The Taylorville Kiwanis Club has announced grants totaling 2-thousand dollars going to 4 different local non-profit organizations that have similar goals of helping children and youth in the Taylorville community.

500-dollar grants will be going from the Kiwanis Club to each of these organizations:

--The SHADOW Home for Women and Children, with the money going towards new landscaping and fencing for their children’s playground on the east side of their property. Guest mothers are encouraged to take their children outside daily for fresh air and exercise.  The existing fence is in dire need of attention.

--The Lincoln Prairie Trails Conservancy, to install a Fix-It Bike Repair Station with a tire pump, and a bike rack, both at the Taylorville Trail Head on Paw Paw Street.   This equipment will be used free of charge by children, youth, and adults.  With the City of Pana, who currently owns the bike trail, getting a grant to replace the existing wooden bridge on the trail near Lake Taylorville, officials with the organization expect the trail’s use to dramatically increase.

--The Taylorville Junior High School “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support” program.  This program rewards deserving students that exhibit positive behaviors at and away from school.  The donation will be used to purchase gift cards that will be awarded to deserving students.

--and the Loving Arms Pregnancy Center.  The Kiwanis grant will help fund the purchase of new cribs and mattress sets, safe sleepers, pack n’plays, baby monitors, car seats, head support pads, strollers for their clients to “purchase” with Mommy or Daddy dollars they earn from completing parenting classes at the Center.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.