(Versailles, IN) – A total of $753,021.50 in grants was awarded to 13 non-profit organizations in the Versailles area Thursday night at the 167th birthday celebration for Uncle Jim Tyson in the Tyson Methodist Church sanctuary.
Tyson Fund Trustees received 16 requests totaling more than $925,354 this year and selected 13 of the 16 to be voted on by the citizens of Versailles, per Mr. Tyson’s Last Will and Testament. The trustees were only able to fully fund five of the requests, and three were turned down.
The following organizations were awarded 2023 Tyson Fund grants:
- Child Evangelism Fellowship – $ 2,975 to help fund the summer camps and Good News Clubs at South Ripley Schools.
- Ripley County Historical Society – $2,534 to repair and replace the front steps of the building.
- Main Street Versailles – $4,500 to support the many programs, events, and other activities the group sponsors throughout the year.
- Ripley County Community Foundation – $10,950 to fund Genesis: Pathways to Success in Versailles during the upcoming year.
- Ripley County Tourism (Wreaths Across America) – $2,000 to help fund the laying of wreaths at veterans’ gravesites in Cliff Hill Cemetery.
- Town of Versailles – $370,000 to improve the town’s water/sewer systems; to match Community Crossing funds for street repair; a new barn; water meters; a downpayment on a new dump truck, and a water bond payment.
- Tri-Kappa – $4,062.50 to buy new brackets for the veterans’ banners that go on light poles around town.
- Tyson Activity Center (TAC) – $55,000 to continue programming offered at TAC to help with repairs around the aging building.
- Tyson Library Association – $155,000t to continue programming for the Library and the citizens of Versailles.
- Tyson Methodist Church – $115,000 to repay the loan associated with the church’s disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church of Indiana.
- Versailles Fire Department – $25,000 for a payment on the 2006 rescue truck that was purchased in 2020.
- Versailles Lions Club – $10,000 for entertainment and other expenses at the 2023 Versailles Pumpkin Show.
- Youth to Yellowstone of Ripley County – $1,000 for two South Ripley students to enjoy the adventures of Yellowstone Park next summer.
The man known as “Uncle Jim” used $74 thousand in Walgreens stock in 1930 to set up a trust fund that specifically benefits the citizens of his hometown.
This is the 92nd year the grants were made on September 14 to non-profits in the Versailles area.
