The Shook Foundation Distributes $60K in its Sixth Grant Cycle

The Shook Foundation is a non-profit organization funded and operated by the employees of Shook Construction and seeks to be an enduring resource for those they serve. With a vision to enrich the communities where the employees live and work through engagement and investment, all employee pledges and donations to the Foundation are used to contribute to non-profit organizations for transformational causes within the community.

In its sixth grant cycle, The Shook Foundation awarded 26 grants and distributed a total of $60,000 to local community organizations. Grant recipients include:

• A Place at the Table, Raleigh, NC, $4,350

  A Place at the Table’s mission is to provide community and good food for all, regardless of means. The group provides a place where everyone, regardless of circumstance or background, is welcome to dine with dignity in a safe and inclusive environment. The organization uses a pay-what-you-can model, where prices are suggested. Patrons can pay the suggested amount, pay less than that, volunteer in the café, or use a free meal card.

  
  

• Angel House, Searcy, AR, $2,750

  Angel House orphanage cares for over 70 children from 10 different villages, representing several tribes. The goal of Angel House is to provide the children with a quality education and a family environment, where they can develop the skills and faith necessary to be productive and successful citizens when they return to their villages.

• Aullwood Audubon, Columbus, OH, $3,000

  Aullwood Audubon enriches lives through education and stewardship of birds, ecosystems, and conservation efforts in the Dayton area. The group provides funding, staff support, and materials to support quality-of-life efforts for wildlife. Aullwood Audubon envisions a world where birds thrive and people prosper; everyone is empowered to take conservation action; and diversity of life and thought is respected.

  
  

• Bridge2Hope, Chardon, OH, $2,750

  Bridge2Hope is the sponsor entity to help refugees across the world relocate to America. Cleveland is designated as a refugee city, so the group specifically serves Northeast Ohio. Bridge2Hope offers support to families that are relocated.

• Community Building Institute (CBI), Middletown, OH, $4,000

  CBI's mission is to support not just children, but each member of the family to move from poverty to self-sufficiency. The organization offers Kindergarten Readiness, a Parent Resource Center, and a Baby Essentials Pantry. The Baby Essentials Pantry addresses urgent needs of families by providing diapers, wipes, formula, hygiene items, and other critical supplies. Meeting these basic needs moves the parent out of the tyranny of the moment and removes stress, enabling CBI to engage in early education conversations and connect parents to early learning programs, such as Head Start and Early Head Start.

  
  

• Engineers Without Borders USA, Cincinnati, OH, $1,900

  The group is providing reliable and convenient access to spring water for roughly 2,600 people in the village of Muramba, Rwanda. In 2023, the organization created a five-year master plan to accomplish this goal. To date, its projects have reached about 1,300 people — building two spring collection boxes, a 2-kilometer pipeline, several tap stands, and a 10,000-liter water storage tank. The next phase is to build another spring collection box and tie it into the existing system to increase water capacity.

• The Foodbank Inc., Dayton, OH, $3,950

  The Foodbank’s mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. Food and related supplies are distributed to a network of pantries, community kitchens, shelters, and other charitable programs, all of which support the health and development of food-insecure individuals in Montgomery, Greene, and Preble counties.

  
  

• Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley Miracle Clubhouse, Dayton, OH, $1,600

  The Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley Miracle Clubhouse is a vital community for growth, hope, and opportunity for people recovering from mental illness in the Dayton-area. The clubhouse is committed to ongoing improvement, positive development of strengths, and elimination of the stigma against those with mental illness.

  
  

• Hiram Farm Living & Learning Community, Hiram, OH, $1,300

  Hiram Farm is a working organic farm that provides adults with autism and other developmental disabilities meaningful work and life experiences. Its mission is to support each individual in achieving their fullest potential through structured programming, therapeutic activities, and purposeful tasks on the farm.

  
  

• Homefull, Dayton, OH, $3,150

  Homefull’s mission is to end homelessness by providing housing, services, advocacy, and education. Homefull serves both Dayton and Columbus. In the past 12 months, the organization has opened a new facility that provides a space for doctors' offices staffed by Kettering Health Network; a pharmacy run by Zik's; and a grocery store run by Homefull to alleviate a food desert in the west Dayton area.

  
  

• Hospice of Dayton Inc., Dayton, OH, $1,700

  The mission of Ohio's Hospice is to celebrate the lives of those they have the privilege of serving by providing superior care and services to each patient and family. The group provides palliative care and comfort care to individuals in both their homes and in a hospice facility.

  
  

• Jacques Pefoubou Foundation Inc., Fredericksburg, VA, $1,350

  The Jacques Pefoubou Foundation provides free health, social, and educational assistance in the rural areas of Cameroon. The foundation is in contact with hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. and France, and collects donations, which will be distributed to the health centers in rural areas of Cameroon.

  
  

• Jovante Woods Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, $700

  The Jovonte Woods Foundation started as a mission to provide rescue inhalers to people with asthma. Ickey and Chandra Woods lost their 16-year-old son, Jovante, to complications of an asthma attack. They were determined to make a difference, and the family started the foundation to educate people and put rescue inhalers in the hands of individuals who need them to prevent others from dealing with the loss of a loved one.

