Norton, Kansas, December 2021 – Norton County Community Foundation (NCCF) awarded $4,200 in the December grant cycle. Funds were part of the Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Fund, which offers financial support to qualifying and deserving projects and programs in Northwest Kansas. Grant funds supported the following project:
- Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center received $2,700 for the WhyTry Mentoring program in Norton County.
- Norton Community Schools received $1,500 for the NCHS Science Olympiad club.
The mission of the Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center (WKCAC) is to heal the trauma of abuse to children and adults through prevention, support, and services. One of their services is the WhyTry Mentoring program, which provides early intervention for at-risk children and adolescents in rural communities that lack the resources to provide what this specialized program delivers. The program utilizes a Youth Advocate, who meets with the children in one-on-one mentoring sessions. WKCAC lost funding for the program, which is why they applied for grant funding from NCCF to keep the program in Norton County.
NCHS Science Olympiad is a club at Norton Community High School that started during the 2019-2020 school year. It is a competitive and creative outlet for students who excel in the classroom and are interested in pursuing STEM fields after high school. The Science Olympiad competitions cover more than 20 events that range in topics from engineering and physics to ornithology (the study of birds). Grant funds will help cover the cost of materials and supplies needed to prepare for and excel in the different competitions, as well as hotel room costs for the state competition in Wichita.
The guidelines and application for the Hansen Community Grant can be found on NCCF’s website at nortonccf.org. Applications are due the last day of the month to be considered for the next month’s funding. For more information, please contact Tara Vance at 785.874.5106, tara@nortonccf.org, or visit the NCCF office at the Heaton Building in Downtown Norton, KS, located at 112 S. Kansas Street.
About Norton County Community Foundation
The Norton County Community Foundation was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting local charitable activities in Norton County through endowments made to the foundation. Dedicated to serving today for tomorrow, to make our community a better place in which to live. Connect with the Norton County Community Foundation at www.nortonccf.org.