DeKalb County Community Foundation
boosts NIU community-outreach projects

The DeKalb County Community Foundation is providing more than $15,500 in grants this spring to Northern Illinois University for projects addressing a wide range of community needs, from testing newborns for hearing impairments to assisting seniors who want to keep their memories sharp.

“All of these projects in a very special way demonstrate the university's outreach efforts in the local community,” said Jerry Smith, executive director of the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

In all, the DeKalb County Community Foundation announced grants this spring of $186,000 to 66 area nonprofit organizations. Grants to NIU included the following:

• $2,000 to the Center for Access-Ability Resources and Founders Library to create a more accessible general-reference computer station and update the accessibility features for the Specialized Study Room. The improvements will aid library patrons with limited vision or complete vision loss.
• $7,000 to the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic for the purchase of new equipment to be used in newborn hearing screenings at Kishwaukee Community Hospital . The new technology will allow for a two-stage screening process to be completed before discharge from the hospital, reducing the number of babies who need outpatient testing and the age at which a hearing loss is identified. The clinic has been providing universal newborn hearing screenings at the hospital since 1996. As many as 900 babies are screened annually.
• $2,863 to the College of Health and Human Sciences to help deliver an Internet game geared for senior citizens to four local facilities. The Web-based trivia game, dubbed Acuity, is a cross between “Jeopardy,” “Trivial Pursuit” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” and is specially designed to keep aging minds sharp.
• $2,000 to the Office of External Programs of the College of Visual and Performing Arts to assist in production of a “Song Speak” CD for children with speech delays or speech challenges. There are no known commercially available CDs that target the needs of children with speech delays. Their conditions require that the songs be slower than traditional instructional music CDs for children, with more repetition of words and activities. The most effective songs have a solo voice with clear articulation, followed by children's voices in response.
• $1,700 to Campus Child Care Center for area rugs. The rugs are used to establish areas for blocks, books and dramatic play in each of the classrooms.

The deadline for the next DeKalb County Community Foundation grant period is Sept. 1. Those interested in learning more about grant guidelines are encouraged to call Smith at (815) 748-5383 or visit www.dekalbcountyfoundation.org.

6-6-05