ACF Receives ServeOhio Grant for MLK Service Day

Shayne Lopez • December 20, 2024

Book Drive and Service Day at the Tablertown People of Color Museum Happening in January!

On November 1, the Athens County Foundation (ACF) was awarded the ServeOhio MLK Day of Service grant. Impassioned by the legacy of service left by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the mission of this grant is to help nonprofits across the state improve their communities through service and volunteer activities. Like MLK Jr., the Foundation is deeply dedicated to ensuring that all voices are heard, especially those historically excluded, by creating spaces for inclusive participation and co-created solutions. ACF strives to empower both individuals and communities to break down educational barriers and promote local storytelling.


This project is made possible with ACF’s current partnership with Ohio University’s COMCorps Program. ACF’s COMCorps member and Program Coordinator, Hannah Louck, is leading this initiative with the support of ACF and the COMCorps program.

 

MLK Service Day with Tablertown People of Color Museum

This coming January 28, 2025, ACF will partner with the Tablertown People of Color Museum to uplift local stories through service. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn more about the long, diverse history of Athens County, while simultaneously participating in an act of service for the museum. Volunteers will work to clean up the land on which a new Tablertown People of Color Museum will be built. On this service day, a Free Little Library will also be donated to the museum and Tablertown community. In addition to a day-of-service, the Athens County Foundation will be holding a book drive throughout the month of January to restock Free Little Libraries throughout Athens County — please stay tuned for more information regarding drop-off locations.


Those interested in volunteering can sign up on Give Pulse or reach out to Hannah Louck at comcorpsacf@athensfoundation.org.

New Button

Stacy Strauss is ACF's new Director of Finance and Administration

By Emily Prince • September 1, 2026
Please join us in welcoming our new Director of Finance and Administration, Stacy Strauss. Stacy looks forward to using her skills to strengthen our community! She brings energy, creativity, and a thoughtful approach to her work, along with a genuine ability to bring people together around shared goals. Her experience spans financial management, fundraising and grant writing, program development, business strategy, and developing materials that tell a clear, compelling story.  Just as importantly, she enjoys helping others grow. She has experience leading and training teams, building collaborative cultures, developing recruitment strategies, and finding practical, creative solutions to complicated challenges. Whether working with colleagues, community partners, or other stakeholders, she builds relationships rooted in trust, communication, and a shared commitment to advancing good ideas.

Fall Grant Applications Open

By Shayne Lopez • August 28, 2026
Athens County's greatest asset is its people. Every day, neighbors, organizations, and local leaders bring skill, creativity, and deep knowledge of this place to the work of building a stronger community. Our grantmaking invests in those strengths, because the best solutions are already growing here, led by the people who call Athens County home. Our grantmaking builds on the strengths already here by investing in the initiatives, people and organizations, relationships, skills, and ideas working to address longstanding challenges and pursue extraordinary opportunities. 

Pull up a Chair: August Newsletter

By Emily Prince • August 12, 2026
Collaboration and Partnership