Brouilletts Creek Solar is pleased to announce seven local groups as the recipients of the first round of Brouilletts Creek Solar community grants. The program was launched this spring to support local organizations focused on improving their community in the following areas: Building Healthy Communities, Community and Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Promoting Education.
“We are excited to be supporting several homegrown initiatives that will make positive impacts throughout Vermillion County,” said Meagan Van Vuren, Senior Development Manager for Brouilletts Creek Solar. "These community grants are just one the many ways local renewable energy projects like Brouilletts Creek Solar can support the communities where we operate.”
A grant to United Way of the Wabash Valley will support their Reading Neighbors program for children in 1st and 2nd grade. This grant will help provide a new collection of twenty classroom books to every first and second-grade teacher in Vermillion County. In addition to building literacy skills, this new collection of classroom books will help strengthen students’ self-awareness and self-management, decision-making, and interpersonal skills all vital for success in school, work, and life.
“With generous support from Brouilletts Creek Solar, United Way of the Wabash Valley will launch its new Reading Neighbors literacy program in Vermillion County. The program brings community volunteers to classrooms each month to read a story aloud to the students. Reading Neighbors not only boosts early literacy skills but instills in young students a lifelong love of reading,” said Dorothy Chambers, community impact senior staff for the organization.
The Vermillion County Soil and Water Conservation District will also be among those receiving a grant. Conservation Resource Technician Billy Pigg says “This grant will allow us to provide another valuable service to our community and allow landowners to clean up invasive species on their property. By providing Weed Wrangle kits and working together with landowners we can combat the Invasive Species issue that is damaging our natural landscape.”
The Kid Kare Project will receive a grant to help students throughout the school year ensure they have everything they need to succeed in the classroom. “We believe that meeting children’s basic needs allows a focus on higher-level needs: self-esteem, education, and socialization,” said Agency Director Rita Hixon. “Our goal is for each child to reach his or her highest potential by blending with peers in the school environment, graduating, and ultimately becoming productive citizens. The grant award will enable our organization to continue meeting the needs of the children residing in Vermillion County during the 2022-2023 school year.”
The Vermillion County Economic Development Council is launching a new podcast to promote everything about Vermillion County that makes it a great place to live and work. A Brouilletts Creek Solar community grant will help the council cover technical and start-up expenses to help get the podcast started. Executive Director Doug Hess is looking forward to the promotion opportunities the podcast will provide. “We are very excited to be launching this podcast as it shares the countless stories, points of pride, hidden gems, and reasons why people chose Vermillion County,” said Hess.
The Town of Fairview Park will receive a grant award to support the construction of an outdoor pickleball court in Fairview Park. Local resident Angie Riggen is coordinating the fundraising efforts. “We are creating more opportunities for engagement in our small community and pickleball is a game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages,” said Riggen. “With its central location, creating new pickleball courts, after many years of the current space laying stagnant and unusable, has the potential to revitalize the park and surrounding area. The support from the Brouilletts Creek Solar team will help us reach out fundraising goals to make our plans a reality!”
A grant supporting Clinton Little League Baseball will help improve Clinton’s baseball fields, according to Little League President Jason Zucca. “This grant will be used by Clinton Little League to assist in the construction of dugouts for our newly constructed T-Ball field. These dugouts will keep the players out of the weather, provide some shade, and keep them safe from any potential foul balls or home runs from other fields,” said Zucca. “We greatly appreciate all the support that we have received this year that has made these improvements possible!”
Brouilletts Creek Solar is proud to support the Clinton Optimist Club with a grant to help fund the youth soccer program organized by the club. “The Clinton Optimist Club has long supported the youth of Vermillion County and has offered our soccer program for many years. A generous grant from Brouillett’s Creek Solar helps ensure our program continues to positively impact the lives of our community’s youth,” said club member Cale Stewart.
Brouilletts Creek Solar’s ongoing commitment is to be a strong community partner to the residents, businesses, and community organizations of Vermillion County. The Community Grant Program will continue to support pressing community needs and local organizations making a meaningful impact throughout 2022. To learn more or apply for a future grant, visit, www.brouillettscreeksolar.com/grant.