FARMINGTON -- More than 28,000 Davis County youths from 16 organizations received a happy Thanksgiving Day gift Tuesday when the Davis County Commission awarded the groups $17,500 in grants.
The money is from the proceeds generated by the Commissioner's Cup Golf Tournament held Aug. 17 at Valley View Golf Course in Layton.
Funds raised during the annual tournament are designated to assist organizations that serve youths within the county.
"I wish we had more money," said Commissioner John Petroff Jr.
The commission received $50,000 in funding requests from the 16 groups and was able to meet less than half of that, he said.
But the commissioners expressed gratitude for those who supported the golf tournament, which raised roughly $1,000 more than the 2010 tournament generated.
This year's big recipients are the Davis Education Foundation, which received $2,750 for safe night graduation parties, and Layton Christian Academy, which received $2,200 to pay for an interactive teaching system.
The interactive teaching systems at the academy will serve 350 students, said Layton Christian Academy Pastor Myke Crowder.
The money made available to the foundation for the safe night graduation parties will benefit about 5,000 high school students across the county, said Davis School District spokesman Chris Williams.
"We don't know how many lives we have saved," Commissioner Louenda Downs said of the foundation's hosting of school-sponsored events that are drug-, tobacco- and alcohol-free.
Other organizations receiving funding include the Family Connection Center in Clearfield and Davis Applied Technology College in Kaysville.
The FCC received $2,100, which will be used for in-home parent counseling, said Daneen Adams, FCC director of development and marketing.
The FCC program benefits 1,800 local youths.
DATC received $1,500 for "bridge" scholarships so four students can close the gap between school tuition and fees and what they can afford to pay.
The Davis Arts Council, with headquarters in Layton, received $1,300 and will put it toward the "Arts in Education" program.
The DAC program provides value lessons to about 14,400 area youths through traveling skits, said DAC Executive Director Kirt Bateman.
Smaller funding amounts went to the Pioneer Adult Rehabilitation Center, $1,000; Weber State University-Davis, $1,000; Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, $950; Joy Foundation, $800; and Davis Head Start, Children's Creative Arts, and the Woods Cross Summer Literacy Program, $750 each.
The SaharaCares Foundation in Bountiful received $700 for producing an autism training DVD; Utah State University Extension Service received $500 to develop a children's garden at USU Botanical Gardens in Kaysville; and Edu-Care in Layton received $300 for a listening center in its library.
Also, Best Buddies in Salt Lake City received $200 for Best Buddies programs at Viewmont and Layton high schools. The nonprofit Best Buddies program at the schools pairs students with those facing developmental and intellectual challenges.
Commissioner Bret Millburn said the varying organizations that sought funding show "the diversity of things happening in this county for the youth."
Comments