The Woodward News

Local News

October 2, 2008

Western Plains wins grant

Western Plains Youth and Family Services recently announced that it has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Tulsa based Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.

The grant will help to recover costs for expanding the center’s counseling services, according to Western Plains Director Kevin Evans.

“When we built our building, we built it with a few extra offices,” Evans said, noting that the hope was to fill the four extra offices over the next few years.

However, it only took a few months, he said, noting that the addition of four counselors also brought additional costs, which included not only the extra salaries but also increased operating expenses.

Western Plains is in the process of raising $158,000 to help recover the total costs of the expansion, Evans said, noting that the $25,000 grant is a great first step toward reaching that goal.

“It’s a big shot in the arm for our program,” he said.

The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation is happy to provide the support, said Jeanne Gillert, grants manager for the foundation.

“One of the primary reasons for the gift is because Western Plains is a great organization,” Gillert said, noting that “it is a model program for youth services in rural Oklahoma.”

It is exactly the type of organization that the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation likes to support, she said.

“The foundation likes to give in small communities,” she said.

In addition, Gillert noted that the recently awarded $25,000 grant is the “second gift that we have given Western Plains in a year and a half.” The foundation also awarded the youth service program a capitol grant of $150,000 to help with construction costs for the new youth shelter and counseling center, she said.

“We obviously believe in the organization and its leaders,” Gillert said.

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