The Rising Sun Regional Foundation awarded $218,261 in 15 new grants on December 8. These grants include:

• $25,000 to the Historic Hoosier Hills RC&D Council toward the Southeastern Indiana Historic Film Project - a proposed documentary film about the history, heritage, and future of Ohio, Ripley, Dearborn and Switzerland counties, in preparation of Indiana’s Bicentennial in 2016.

• $10,511 to the Ohio County Fairboard toward the purchase of replacement and additional pens for goat, sheep, and swine projects.

• $22,700 to the Aurora Police Department toward expenses to equip an interview room.

• $3,507 to the Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office for the purchase and installation of a PC based camera system for use in covert operations in Ohio and Dearborn counties.

• $5,000 to The Ohio County Historical Society toward two projects, $2,500 for its scheduled 2010 Civil War Encampment to assist in promoting regional school student attendance/participation and $2,500 to assist in the presentation of an expanded Rising Sun/Ohio County Quiltfest.

• $11,811 to the Rising Sun-Ohio County Community School Corporation toward the purchase of additional equipment and supplies and training and certification of instructors for its Project Lead The Way program at the Rising Sun High School.

• $18,000 to the Rising Sun Police Department toward the purchase of a new Police Package SUV to replace its current K-9 police vehicle.

• $7,000 to the LifeTime Housing Group, Inc. to serve as a partial match for a $125,000 Indiana Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to be used toward its Ohio County Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program.

• $14,130 to the City of Rising Sun on behalf of the Ohio County Animal Shelter for needed upgrades to its shelter facility to include counters/cabinetry, a walk-in freezer, a new shelter hangover extension, and for computer upgrades.

• $6,000 to St. Louis Catholic School toward the purchase of classroom sound systems.

• $17,000 to the City of Batesville toward the purchase of additional 800 megahertz radios for both its police and fire departments.

• $20,000 to the Milan Community School Corporation toward the purchase of a NovaNET software system.

• $10,000 to the Ohio County Highway Department toward the purchase of a used dump trailer.

• $12,602 to the Town of Versailles toward the purchase of walk-by meter-reading equipment with related computer software for its street department.

• $35,000 to the Ripley County Commissioners toward the purchase of 70 new desktop computers and associated software to upgrade the technology capacity in most of its departments to meet current needs and comply with new state reporting requirements.

The Rising Sun Regional Foundation was created in 1994 by the City of Rising Sun in conjunction with the development of the Grand Victoria Casino and Resort by the Hyatt Corporation.

The foundation began its grantmaking program in early 1997 after the Grand Victoria Casino opened for business in September 1996. The Grand Victoria makes monthly contributions to the foundation based on a percentage of its adjusted gross revenue.