UF receives statewide grant from America 250-Ohio for storytelling, education programs

COLUMBUS — The University of Findlay is one of 57 organizations across the state that will receive a grant from America 250-Ohio, the official state commission responsible for spearheading Ohio's celebrations and commemorations around America's semiquincentennial in 2026. America 250-Ohio announced Wednesday that it has awarded grants of up to $5,000 each to these organizations for a total of $278,834. The grants are dedicated to funding programs and initiatives commemorating Ohio's important contribution to American history. The $5,000 grant is meant to help awardees plan, organize and implement a program or event that aligns with America 250-Ohio initiatives in two broad categories - storytelling and education. The university will use the funds for a proposed Funday Sunday event on Jan. 11, 2026 that will bring the community together to celebrate literacy and American history through the art of picture books. Featuring a renowned illustrator, the event will emphasize the power of storytelling in shaping the nation's narrative. The Mazza Museum is considering several illustrators, one of which is Cheryl Harness. Funding will support the illustrator's participation, engaging storytelling sessions, book giveaways for families, and decorations to create an immersive experience. Building on past successes such as the 750 attendees at January's Funday Sunday and over 400 community guests at Patricia Polacco's last public appearance, this initiative amplifies Mazza's mission to promote literacy and enrich lives through picture book art. This event will highlight the cultural and educational value of American stories while fostering a love of reading for all ages. In order to qualify, applicants needed to either be designated an official "America 250-Ohio Community," and/or have a letter of support from that local government entity. These community-focused grants are aimed at funding local experiences that supplement the programs that America 250-Ohio is producing statewide, and that further the reach of America 250-Ohio-related educational programming statewide. This is the third and final round of grants awarded by America 250-Ohio since its inception. The first funding cycle, announced in January 2024, awarded nearly $400,000 in grants to 23 communities and organizations for projects with significant statewide or regional impacts, as well as smaller, local activations. The second funding cycle, announced in June 2024, awarded $600,000 to 61 recipients. "We wanted to use this third grant cycle to recognize and support the work of America 250-Ohio communities across the state," said Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio. "From big cities to small towns, Ohioans are making plans for the semiquincentennial in 2026, and this new round of grants will help provide them with opportunities to learn and to celebrate our state and our nation." In addition, three other communities in the area will also receive $5,000 grants including: • Deshler will hold three storytelling events discussing presidential train visits. The village has had several campaigning presidents make train whistle-stop speeches. There was also a presidential funeral stop made in Deshler. The goal will be to to memorialize and preserve these events. Presidents to be discussed include Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, McKinley and others. Local veteran stories will be shared and saved for the future. A 2026 summer reading program with a history theme will help educate the village youth. Eight topics will be covered during the program. • Kalida's project, "Small Town Men with Big Stories," is specifically dedicated to the Purple Heart Medal recipients from the village. This project focuses on remembering and honoring these men by collecting and documenting their personal stories and memories. The opportunity to collect the details of these men becomes increasingly more difficult each year. The project encompasses 115 years of American history wrapped up in one small town. Kalida seeks to make an outward and lasting impression that the community appreciates the heroism and sacrifices of military men and woman. • Upper Sandusky - The Wyandot County Archaeological and Historical Society plans to share the county's heritage from the Wyandottes to the present. The Upper Sandusky Community Committee will share stories about various aspects of Wyandot County history through a variety of methods which includes inviting Chief Billy Friend and cultural historians from the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma to share how the American Revolution and later events impacted citizens with students, residents and a podcast. The committee will also create travelling history trunks for elementary school students focusing on the county's veterans, early pioneer history and American Indian heritage. A 4th of July parade will be organized allowing the county's smaller communities to showcase their heritage. Projects will also include cleaning, repairing and/or replacing Revolutionary War veteran headstones; creating brochures and maps for self-guided driving tours of heritage sites in the county; providing a handful of guided bus tours of historic sites in the county based on the maps as well as incorporating the semiquincentennial colors and stated monthly themes to several existing county events. The Trillium Local Activity Grants awarded in spring 2024 offered up to $5,000 for projects with a local or community-wide impact. These projects may include exhibitions, interpretative panels, local commemorative programs or activities, local public events, educational, public programs and smaller digital and documentary media projects. The Hardin County Historical Museums' Inc. received $3,500 to cover speakers' fees of experts who have advanced knowledge of Hardin County history from the time it was formed by Indian Territory in 1820 to the present. The museum will host speakers at county museums, schools, libraries and the fair. Possible topics will include historical sites, events, American Indian heritage, arts and culture, military history, sports and personalities. Union Township of Putnam County, located in Kalida, received $1,800 to document the stories of everyone buried in the Old Union Township Cemetery and make those biographies available free online through QR codes. The QR codes will be posted at each gravesite in the cemetery.