Zosia Eppensteiner, Author at Community Foundation of Marquette County

Kids get new backpacks in K.I. Sawyer

About 50 kids got free new backpacks Wednesday evening at the St. Francis Connection Center in K.I. Sawyer. The kids, who were all grade schoolers and middle schoolers, were able to select the backpack of their choice once their number was drawn by one of the center’s leaders, Father Al Mott.

“Today was about getting kids excited about going back to school and helping parents to do that,” Father Mott said.

It certainly worked on Scott McConnell. The Gwinn Middle School 7th grader was proudly showing off his backpack, which was camouflage.

“It does actually bring out the school spirit in me,” he said. “Go Gwinn!”

McConnell says getting enthused about returning to school can be a challenge for both students and teachers.

“Sometimes school can actually be hard on the student and the teacher,” he said. “Therefore, it makes it harder for both to actually get happy to go back to school.”

The backpacks were made possible by donations from parishioners and the American Legion, as well as a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Marquette County. All in all, Father Mott feels the mission of the event was accomplished.

“Well, it was great, we had lots of volunteers, and we had good food, and root beer floats, which everybody seemed to love,” Mott said, laughing. “So it was a great success.”

Let’s Build Together this Summer!

Birds in Palmer had some new spots to nest Monday evening, July 17th. About 50 kids spent the day making birdhouses at the Richmond Township Library.

With some help from parents, kids attached wooden parts, sanded rough corners and decorated their finished birdhouses. The birdhouses didn’t come with any specific kind of mounting, so the kids could choose where to put them.

“Some of them want to put them in their bedroom as decoration,” Library Director Jan St. Germain said. “Some of them are going to take them out. You can put them on a pod, like a tripod, if you want. They can hang them in a tree, whatever they want. They can put their personal touch on how they hang them.”

The library funded the event with a $1,000 grant from the Negaunee Area Community Fund, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Marquette County. The grant also covers the library’s entire summer reading program.

Spring 2017 Grants

Community Foundation Announces 2017 Grant Recipients

On Monday June 5th, 2017 at the Kaufman Auditorium, the Community Foundation of Marquette County announced the recipients of the 2017 competitive grant cycle. Community funds generated through a multitude of local donor gifts invested wisely over the last 28 years produced funds for Big Bay, Gwinn, Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette and were distributed for a number of varied projects. Ninety-eight applications produced a total of fifty-eight grants with projects ranging from a summer bike program for at-risk youth in Marquette to funding to assist Marquette County residents who have been diagnosed with cancer.

The Gwinn Area Community Fund granted a total of $2,169.38, the Greater Ishpeming Area Community Fund granted $8,450.00, the Marquette Area Community Fund granted $48,055.00, and the Negaunee Area Community Fund granted $17,895.00. The grand total of all the distributions was $76,569.38.

Pictured below are CFMC Board member Jim Hewitt and Marquette YAC members with grant recipients: Karen Wolf with Lake Superior Village Youth and Family Center, Todd Backlund with Environmental/Agricultural Projects for Negaunee Public Schools, Jim O’Brien with Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Kay Bammert with Silver Creek Church.

Full listing of our Spring 2017 Grants

$150.00 – Ishpeming Fourth of July Celebration, Ishpeming Independence Day Inc.
$150.00 – Wesley United Methodist Church, Wesley United Methodist Church
$300.00 – Hematite Power Packs, Ishpeming Public School District No. 1
$300.00 – Lego Club, Forsyth Township Public Library
$350.00 – Prime Time Family Reading Time 2017, Peter White Public Library
$375.00 – Superior Arts Youth Theater Technology for Educating Youth, Superior Arts Youth Theater
$500.00 – Silver Sampler, Marquette Senior and Handicapped Center
$640.00 – Camp New Day, Camp New Day U.P.
$700.00 – Yellow Dog River Community Forest Development, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve Inc.
$750.00 – Volunteer Training and Recognition, Pregnancy Services of Marquette Inc. dba Care Clinic
$792.52 – Camp Michigamme, Michigamme United Methodist Institute
$1,000.00 – 2017 North Country Trail Association Annual Celebration, North Country Trail Association Incorporated
$1,000.00 – 5/11/17 Robogators: FIRST Tech Challenge Middle School Robotics Team–2017 Fall Season, Northstar Academy
$1,000.00 – Feeding a Hungry Neighbor, Hope Free Evangelical Lutheran Church
$1,000.00 – Group Exercise Room Equipment, YMCA of Marquette County
$1,000.00 – IHS Cross Country and Track Uniforms, Ishpeming Public School District No. 1
$1,000.00 – Lake Superior Village Youth and Family Center, Inc., Lake Superior Village Youth and Family Center, Inc.
$1,000.00 – Let’s Build Together this Summer!, Richmond Township Library
$1,000.00 – Lost Creek Trail and Langford Link Trail Project, Noquemanon Trails Network
$1,000.00 – Silver Creek Neighborhood Block Party, Silver Creek Church
$1,100.00 – Project Graduation 2017, Marquette Area Public Schools
$1,250.00 – Repair Flood damage to Janzen House ESP Homeless Shelter area, Janzen House Inc
$1,300.00 – Marquette Area Free Family/Children’s Concerts, Pine Mountain Music Festival
$1,450.00 – Marquette Maritime Museum Children’s Corner, Marquette Maritime Museum
$1,480.00 – Music For All Kids equipment, The Cedar Tree Institute
$1,500.00 – Assuring a Safe Sanctuary, Women’s Center
$1,500.00 – Fresh Start Program / Through Our Eyes Youth Photography / Youth Music Therapy, Great Lakes Recovery Centers
$1,600.00 – Girl Power Yoga, Big Brothers Big Sisters
$1,710.00 – Superior String Alliance Summer Music Camp 2017, Superior String Alliance, Inc
$2,000.00 – Assist people with the necessities of living., New Free Store
$2,000.00 – Brewing Up Job Opportunities for Adults with Employment Barriers, Lakestate Industries Inc.
$2,000.00 – Environmental/Agricultural Projects, Negaunee Public Schools
$2,000.00 – Equipping the New Recreation Center, Bay Cliff Health Camp
$2,000.00 – Fresh Coast Film Festival, Fresh Coast Film Festival
$2,000.00 – Sun/Skin Safety Awareness Program, Just Believe
$2,500.00 – Girl Scout Outdoor Experience, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc.
$2,600.00 – Summer Cycle Program, Start the Cycle
$2,750.00 – Cancer Care of Marquette County (formerly Ishpeming Cancer Society), Cancer Care of Marquette County
$2,850.00 – 2017 Summer Musical, Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council
$3,000.00 – Bothwell Bands, Marquette Area Public Schools
$3,000.00 – Meeting the Need, Negaunee Public Library
$3,076.87 – Cleaning Up Marquette County and Back to School, St Anthony Catholic Church Parish
$3,395.00 – Technology for Better Care, Lake Superior Hospice Association
$3,500.00 – Habitat for Humanity Homeowner Repair Program, Marquette County Land Bank Authority
$5,000.00 – Marquette County After-School Mountain Bike Program, Range Mountain Bike Club
$6,000.00 – JJ Packs, Marquette Area Public Schools

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Annual Celebration – October 3, 2017

Spring Grant Distribution – June 5, 2017

On Monday, June 5th, 2017 at 6 pm the Community Foundation of Marquette County will announce the recipients of the 2017 competitive grant cycle at the Kaufman Auditorium. Community funds generated through a multitude of local donor gifts invested over the last 28 years produced funds for Big Bay, Gwinn, Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette and will be distributed for a number of varied projects.