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Last fall, the T. Dean Lower and Jane Young Lower Trust awarded $53,142 to three local nonprofit organizations.
This year's award recipients are the Altoona Community Theatre, Blair County Arts Foundation and Historic Hollidaysburg Inc.
The $22,000 award to the Altoona Community Theatre is supporting two projects. With funding from the Lower Trust, the ACT will become a chapter of The Penguin Project, empowering children with special needs through theater.
The second portion of ACT's Lower Trust grant will support structural priorities and make necessary improvements to the interior walls and ceilings of the ACT building located in downtown Altoona.
The Blair County Arts Foundation received $16,142 to support its general operations. The BCAF has three areas of focus: preservation and maintenance of the Mishler Theatre, performing arts in the area and family theater. This grant from the Lower Trust will be used by BCAF in its area of most need.
Historic Hollidaysburg was awarded $15,000 for a new roof. The historic home located at 516 Walnut St., Hollidaysburg, is used as the headquarters of Historic Hollidaysburg and a local history museum, serving the community.
The Walnut Street home was constructed in 1873. Though Historic Hollidaysburg does not own the property, it has a long-term lease and has maintained the property since 1985. Many structural improvements need to be made to the roof of the home.
The Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation has administered the Lower Trust since 2011.
The Lower Trust gave its first grant in 2012. Since then, it has provided more than $500,000 in grants to six local nonprofit organizations.
Along with this year's three recipients, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Blair County Historical Society and Rails to Trails of Central PA have earned Lower Trust grants over the years.
The Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation manages charitable giving by helping donors achieve their goals, while maximizing the impact of each gift.
The CPCF manages a pool of more than 275 funds created by generous community members and corporations interested in improving the quality of life and creating opportunities for central Pennsylvania residents.