Operation Our Town distributes $77,000 in grant money to local programs

Local prevention programs to split more than $77K

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Operation Our Town awarded a total of more than $77,000 in prevention grants to 23 local programs Tuesday.

"These grants help aid in preventing and reducing drug abuse and crime in Blair County," said Operation Our Town Executive Director Shawna Hoover.

Funding for the grants is donated by business owners, organizations and people in the community, she said, noting every grant application was judged objectively by the Operation Our Town grant committee using a scoring process for specific criteria.

Representatives from every organization thanked Operation Our Town for the funding and noted how the grants go a long way in terms of freezing up funding for other vital programs.

The top grant recipients were the Gloria Gates Memorial Foundation, which received $13,000 for afterschool programs, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County, which received $8,000 for a school-based mentoring program.

Jess Brunner, executive director of the Gloria Gates Memorial Foundation, said the $13,000 grant will be used to finance educational supplies, craft materials, prizes, field trips, special events, snacks and individual assistance to at-risk youth enrolled in one of three afterschool programs in underserved communities.

Amber Urish of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County said the $8,000 grant will be used to help create and support matches between mentors and mentees in all of the Students Mentors Achieving Results Together (S.M.A.R.T.) school-based mentoring programs throughout Blair County.

The Altoona Area School District Foundation, the Reaching Out to Community Kids at Second Avenue and the Salvation Army at the Altoona Worship and Service Center each received $5,000.

Deidra Dumm said the Altoona Area School District Foundation will use the grant to fund the study, overcome, achieve and reward (S.O.A.R.) project's supplies and materials for students in need of financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education.

Ashley Harclerode, director of the Reaching Out to Community Kids at Second Avenue, said the grant will be used to purchase food and supplies for a program held on Wednesdays that provides a home-cooked meal and other activities to children in preschool to 12th grade.

Jennifer Blessing of the Salvation Army at the Altoona Worship and Service Center said the funding will be used to provide meals, clothing, laundry, shower supplies and transportation for unsheltered people.

The Refuge Youth Network received $4,000 for the Altoona After School Program to purchase supplies, transportation, media resources, curriculum and printing for teenagers in the community.

The Nehemiah Project received $4,000 for the Kids Konnect program to provide meals, snacks, supplies for tutors and crafts. The program provides a safe and nurturing environment for school-age children, Hoover said.

The Door Student Services Inc. received $2,950 for the Door Starts program to provide transportation, meals and supply costs for monthly field trips throughout the school year. The program is aimed at mentoring the area's youth to complete their education and become productive community-oriented adults, Hoover said.

The United Way of the Southern Alleghenies' Family Resource Center received $2,910 to purchase supplies for its parent education programs.

The Altoona Area Public Library received $2,900 for its parent and caregiver resource library.

The Altoona Area School District's Education Leading to Empowerment and Career Training program received $2,888 to provide pregnant and parenting teenagers with items from a food pantry and other items that traditional funding sources do not allow, such as strollers and play yards.

Altoona Area's adult education program was also awarded $2,670 to pay for the cost of general equivalency diploma exams for Blair County adults enrolled in the program.

Blair Emergency Services Chaplain Platoon, the Northern Blair County Recreation Commission and Family Services Incorporated each received $2,500 grants.

Home Nursing Agency Foundation and the Tyrone-Snyder Public Library each received $2,000 grants.

Families United for Change received $1,600 for C.C.'s Boutique, which assists women with essential necessities -- clothing, coats, socks, shoes and personal hygiene items -- after successful completion of a treatment program.

Booker T. Washington Revitalization Corp. received $1,500 for its Veterans Memorial Field revitalization project.

The Health, Opportunity, Purpose and Empowerment Drop-in Center received $1,395 for its enhancing community engagement through improved audio-visual equipment program.

Overflow Church received $1,300 for the Nourish the soul, Educate the mind, Xpel the negative and Train the body (N.E.X.T.) program.

Blair County Head Start received $1,000 for its drive to thrive program.

ArtsAltoona received $720 for its afterschool arts program.

Over the last 18 years, Operation Our Town has awarded over $1.5 million in grants, Hoover said.

Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation Executive Director Jodi Cessna, who is a member of the Operation Our Town's grant committee, said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Thank you for being the prevention," Cessna said. "We all know the statistics show that people want to fit in. They want to feel like they're part of something, and you're providing a positive place for them to be part of. So, thank you so very much for all that you are doing for our community."

Operation Our Town will begin accepting grant applications for the 2026 grant cycle on May 1, 2026. A grant training session will be held in April 2026. Hoover said more information will be available

in the future on the organization's website, www.operationourtown.org.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.