Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund Awards $53,500 in Grants and Scholarships

DAYTON — The Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund awarded $53,500 in grants and scholarships. The following organizations were awarded grants:

Blue Mountain Heritage Society-$600 for Veteran’s Memorial Wall maintenance, $2,000 towards concrete and ground improvements

Blue Mountain Humane Society-$500 to support their rural pet wellness clinics

Blue Mountain Resource Conservation Development Council-$400 to support the 2024 SWIM the SNAKE event

Columbia County-$5,000 to support the Touchet Valley golf course irrigation project

Columbia County Community Network-$2,500 to support the Columbia County Fairgrounds entryway improvements

Dayton Chamber of Commerce-$4,000 to support the replacement of the community reader board

Prescott Joint Park & Recreation District-$2,000 to support the water safety project

Project Timothy Christian Aid Center- $5,000 to support general operations

Skyline Adventures-$500 to support the Ski/Snowboard experience for disabled veterans

The Club-$10,000 to support the 2024-2025 after school program

Touchet Valley Arts Council- $1,500 to support the Summer Cultural Enrichment Program

Tri-State Steelheaders-$500 to support the Salmon in School Program

Walla Walla Senior Center-$5,000 to support the senior nutrition program in Columbia County

YWCA-$1,000 to support the YWCA fun factory

Additionally, $10,000 in scholarships were awarded to Elsie Mann, Grace Trump, Joshua Reser, Justina Abrahamson, Kameryn Tupling, Logan Berg, Madison Richardson, Parker Brown, and Wyntr McCauley.

The Blue Mountain Community Foundation, which administers the Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund, is honored to distribute these grants and scholarships. However, it reports a significant funding shortfall for the community. This year, the DCCW Fund received nearly $150,000 in grant requests, surpassing the $53,500 available for distribution.

A group of concerned Columbia County citizens formed the Raise the Blues Columbia County Leadership Team, which is dedicated to closing the gap between the needs and the funds available. Raise the Blues offers incentives through matching contributions for certain donations.

“Join us at a reception on Thursday, July 11, 2024, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to learn the latest information about ‘Raise the Blues’ and clear up any misconceptions,” said Katie Leid, Chair of the Dayton/Columbia County Washington Fund Committee.

The event is open to the public. For more information, please contact sara@bluemountainfoundation.org.”

An earlier version of this article stated the reception on Thursday, July 11, 2024 would be from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.