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Impact 100 announces winners of $226K in grants

Messenger-Inquirer - 10/23/2020

Oct. 23--Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center and the H.L. Neblett Community Center each earned $100,000 grants from Impact 100 Owensboro Thursday.

Dream Riders of Kentucky walked away with a $26,000 residual grant.

And the Owen Autism Center will receive $10,800 from Impact 100's Next Generation, a teen spinoff group.

With those grants, Impact 100 has donated a total of more than $3.3 million to community nonprofits during the past 15 years.

"The investment that the women of Impact 100 have poured into our community is demonstrated every day," said Vicki Ellis, WKRBC's director of donor resources. "When you see the red Girls Inc. buses out in the community or when a person receives resources from one of our shelters or when a child plays on an all-inclusive playground, that's Impact 100. And when you see our new bloodmobile out in the community, we want you to think Impact 100."

Impact 100 is a women-only giving circle. Members pool resources, donating $1,000 annually for full voting rights.

They host an annual meeting every October and vote on which nonprofits will receive grants.

The blood center applied for an Impact 100 grant to buy another bloodmobile, which is estimated to cost $368,000.

When WKRBC has 50% of the funding in place, the center can place the order. Beyond that, Ellis estimated it will take about six months to complete the custom-built unit.

Thanks to the Impact 100 grant, the center is close to that 50% threshold, Ellis said. She expects the new bloodmobile to be serving the community by the end of 2021.

The Neblett Community Center will use its $100,000 gift to purchase a two-classroom mobile unit for the Western Academy at the Neblett, a weekend learning lab that seeks to close the academic gap for Black boys in third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades.

Western Academy recently started its second academic year with 30 students.

"I can't tell you how much Impact 100 means to this community, where we can go to local residents with our plans and dreams, and they can make these things happen for us," said Olga McKissic, executive director of the Neblett Community Center.

" ... I appreciate (members of Impact 100) believing enough in this plan for our community to move forward and help young Black boys," McKissic said.

Dream Riders plans to use its $26,000 residual grant to insulate the roof of its arena and construct a mental health therapeutic area. Dream Riders provides equine therapy to people with disabilities.

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The roof insulation will make the arena a year-round facility, said Sandy Webster, program director.

Currently, clients don't ride during the coldest months of the year. That hiatus can delay client progress, Webster said.

Also, insulating the roof will have a noise-canceling effect. Currently, when it rains, students with hearing impairments, autism or attention deficit disorder struggle with distraction and can't hear the instructor.

For some kids, the sound is so loud it is physically painful, Webster said.

Dream Riders officials have met with RiverValley Behavioral Health leaders about a mental health therapeutic area, and both groups are excited about the opportunities, she said.

"We thank Impact 100 and the women involved," she said. "Their kindness and generosity and collaboration to help the community is outstanding."

NextGen's grant to the Owen Autism Center will enhance programming and provide sensory-related items and early intervention curriculum.

Amanda Owen, founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces and the Owen Autism Center, said she was honored to be a finalist and grant recipient.

"The timing of this grant is one that is almost timeless for me," Owen said. "It comes at a time where, hopefully, this will create the momentum that Puzzle Pieces is desperately needing as we come out of COVID ... ."

Puzzle Pieces closed about four months this year due to the coronavirus. Winning the NextGen grant creates positive vibes for the new autism center and its families' needs, Owen said.

This year, Impact 100's annual meeting was a week-long virtual affair because of COVID-19. Members had four days to vote.

The winners were announced publicly at 6 p.m. Thursday in an online presentation.

"It was very, very exciting -- even in this new format," said Linda Wahl, Impact 100 president.

Renee Beasley Jones, 270-228-2835, rbeasleyjones@messenger-inquirer.com

Renee Beasley Jones, 270-228-2835, rbeasleyjones@messenger-inquirer.com

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