“This year, 2022, we made the decision that we wanted to be bold,” she said. “We wanted 17 Strong to have an impact in the community, and the only way you do that is by working with your residents.”
The 17 days of clean-up in every Hamilton neighborhood is an indication to the residents to be “empowered,” Klink said. “It invites them into the conversation. It says to them, we care about you, we want to work side by side but in order for us to make progress in all of our neighborhoods we need you to be right there with us.”
And being bold and inviting neighbors into the conversation, whether it’s an actual conversation or a community action, “it’s validating them and it makes this a really important 17 days.”
The advisory board has also issued several microgrants this year after the first of two rounds closed last month.
Of the 19 applications, six new projects will receive funding, but not all will receive or asked for the maximum $2,500 microgrant. Five of the applicants were previous grant recipients with continuing projects, and the microgrant committee decided to award them $500 as a sponsorship grant.
While the rejected grant applications were worthy projects, some were from non-profit organizations with paid employees, and others didn’t fully fill out the application, like a detailed budget.
Some of the applicants rejected have been asked to apply for round two, which is now open through May 13. Sue Head, 17 Strong Mircrogrant Committee chairperson, said the committee will work with the applicants to improve the application.
May 13 is also the deadline for the Love Your Grant program, a total of up to $5,000 will be shared between two grant winners. A “block” includes four properties within close proximity of each other.
Sue Head, 17 Strong Microgrant Committee chairperson, said these grants are open to everyone, and it doesn’t have to be specific to a neighborhood.
“We really work with (the applicants,” she said. “If we think it’s a valuable project that a lot of people would benefit from, we can help them. Tweak the application, whatever they need.”
There are also nanogrants, a lesser grant for students though the expectations attached to the microgrants are the same, said Klink. The first nanogrant project last year was at Highland Elementary where 6th-grade students partnered with the city of Hamilton to create a crosswalk.
Echoing Klink, Head said the grants, the people involved in the projects, and 17 Strong, “just keeps us moving forward. We just don’t feel like we’re on an island by ourselves.”
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