PORTSMOUTH- A convincing benefit of the Scioto Foundation’s Scioto Gives program, set for October 19, is that many local community nonprofit organizations are affected positively by it each year. This year a record high 48 nonprofits representing numerous causes will participate in the effort to raise funds for their endowments invested at the Scioto Foundation. Those funds enable the nonprofits to exist, endure, help hundreds of people in need and support local community programs.

Likewise, donors will find an abundance of worthy causes and nonprofits to support in the eleventh year of the Scioto Gives program as they uphold their favorite passion.

Generally the causes fall into seven categories: Health and Wellness; Children and Youth; Community Beautification and Improvement; Education; Arts, Entertainment and History; Animal Welfare and Social Services.

Nonprofits included in the Health and Wellness category are Shawnee Family Health Center, Deaf Services, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Compass Point Housing, Compass Community Health, the Counseling Center, Friends of Scioto Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Valley Type I Diabetes, Ascend and Connex.

Nonprofits focusing on Children and Youth are the Simon Kenton Boy Scouts of America, the Stephen Hunter Hope Fund, Time Out for Me, the CAY Endowment, the Candyland Children’s

Museum, Friends of Portsmouth Skate Park, Special Olympics and the West Portsmouth Youth Sports Complex.

Under the Community Beautification and Improvement category are the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, the Portsmouth Beautification Society, Portsmouth Murals, Inc., Friends of Portsmouth, Friends of the Welcome Center, the Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail, the Paul E. Johnson Main Street Endowment, the Market Square Park and the Friends of Spartan Stadium.

Nonprofits centered on Education are the Hillview Retirement Center Endowment, the South Eastern Ohio Education Service Center, Southern Ohio Folklife and the Scioto Foundation’s UCAN Fund.

The Arts, Entertainment and History group includes the Portsmouth Area Arts Council, the 1810 House, the Portsmouth Wind Symphony, the Portsmouth Little Theatre, the Roy Rogers Festival, the Scioto County Heritage Museum, Scioto Literary and the Trillium Project.

Animal Welfare centers on Sierra’s Haven and the Animal Welfare League of Scioto County.

Finally, Social Service nonprofits include Goodwill Industries of Southern Ohio, Potter’s House Ministries, the United Scioto Senior Activities, Habitat for Humanity of the Tri-State, Operation Safety Net, the Tri-State Chapter of the American Red Cross and St. Francis Outreach and Charitable Giving.

Some nonprofits’ programs may cross over more than one category. Each participating nonprofit is profiled with details about its mission and community activities on the Scioto Gives website for viewing by interested potential donors.

From 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on October 19 contributions on behalf of all these participating nonprofits will be received on the Scioto Foundation website, www.sciotogives.org, by a simple

procedure. Using the pull-down menu on the website, donors can select their charity and the amount they wish to give, list credit card information and press “donate.”

Donors may send checks to the Foundation at P.O. Box 911, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662 or they may transfer stocks during the designated twelve-hour period on October 19. Donors may also drop checks off at the Scioto Foundation’s office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the giving period, but the Foundation staff requests that those who want to make gifts by credit card do so by online transactions during the designated timeframe.

The matching amount each nonprofit will receive will be determined after all contributions are received. All donors and nonprofit representatives are encouraged to join the announcement of Scioto Gives results and the recipients of grants awarded for the seventh year of the Scioto Foundation’s Scioto 365 community development initiative reception on Tuesday, November 14 at 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at Oscar’s Restaurant.

For more information about the Scioto Gives program, please contact Patty Tennant or Toni Dengel at (740) 354-4612.