Latest news with #CommunityFoundationoftheOzarks
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tuesday storm uproots historic tree in Jordan Valley Park
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield-Greene County Park Board says a landmark of Jordan Valley Park was lost to the severe storms that hit Springfield on Tuesday. The Horton Alexander Hackberry tree — called the oldest tree in Jordan Valley Park — was toppled Tuesday morning. It was the first tree to be designated under the Tree City USA program, which began in 1985. The Park Board estimates the tree to have been 150-200 years old. '[The tree] stood as a symbol of strength and legacy in the heart of our city,' the Park Board stated in a Facebook post. 'Though we're saddened by its loss, we're grateful for the decades it watched over our downtown and inspired our community.' The hackberry tree was named in part after Jan Knauer Horton, who was the first executive director of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Park Board says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lafayette House receives $25,000 grant for youth mental health initiative
Lafayette House was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program, a partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks managed by Commerce Trust Co. Funding will support the organization's Rural Youth Mental Wellness Initiative, which serves people ages 12-21 in seven rural Southwest Missouri counties. The Prevention Education Program implements evidence-based curricula such as Safe Dates, Dating Matters, and an interactive tool called In Their Shoes in rural schools, providing consistent support and early identification of mental health concerns caused by unhealthy relationships, teen dating violence or various forms of abuse through social media. The program will train educators and parents to recognize signs of mental distress and implement trauma-informed approaches, while also engaging the broader community through awareness events and educational programs. Through this initiative, Lafayette House aims to serve youths and adults across Barry, Barton, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald and Newton counties. The program addresses gaps in rural mental health services by providing accessible, preventative education support directly in schools and communities. Lafayette House is one of 12 organizations receiving grants totaling $250,000 through the Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grants program this year. "This grant will allow us to expand our vital Prevention Education Program to reach more rural youth who need mental health support and education," Susan Hickam, executive director of Lafayette House, said in a statement. "In communities where mental health resources are often limited or difficult to access, this initiative will create a comprehensive support system for youth mental wellness." Eli Moran, chief strategy officer at Lafayette House, said in a statement: "The Coover Foundation's investment in rural youth mental health comes at a critical time when we're seeing increased need for these services. This grant enables us to implement school-based interventions, community outreach and parent education programs that will have lasting impact on the mental wellbeing of young people across Southwest Missouri." Julia Dorothy Coover, a 30-year Commerce employee, founded the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation in 1992 to honor her husband's memory. The private foundation, managed by Commerce Trust, has funded more than $8.6 million in grants to benefit rural communities and school districts since 2001. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is the region's largest public charitable foundation serving donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliate foundations — including the Joplin Regional Community Foundation — with assets totaling $494 million as of June 30, 2024.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SW Missouri vo-tech programs receive big boost for equipment upgrades; See the breakdown
JASPER COUNTY, Mo. — Some southwest Missouri vo-tech programs are getting a financial shot in the arm. As we reported Wednesday, the Carthage School District is one of six recipients of grant funding. The Carthage Technical Center is getting tens of thousands of dollars to support manufacturing students. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded more than $47,000 to buy upgraded equipment. The CTC director says this speeds up a process they had already been working toward. SW Missouri vo-tech programs receive big boost for equipment upgrades; See the breakdown How strong do winds need to be to cause damage to buildings? Joplin-based company shares perspective on possible tariffs Area schools practice tornado safety in statewide drill Four States students named National Merit finalists 'It's that much less money that has to come out of the district's local budget that can also maybe be allocated elsewhere. And lets us phase some of these things in quicker than originally planned, rather than it being a multi-year phase-in thing,' said Gage Tiller. Other school districts will also benefit from the Schilling Technical Education Grants. Golden City gets $50,000 for an animal science lab, while Lamar's grant totals $31,000 for auto and carpentry classes. The Webb City School District will get $7,500 for drone technologies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
