Strengthening Owen County Communities

PUBLIC SAFETY

Helping Local Heroes

2021 Grantees

• Cataract Volunteer Fire Department: Upgrade to MFPA standard helmets

• Cataract Volunteer Fire Department: Fire incident reports & record keeping update

• Coal City Volunteer Fire Department: Generator purchase

• Owen County Sheriff: Officer training

• Owen County Sheriff: Interview room recording system

• Spencer Fraternal Order of Police: Bullet-proof vest equipment purchase

• Spencer Fraternal Order of Police: Shop With a Cop Program

Shop With a Cop

Over $20,000 Granted from Anonymous Donor helps Local Children in Need Since 2019

2021 Program: The Owen County Community Foundation teamed up with Master Trooper Ryan White and Trooper Randall Van Arsdale, the Owen County Sheriff's Department, Spencer Police Department, Indiana DNR Law Enforcement, Walmart Spencer - W State Highway 46  to participate in this years Spencer Fraternal Order of Police “Shop With A Cop” program. Todays event was able to support over 60 kids!
 

The remainder of these funds went to support the Back to School Expo. 

Grant Money at Work

The Cataract VFD's training tower which was constructed in part from a grant from the OCCF

Your OCCF collaborates with several local agencies to provide funding for services that will keep Owen County residents at their safest.

The OCCF partnered with other local organizations to fund the Owen County Infant Safety Team's Safe Haven Baby Box Project

'08 Flood Recovery Efforts

The floods of June swelled the river and swept through our hollows and ravines on June 7. A national disaster was declared in Owen County on June 10. What started as a heavy rain turned into the worst disaster in Indiana history in terms of financial loss. 

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The emergency response by the Red Cross and our own first responders and county personnel was stellar and not one single life was lost. Even with the incredible damage to our roads and bridges, estimated at $25 million, 99 percent of our citizens returned to normal within days or a couple of weeks.

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600 people applied to FEMA for assistance. Even weeks after the initial flooding, Owen County families were still dealing with the devastation brought on by the storms. Many of these families experienced serious losses. 

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The need to continue the long-term recovery drove our community to form a long-term disaster recovery group, the Rebuild Owen County Committee, or the ROCC. This broad-based volunteer group, made up of county non-profit agencies, churches, government, and individuals worked in two phases to help Owen County recover by seeking a wide range of resources. 

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The OCCF helped to survey the damage, assist officials and accept donations for the recovery process. The ROCC was organized as a committee of your OCCF so that a new organization did not need to be formed to handle the urgent issues raised by the flood. The steering committee met monthly to oversee operations. Volunteers were recruited and trained to do case management. The case managers provided technical and emotional support for 93 families. Some families required little assistance; some lost everything in the disaster and required a new home. 

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OCCF and ROCC staff and volunteers collaborated to create a system to manage the half million dollars received through the Indiana Association of United Ways from Lilly Endowment Inc. 

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Phase one was to help families in need. One such family had major damage to their home and needed help rebuilding despite having insurance and a little savings set aside for emergencies. Phase two was to develop a plan for the community so that Owen County is better prepared the next time the river decides to come into town.