OPERATION OUR TOWN AWARDS GRANTS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE & CRIME PREVENTION
Operation Our Town has announced grant awards to 21 local programs aimed at the prevention and/or reduction of substance abuse and/or crime in Blair County. A total of over $80,000 will be distributed to the recipients of the 2026 Prevention Grant Cycle.
Prevention takes many forms. Each of these programs are an example of what prevention looks like — not just reacting to problems, but investing in people before they start.
A total of over $1.6 million has been awarded in grants by Operation Our Town to prevention programs in Blair County over the past 19 years.
Operation Our Town will begin accepting grant applications again on:
- May 1, 2027 with a deadline for grant applications on June 4, 2027
- We will also hold another grant training in April 2027 before the next grant cycle
- You can check back for more information on the 2027 grant cycle and grant training dates at: org
Each application was evaluated objectively based on specific criteria through a scoring process by the Operation Our Town Grant Committee. In addition, Grant Committee members recuse themselves on grant applications in which they have a personal or professional interest. The Grant Committee includes the following members:
- Jodi Cessna – Executive Director, Central PA Community Foundation
- Donna Gority – Former Blair County Commissioner
- Jolene Kopriva – Senior Blair County Judge
- Melanie Shildt – Director, Business Development, Arrow Land Solutions
- Janice Tannehill – Grant Proposal Developer, Penn State Outreach
OPERATION OUR TOWN 2026 GRANT RECIPIENTS
AASD Adult Education Program: HSE: Bridging the Gap to Careers
2212 Sixth Avenue, 2nd Floor, Altoona (814) 329-0253
Funding awarded will be used to invest in the future of Blair County adults who lack a high school diploma by awarding HSE (High School Equivalency) scholarships to pay for the cost of GED subtest exams necessary to earning their High School Equivalency Credential.
AASD ELECT Program: ELECT (Education Leading to Employment & Career Training)
1201 8th Avenue, Altoona (814) 496-7088
Funding awarded will be used to provide pregnant and parenting teens with items from a food pantry, partner incentives, strollers, and pack & plays to support them in ways that traditional funding sources do not allow.
Altoona Area School District Foundation: Project SOAR (Study, Overcome, Achieve, Reward)
1404 6th Avenue, Altoona (814) 243-0235
Funding awarded will be used for supplies and program materials for students that have been identified to receive financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education, given that they meet program guidelines and participate fully in the program.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County: S.M.A.R.T. School/Site-based Mentoring Program
891 23rd Street, Altoona (814) 944-6129
Funding awarded will be used to help create and support matches between mentors and mentees in all the SMART School/Site-based Mentoring Programs throughout Blair County; thus providing children with meaningful relationships to help reduce the likelihood of substance abuse, criminal mischief, school absenteeism, and violence.
Blair County Head Start: Head Start Fatherhood/Male Initiative
319 Sycamore Street, Altoona (814) 946-5247
Funding awarded will be used to expand fatherhood and male involvement opportunities within Blair County Head Start, fostering positive adult-child relationships, increasing family connectedness, and promoting protective factors that support long-term prevention efforts.
Blair Emergency Services Chaplain Platoon: B.E.S.C.P.
2500 4th Avenue, Altoona (814) 207-5723
Funding awarded will be used to provide special events: Badges, Belles’s & Beaus’s Ball and Family Christmas Party in support of serving and caring for the individuals (and their families) who serve our communities as first responders and emergency services personnel.
Evolution Expressions: Arts for Healing
801 S. Kettle Street, Altoona (814) 201-2751
Funding awarded will be used to replenish and purchase new supplies, such as stretched canvases, acrylic paints, T-shirts, aprons, and storage bins, as well as healthy snacks and bottled water for the Arts for Healing program.
Families United for Change: C.C.’s Boutique
3921 Maple Avenue, Altoona (814) 934-8067
Funding awarded will be used to assist women with essential necessities, including clothing, coats, socks, shoes, and personal hygiene items after successful completion of a treatment program.
