Carbon County Community Foundation received 20 grant applications from nonprofits wishing to share their projects with the 20/20 Circle.  A volunteer committee of 20/20 Circle members reviewed the applications and narrowed them down to the four who were invited to participate:

• Penn-Kidder Ministerium After-School Program Kidz Zone – Tuition Subsidy Program
  PKMASP has offered quality before and after-school care in the Jim Thorpe School District since 2010. The grant will provide scholarships for families in need of financial assistance.
• Raising the House – Family Assistance Program
  Raising the House provides Palmerton families with programs and assistance in memory of Blaine R. House.  The grant will assist families in financial crises due to emergencies or unexpected expenses.
• St. Vincent dePaul Society (Lehighton) – Shine the Light Program
  St. Vincent dePaul Society serves those in need in Lehighton.  The grant will support the Shine the Light program which provides financial assistance for electricity bills in Lehighton.
• Manufacturer’s Resource Center – ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing’ Tech Support for Carbon County Students
  ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’ is a career-awareness program that sparks middle school students’ interest in manufacturing careers and promotes the STEM education needed for these fields. The grant will provide video equipment and production consultation to give Carbon County students equal opportunities.

This year’s dinner marks the 5th year of grants awarded from the 20/20 Circle and its members.

 20/20 Circle Previous Grant Recipients:

*The 2023 grantee returned the funding because they could not complete the project.

“This is one of my favorite events of the year,” said Sharon Alexander, President of the Carbon County Community Foundation. “All of these philanthropically-minded people come together in one room to make a positive impact in the region.  As individuals, not all of our members can do this,” she said, pointing out that some members may be young professionals or people with young families and not at a point to donate larger amounts of money, “But together, we can make a significant difference for these organizations and the people they serve.”

Members are asked to pledge a contribution of $1,000 to the 20/20 Circle Fund, a permanent endowment at the Community Foundation.  Membership can be paid all at once, or paid over a period of up to four years, or just $21/month.  20/20 Circle members meet annually to hear presentations from area nonprofits and then vote to decide which project will receive the grant (one vote per membership).  Because the 20/20 Fund is an endowment, awards will be given out every year forever, with the grant amount increase as membership grows.

“We’re trying to get to 250 members of the 20/20 Circle, and we’re about halfway there,” said Sharon Alexander.  “When we reach that point, we will be able to award $10,000 every year, forever.”