$3,000 given to CCM Foundation on behalf of the Daily Record
Courtesy of the Daily Record 7/10/09
CCM’s planetarium wins Gannett Foundation grant
4 other groups also get money on behalf of Daily Record
STAFF REPORT
A grant from the Gannett Foundation will help thousands of Morris County school children explore the stars by supporting the renovation of the County College of Morris’ 37-year-old planetarium.
The grant, one of five totaling $12,000 given by the foundation on behalf of the Daily Record, went to the CCM Foundation, located in Randolph. CCM received $3,000.
“This kind of support helps us do something we would not have been able to do otherwise,” said Joseph Vitale, vice president of CCM’s foundation. “The Gannett Foundation has been a generous supporter of the college over many years for a number of initiatives, which we appreciate.”
The planetarium has some 14,000 visitors annually, 95 percent of whom are children between the ages of 6 and 10. The planetarium provides presentations on story-telling and time-keeping to demonstrate how the stars have been used for navigation through the ages. The refurbished planetarium, with a new projection system, sound system and 90 seats, is expected to open at the end of the year, Vitale said.
The Gannett Foundation is sponsored by Gannett Co., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., with more than 80 daily newspapers, including USA Today and the Daily Record. Twice a year the foundation gives grants to organizations in the communities in which Gannett owns a daily newspaper or television station.
“The grants we provide to local nonprofit organizations help to invest in the communities we serve,” said Joseph L. Cavone, the Daily Record’s president and publisher.
Cavone said the Daily Record values grass-roots community projects that provide assistance to the disadvantaged, the environment, cultural enrichment, youth development, education and neighborhood improvement. Through the foundation, the Daily Record has contributed more than $300,000 to nonprofit organizations over the past 10 years.
Also receiving Gannett Foundation grants were:
The Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown: $3,000 to further its work feeding the homeless, elderly and working poor and empowering them through its resource center.
Project Acorn: $2,500 to help pay for quality preschool education for a needy Morris County child whose family otherwise couldn’t afford it.
Literacy Volunteers of Morris County: $1,500 to support 10 adult students with a full year of one-on-one instruction in its English as a second language program.
First Choice Women’s Resource Center: $1,000 to expand its Straight Talk teen pregnancy prevention program which serves 3,500 at-risk teens in middle and high schools annually.
Senior Services Center of the Chathams: $1,000 to support Reflections, a support group for elderly women going through the transition of being newly widowed.
Guidelines and an application form to apply for the grants can be found at www.gannett.com. Click on “About Gannett,” then on “Gannett Foundation.” Questions? Contact Jason Merrick at jmerrick@gannett.com or (973) 428-6533.