Gloria Gates Memorial Foundation: Afterschool programs
118 East Spruce Court, Altoona (814) 949-8838
Funding awarded will be used to fund educational materials, craft materials, prizes, field trips, special events, snacks, and individual assistance to youth-at-risk enrolled in three after school programs in underserved communities.
Home Nursing Agency Foundation: The Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program
20 Sheraton Drive, Altoona (814) 947-7027
Funding awarded will be used to assist with the supplies associated with peer support groups held twice monthly during the school year for Blair County children and their families who have suffered the death of a loved one, as well as supplies for their Blair County in-school groups, called Patch Clubs.
NAMI Blair County: The Power of Creativity For Children and Families’ Mental Health
711 9th Avenue, Altoona (814) 327-7083
Funding awarded will be used for art supplies, games, snacks, leader manuals, advertising, and recruitment to support the Power of Creativity for Children and Families’ Mental Health program, which aims to strengthen family connections, encourage healthy communication, and promote positive mental and emotional well-being.
Overflow Church: N.E.X.T. (Nourish the soul, Educate the mind, Xpel the negative, Train the body)
127 5th Avenue, Altoona (814) 389-1774
Funding awarded will be used to support a faith-based life skills initiative that equips individuals in transition with practical skills, support, and healthy coping strategies to reduce risk factors associated with substance abuse, recidivism, and long-term poverty.
Refuge Youth Network: Youth Ministry Nights
600 Ritts Road, Altoona (814) 889-9113
Funding awarded will be used to provide meals, transportation assistance, curriculum, and program supplies in order to increase youth access to structured, substance free programming throughout Blair County.
Roaring Spring Community Library: The Dark Reads Society
320 East Main Street, Roaring Spring (814) 224-2994
Funding awarded will be used to purchase book club books, pizza, snacks, beverages, teen books, journals, and pens for a teen book club.
The Door Student Services, Inc.: The Door Stars Program
534 E. 5th Street, Bellwood (814) 215-1883
Funding awarded will be used to provide the transportation, meals, and supplies costs for monthly field trips throughout the school year, as well as prize incentives, and camp incentives aimed at mentoring youth towards completing their education and becoming productive community-oriented adults.
The Nehemiah Project: Kids Konnect
1809 11th Street, Altoona (814) 201-2096
Funding awarded will be used to provide meals, snacks, supplies for tutors, and crafts at the Kids Konnect afterschool program, which provides a safe and nurturing environment for school-age children.
The R.O.C.K. at 2nd Avenue: The R.O.C.K. (Reaching Out to Community Kids)
130 2nd Avenue, Altoona (814) 943-2072
Funding awarded will be used to purchase food and supplies for a program for youth in Pre-K to 12th grade, which provides a home-cooked meal, gym/physical activities, the arts, and age-appropriate small groups that encourage healthy living throughout the week.
The Salvation Army – Altoona Worship & Service Center: Unsheltered Assistance Programs
1813 6th Avenue, Altoona (814) 942-8104
Funding awarded will be used to provide meals, clothing, laundry & shower supplies, and transportation for unsheltered individuals to help them secure permanent residence and provisions that will help them not revert to negative options.
Tyrone-Snyder Public Library: Home School Connection: Life Skills Initiative
1000 Pennsylvania Avenue, Tyrone (814) 684-1133
Funding awarded will be used to purchase program supplies, educational kits, marketing, and incentives for a year-long program that engages homeschool students and families in hands-on learning experiences that build practical life skills, foster community connections, and prepare youth for lifelong success.
United Way of the Southern Alleghenies’ Family Resource Center: Parents as Teachers
208 Hollidaysburg Plaza, Duncansville (814) 317-5108
Funding awarded will be used for program supplies for home visits, food, educational materials, and emergency family needs for the parent education program Parents as Teachers (evidence-based home visiting).
Young Life of Central Pennsylvania: Young Life Camp
117 Quince Court, Hollidaysburg (814) 312-2061
Funding awarded will be used to provide financial aid for local junior high, senior high, and college-age students who cannot otherwise afford to attend Young Life Camp in the Summer of 2027.