Create Huntington awards several mini grants

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON - Create Huntington has announced that four mini grants were awarded by the board this spring.

“Each of these projects are unique and bring a creative aspect to our city,” said Bill Rosenberger, who is serving as board president this year. “We want to spur both economic and creative capital, and these projects are great examples of both.”

Eagle Scout candidate Chase Coughenour, of Troop 21, was awarded $200 to help complete a Gaga Ball Pit for the playground at Spring Hill Elementary. Gaga is described as a variant of dodge ball but played inside the pit. The game combines dodging, striking, running and jumping, with the goal of being the last person standing.

In his application, Coughenour stated that he wanted to complete a project that encouraged children to be active.

A matching $500 mini grant was awarded to the Huntington Blues Society to help support its ongoing monthly blues jams. The group also puts on a Blues Challenge, with the winner earning $1,000 to defray costs of competing in the Memphis Blues Challenge. Create Huntington’s funding will be part of the local winner’s prize.

The fifth annual Jewel City JAMboree recently took place at Harris Riverfront Park, and Create Huntington’s board provided a matching $500 mini grant to help cover the costs of the two-day music festival. Event director Dave Ball started Jewel City JAMboree to promote local music. Proceeds from the event in the past have redistributed to support local musicians including ONA, Jeremy Short, Of The Dell, Sasha Collette and Tyler Childers.

The final award was a matching grant to support Girls on the Run, which serves elementary and middle school girls in Cabell and Wayne counties. The $500 award will support the program for the fall season, which includes after-school programming, materials and a 5K.

Established in 2009, Create Huntington is nonprofit organization serving as a grassroots support network that empowers people to effect positive change in their community. The organization strives to see our region grow more successful and inviting, innovative and thriving. Create Huntington’s current mission is to empower citizens through connections so that Huntington is appealing in its environment, successful in growing its economy and sustainable for the future. Our vision is that Huntington is a place where citizens actively identify needs and readily search for solutions to make the city a better place to live, work, and play.

Since 2009, the Create Huntington mini-grant projects have helped fund nearly $30,000 in Huntington community projects and artists development.

Just a few of the projects funded in the past have been chess tables in the park, musical artists like Chris Sutton, Ona and Short and Company, Porch Unplugged, Funktafest, the Huntington Music and Arts Festival, Cinema Under the Stars, the Sustainability Fair, pop-up art shows and street music.

Create Huntington is currently seeking candidates for the board of connectors and the Create Huntington Network.

For more information, visit www.createhuntington.com or contact Bill Rosenberger at wprconsulting79@gmail.com or by phone at 304-908-9097.