  
  

• Kids in New Directions (KIND), Dayton, OH, $1,200

  KIND is a free, inner-city youth organization in Dayton, serving children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Since 1987, its mission has been to improve the lives of young people by building a foundation in Christianity through education and life experiences that encourage youth to change the world for good. KIND offers afterschool and summer programs. Transportation is provided, along with dinner. Students are divided into age groups and attend classes that focus on their needs.

  
  

• LIFE: A Dementia Friendly Foundation, Wellington, OH, $3,150

  LIFE supports individuals living with dementia and those who care for them by creating safe, engaging, and joyful spaces where all are treated with dignity and compassion. Its mission is to build a dementia-friendly community through education, advocacy, and connection. The group provides weekly Memory Cafés and engagement programs in seven Northeast Ohio locations.
  

• Live Loud Like Cars8n, Tipp City, OH, $1,000

  Live Loud Like Cars8n was started to honor Tippecanoe High School student Carson Robbins, who died in 2023 following a brief illness. The endowment fund supports activities that build positive connections among students at Tipp City Schools and is aimed at fostering a positive environment for students of all ages. The fund’s awards are not limited to sports, which was Carson’s main love, but include academics, fine arts, and youth programs, among others.

  
  

• Love & Hope Children’s Home, Twinsburg, OH, $1,000

  Love & Hope Children’s Home cares for orphaned, abused, abandoned, and neglected children by sharing the love of Jesus in a family setting. The home provides a strong spiritual environment in which children can come to know Jesus personally and seek after Him with their own lives. Through staff, volunteers, counselors and guests, the organization seeks to provide solid examples of Godly living. “We believe the best way to impact the children is to build relationships with them, invest in their lives, and guide them through their struggles. We recognize that every person must travel a different road to salvation, and we want to walk beside each child, in love, for however long it takes.”

  
  

• Maelstrom Collaborative Arts (MCA), Cleveland, OH, $1,600

  MCA presents art that cultivates empathy for and between artists with diverse cultural and artistic identities. MCA's projects create a forum for local artists who are struggling to find mainstream engagement and provide an environment for experimentation, growth, and community building. MCA provides artists with resources often unavailable outside large organizations —marketing, logistical support, and technical/design expertise —and promotes a focus on development and experimentation in creative practice.

• Mission of Mary Cooperative, Dayton, OH, $4,200

  Food insecurity, declining soil health, and rising rates of chronic disease continue to impact our urban neighborhoods and, therefore, our overall community. Mission of Mary is working to be a catalyst and partner for sustainable urban development in Dayton by way of food access, education, and restoration. While Mission of Mary grows vegetables, it also grows knowledge, servant leadership, connection, and resilience. Located in East Dayton's Twin Towers neighborhood, this educational farm cultivates healthy food alongside healthy community.

  
  

• No Child in Tears Inc., Jersey City, NJ, $1,850

  The group’s mission is to “promote literacy, improve education in rural areas, uplift youth, empower women and girls, and reduce maternal mortality through education.” The organization believes that sustainable development and social transformation begin with a strong foundation in education. No Child in Tears fosters inclusive learning environments and provides access to essential resources to help break cycles of poverty and inequality.

  
  

• StepUp Ministry, Raleigh, NC, $3,700

  In its 35 years, StepUp Ministry has led the charge in the Raleigh area “to provide pathways for people to overcome barriers and transform their lives.” This equates to nearly 10,000 participants receiving benefits from programming. In 2024 alone, there were 645 participants, including adults, young adults, and children.

  
  

• The Diocesan Council Society of St. Vincent de Paul Cleveland Diocese, Cleveland, OH, $2,100

  “A network of friends, inspired by gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”The group’s newly formed prison ministry visits the Lorain County Correctional Facility each week and meets with incarcerated individuals. They study the Bible, pray together, and offer hope for the future.

• The Unforgettables Foundation of Southern Ohio, Dayton, OH, $2,800

  The Unforgettables Foundation of Southern Ohio’s mission is to provide comfort and tangible support to families enduring the unimaginable loss of a child. Since its founding in 2016, the group has walked beside 200 families through their darkest moments—offering financial aid, emotional care, and a promise that their children will never be forgotten.

• The Victory Project, Dayton, OH, $2,800

  The Victory Project is a privately funded, year‑round, six‑days‑a‑week mentoring and personal development program for disengaged young men in grades 8-12. At its core, the group’s mission is to empower youth to discover the life God intended by mastering self‑awareness, self‑sufficiency, and selfless service, thereby tearing down the pillars of poverty.

  
  

• Work Meaningful Foundation, Raleigh, NC, $850 The Work Meaningful Foundation exists to empower individuals through purpose-driven work. Its mission is to cultivate dignity, resilience, and opportunity by equipping people — especially youth and underserved populations — with the skills, mindset, and support needed to lead meaningful lives through meaningful work.

  
  

• Wounded Healers International, South Portland, ME, $1,250

  Wounded Healers International exists to restore hope and dignity to communities affected by trauma through culturally grounded mental health care. Its mission is to empower local leaders — many of whom are survivors themselves — to become agents of healing in their own communities.

In total, the Shook Foundation has now distributed over $178,000 to 66 different community organizations since launching in January 2022.

To learn more about the Foundation and receive the latest updates on grant awards, fundraising events, community outreach, and more, visit www.theshookfoundation.org and follow The Shook Foundation on

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