Johnston County Community Foundation Awards Nearly $52,000 In Grants

SMITHFIELD – The Johnston County Community Foundation, a North Carolina Community Foundation affiliate, has awarded $51,970 in grants to organizations supporting the local community.

The board of advisors granted:

• $750 to Activate Selma for Selma Pocket Park activation
• $2,500 to American Red Cross for disaster cycle services
• $2,000 to Autism Society of North Carolina for autism resource specialists in Johnston County
• $1,500 to Ava Gardner Museum, Inc. for Ava Gardner Festival
• $1,000 to Equity Before Birth for birth equity for Johnston County parents
• $2,000 to Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines for Girl Scout leadership experience in Johnston County
• $2,000 to Habitat for Humanity – Wake County for Stone Creek Habitat community in Johnston County
• $2,500 to Harbor, Inc. for Safe Space
• $1,000 to Hinnant Dreams & Promises Title 1 Community Development for Promised Reader K-8 literacy program
• $2,500 to Johnston County Animal Protection League, Inc. for JoCo Pets Spay/Neuter program
• $4,850 to Johnston County Arts Council for Artists-in-the-Schools
• $3,900 to Johnston County Youth Services for general operating support
• $1,500 to Made4Me, Inc. for Making Abilities Possible project
• $1,000 to Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina to improve health outcomes for children with critical illnesses in Johnston County
• $2,500 to Me Fine Foundation to support children in medical crisis and their families
• $5,000 to My Kid’s Club for Summer Surge: elevating minds at My Kid’s Club Camp
• $1,000 to North Carolina Reading Service for general operating support
• $500 to North Carolina Symphony for music discovery for Johnston County preschoolers
• $1,000 to Partnership for Children of Johnston County for diaper closet
• $2,500 to Prevent Blindness North Carolina for Star Pupils Johnston County
• $2,220 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle for Johnston County Cares Fund
• $2,500 to Special Olympics North Carolina for Special Olympics North Carolina – Johnston County
• $1,250 to Transitions LifeCare for Transitions Kids Bereavement Grief Education in Schools initiative
• $1,000 to TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.) for residential substance use disorder recovery services for people from Johnston County
• $3,500 to With Love From Jesus food pantry

“These organizations perform a wide variety of critical services in our county,” said Don Boyette, advisory board president of the Johnston County Community Foundation. “Supporting them is an investment in our collective future.”

Funds for 2024 grants came from JCCF’s community grantmaking fund, the Cara Lee Powell Priest Endowment Fund, the Lorraine Cooper Endowment Fund and the Carolina Youth Theatre Fund for Arts Education. Each year, JCCF’s local volunteer advisory board uses dollars from its endowment funds to make grants to eligible local organizations, including nonprofits, local governments, schools and churches.

Johnston County Community Foundation Advisory Board Members
Advisory board members live and work in Johnston County, positioning them to strategically leverage resources, meet local needs and access opportunities. In addition to Boyette, board members include LaShawndra White (vice president), Lorine Davis (secretary), Emery Ashley, Wanda Blow, Gwen Canady, Rick Childrey, Michelle Pace-Davis, Margaret W. DiNubila, Nancy Faber, Bill Galloway, Oliver Johnson, Suefan Johnson, Robin Little, Laurie Larson Partlo, and Betsy G. Whittington.