TOLEDO, Ohio — A parks and youth services grant worth $2 million has been set aside to provide support for kids in Toledo.
In the past, the grant was awarded to the city parks' summer programs. Now the requirements to apply have changed to include programs open all year.
"Whether you are a community partner or the city of Toledo, we really have to pull our resources pull our energy to do as much as we can for the youth to provide them with the support they need to grow up to be productive citizens and to want to stay in Toledo and raise their families here," Joe Fausnaugh, the director of parks and youth services for the city of Toledo, said.
Fausnaugh hopes the funding will benefit kids who engage with parks and programs in their community.
While a lot of youth services do involve parks in some way, not all of them do, he said.
A $75,000 portion of the grant was awarded to the Center of Hope and Family Services in 2022. Tracee Perryman, the center's CEO, said the funding is vital.
"I think that this is a very pivotal time for the city to really think through who they fund and what type of investment they are making and making sure that investment counts," Perryman said.
Money from the grant has the opportunity to put kids on a better path if it's used to support kids who have parents that work late, may be falling behind on their schoolwork, or need to be engaged in activities that keep them off the street, Perryman said.
The grant application is currently open and closes on Feb. 10. The grant winners will be announced on March 22.
More information on the city of Toledo's Parks and Youth Services, as well as youth programming grants, can be found here.