Grants in 2011

It is hard to believe that the 2011 calendar year is now upon us. The forecast outside may still reflect winter, but inside the Sonora Area Foundation we are warming up for a new granting season. In the 2010 calendar year, the Sonora Area Foundation made grants in excess of $1.1 million dollars, despite the beleaguered economy. In 2011 Sonora Area Foundation will work to exceed the 2010 granting amount.

What we continue to witness in Tuolumne County is a greater need and demand for grant funds. With the economic recession still having a firm grip on our local economy, the goal of 2011 is to reduce the staggering 12.6% unemployment rate here in Tuolumne County. A reduced unemployment rate will have positive impacts throughout our community. In the interim, knowing that local families are continuing to struggle to meet basis needs, the Sonora Area Foundation Board has again made food, clothing and shelter top priorities when reviewing grant proposals.

Here in Tuolumne County we are so fortunate to have so many worthy non-profits in our community who have taken the lead in making sure that basic needs are being provided to weather our current economic storm. With Federal and State funding being reduced or even eliminated in some cases, it is even more important that our community works together to help meet basic needs. It is also vitally important at the same time that we all work together to help forge and support new employment opportunities to provide the unemployed with family wage jobs.

The true litmus-test of a community is the depth and breathe of how we take care of our own. Sonora Area Foundation is committed to helping strengthen our community through assisting donors, making grants and providing leadership. By working together, we can make a significant impact on turning our local economy around for calendar year 2011. This time next year what a blessing it would be to hear that our unemployment numbers have experience a dramatic drop and that giving and granting has made a monumental impact it helping people meet their basic needs. I am reminded each and every day how thankful we are with our Churches, and numerous Non-Profits that work day in and day out to enhance the quality of life for our citizens.

I believe that our community challenge should be, “let’s make 2011 the year we turned our local economy around and revitalized our community for all of our citizens.”