Originally Published in The Harrison Press – 10/7/21
The Harrison Mayor’s Fund is adding a little community to its name.
The fund will now be known as the Harrison Mayor’s Community Fund, a result of many changes happening for the fund.
The new name “more directly conveys the message that it’s a community-based charity organization,” Harrison Mayor Bill Neyer said at the city council meeting on Oct. 5.
Neyer said the previous name mislead some people to believe that the fund was a political fund, or something that benefited the mayor.
“There’s been a lot of confusion,” he said. “People that have lived in the community … they know what it is but our community is growing at record rates and as people move in and they hear that they turn away from it and they don’t even look into it.”
The fund is a charitable organization that helps people in the greater Harrison community with financial assistance.
“The Mayor’s Fund over its many years of existence has expanded its reach to the entire Southwest Local School District,” he said.
The fund also plans to launch a website which will allow people to donate online. The group has received feedback from people who prefer not to write a check, which is how donations are currently accepted. The website is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2022.
“At some point immediately after that we will have the ability for online donations that can be made to the Mayor’s Fund,” he said.
The fund provides assistance to people through grocery vouchers, gas cards, food pantry items and more. Annually it gives out scholarships to students. During the holidays the fund partners with schools and churches to provide food, winter coats, toys and clothing to hundreds of families.
The dates and times for sign up to receive assistance will be announced soon, he said. The fund has expanded its sign-up days and times to accommodate more people.
“We’re going to do two Wednesdays … and two Saturdays,” he said. “Allowing for those people that have conflicting schedules and can’t get in here on a Wednesday.”
People are required to sign up for the distribution. Neyer said volunteers are also needed for the distribution. It is expected that a lot of people will request assistance this year, like last year, due to the pandemic.
“We do expect this year based on the distribution requests that the mayor’s fund has that we will have very high participation,” he said.
The fund hosts a golf outing every year to raise money for its assistance programs. This year, Neyer said, it raised about $5,500. To donate to the fund, send checks to Mayor’s Fund, P.O. Box 471, Harrison, Ohio, 45030.
