Mooseheart awarded $24,000 grant from Baird & Warner Good Will Network
Overwhelming support led to Mooseheart winning a $24,000 grant from the Baird & Warner Good Will Network.
The campus was notified recently it was being awarded one of five available grants.
"Any time you can receive a grant opportunity from another organization in support of our efforts is fabulous. It reminds us that there are people outside our community and within our network who believe in what we do," Mooseheart Executive Director Gary Urwiler said.
Michael Guadagno, a Moose member of Plainfield, Ill., Lodge 2491 and a Baird & Warner employee learned of the grant opportunity.
Moose Charities made an application for the grant and Mooseheart was subsequently one of 10 finalists.
Online voting determined the five organizations that earned the final awards and Mooseheart received 8,349 of nearly 25,000 votes submitted to easily finish within that top five.
Urwiler said that the grant money will go toward Mooseheart's vocational program.
All Mooseheart high school students participate in a vocation in addition to their traditional high school academic classes.
Mooseheart offers vocations in automotive mechanics, business, commercial art, commercial music, computer science and cosmetology.
"It was great to see the support in voting. After the first day, (Baird & Warner) knew we were going to be one of the winners based on the number of votes that we had. It is encouraging, to see so many people backing our mission. It makes your heart swell," Urwiler said.
Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported by the Loyal Order of Moose. With its motto "Enter to learn; leave to serve," the campus serves the needs of 175 students in-need aged 18 months to 18 years old.
"We are thankful and blessed to have so many committed people within the organization who believed in our mission who were active in voting. Now we have another opportunity to aid our students," Urwiler said.
For information, visit www.mooseheart.org or www.facebook.com/MooseheartChildCity/.