Eight local nonprofits received grants totaling $55,000 for 2010-11 from the Healdsburg Area Board of the Community Foundation Sonoma County.

Susan Lentz, retired attorney and board chairman of the foundation, said the grant total represents an increase of 46 percent over  last year. She attributed the rise to the generosity of new and existing donors as well as individual contributions by board members.

"Since the recession," Lentz said, "we have focused on producing general operating support to local nonprofits -- with a particular focus on youth, youth education, youth development, health and human services in the Healdsburg and Geyserville area." said Lentz.

The Community Foundation, in a news release today, Wednesday, Dec. 15, announced the 2010-11 grant recipients. They are:

Alliance Medical Center, to support their new Teen Health Center; Becoming Independent, to expand their paper shredding business and provide more employment for their clients; California Human Development, to support the costs of running the Healdsburg Day Labor Center; Community Child Care Council, to support the W. K. Johnson Infant Development Center on the Healdsburg High School campus; Healdsburg Education Foundation, to assist their executive director in developing a fiscal sustainability plan for long-term operations and services; Public School Success Team, to help expand their youth education and development program; Redwood Empire Food Bank, to support the Geyserville Backpack Program, which benefits 24 children with a "backpack" of groceries once a week; and Social Advocates for Youth, to help cover core operating expenses and salaries for their Family Resource Center in Healdsburg.

"The very generous $8,265 gift from the Community Foundation has made a major impact on our ability to employ people with disabilities, and bring them closer to equality," said a jubliant Cami Weaver, CEO of Becoming Independent.

Becoming Indpendent employs people with disabilities.  Weaver said this grant will allow them to purchase two industrial-size paper shredders for their office located at 625 Center St. in Healdsburg. That purchase will increase the volume of paper documents they can shred for local businesses. 

"In addition, the grant allows Becoming Independent to employ three times the number of people to use these shredding machines," Weaver said. "Their paychecks provide an added benfit for the employees because it enhances their feelings of self-worth."

One of the most positive aspects of these grants is that the grants committee requires two reports, answering a series of questions both objective and subjective, Lentz said  This allows the committee to know how well the organization is using the funds and whether more money in future years will help continue the sustainability of the organization.

"Our endowment fund in Healdsburg is self-perpetuating," notes Lentz. "The nine member grants committee makes decisions on how funds are reinvested in local non-profits."

Lentz said the committee members "have just about $1 million in the fund, which generates dividends and gets reinvested to allow more groups to receive funding," she said.

Lentz said the Healdsburg Area Fund made a special effort to increase giving this year and raise funds that could be spent immediately, during a time of incredible need.

"We also have a wonderful challenge coming up in 2011 because we received a matching grant from two local residents for $100,000," she added. 

On Feb. 2, 2011, grant recipients and 200 founding donors of the Healdsburg Endowment Fund will be recognized at an event at the Foss Creek Community Center. A  plaque will be permanently installed on a rock at the center, and a tree will be planted in their honor.

The Community Foundation Sonoma County welcomes more involvement from donors and volunteers.

For more information, contact Joe Valentine  at (707) 579 4073--ext 12.  You can also donate via their website www.sonomacf.org, by clicking on Donate Now and specify "Healdsburg Endowment" in the Fund Description box.