Butte Strong Fund issues its final grant

PARADISE — The North Valley Community Foundation announced Tuesday that the Butte Strong Fund had dedicated its final grant of $3 million to First 5 Butte County and its services.

According to a press release issued Tuesday by the foundation, the Butte Strong Fund has provided more than $67 million in grants since the Camp Fire, all of which have gone to recovery efforts.

Foundation President and CEO Alexa Benson-Valavanis provided a press statement explaining the decision to provide the grant.

“Our Butte Strong Fund Citizens Committee wanted to make one last large, impactful grant as we exhaust the funding in the Butte Strong Fund grant program. They agreed that support for families and children in the coming years is paramount,”  Benson-Valavanis said. “First 5 is the perfect organization to pull this off, with its combination of experience and a heart for the work. We all look forward to watching this vision come to fruition in the next few years.”

The release said the grant will aid local family centers around Butte County for six years.

After the Camp Fire, the Butte Strong Fund was established in a concerted effort by the North Valley Community Foundation, the Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Fund and Sierra Nevada Brewing.

First 5 Director Anna Bauer responded to the grant in her statement expressing her gratitude for the funding.

“Supporting families is a key step in building a more resilient community,” Bauer said. “Quality support and nurturing during early childhood is the most important thing we can do for young children to help them thrive. First 5 Butte County is proud to partner with the Butte Strong Fund to provide quality programs for families with young children.”

Along with the $3 million grant to First 5, a series of smaller grants were also provided to the following local organizations:

• The Hope Crisis Response Network: $50,000, for building volunteer recruitment.

• Camp Fire Collaborative: $50,000, to provide additional grants for local organizations and commemoration events.

• Magalia Community Park and Community Center: $45,000, to help with obligations such as rent and to help facilities stay open for the community.

• Tula Therapeutic Collective’s Resiliency Project: $25,505, for additional mental health services for Camp Fire survivors.

• The Butte County Office of Education: $25,000, for trauma-informed teachers for the arts.

• Azad’s Basket Brigate: $15,000 to pay for Thanksgiving meals in uncertain financial situations.

•  Paradise Community Chorus: $10,000 to perform for holiday events.

In total, the final Butte Strong Fund grants come out to $3,220,505.