The Knox County 708 Board of Mental Health approved about $449,000 in grants Friday in their ongoing process of reviewing and allocating funds.They expect to receive $1.2 million from their tax levy.
Achievement Unlimited, known by the public as DD Homes was approved for a pair of grants at the full amount requested.
One grant was $40,000 to fund major dental work for individuals with developmental disabilities.
These individuals can become fearful if someone they don’t trust is working in their mouth, so sedation is sometimes required and currently residents would have to go Chicago for a major dental procedure.
DD Homes also was approved for $63,000 to install exercise equipment at KCCDD and the YMCA for clients at developmentally disabled social service agencies to use.
Camp Big Sky was approved for $5,000.
Although the camp is in Fulton County, Mission Director Brad Guidi says about 20 percent of their participants are from Knox County.
The 708 Board still has many applications to go through but of the ones they’ve considered so far only one request has been denied in total.
That was a $5,000 request from Alternatives for the Older Adult to provide money management training for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness.
They approved the full amount requested by KCCDD.
The agency made three grant requests totaling $330,000, the lion’s share being for operational support.
They were also approved for a one-time $25,000 grant to make a capital improvement in the form of a new roof, with KCCDD paying for the other half.
The final of their requests was to take fund three individuals on Illinois’ Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services list.
Rainbow Riders was approved for $11,000.
