Teaching a life-saving skill, sign replacement, and a partnership to help emergency responders are projects that will receive neighborhood grants announced today by King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn. The Hope Heart Institute, Glacier Vista Neighborhood, and Green Valley Lake Holm Association are the recipients of King County Community Service Area grants.

“Everyone wins when communities are thriving,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “These Community Service Area Grants partner with local organizations to fund projects focused on safety, education, and providing opportunities for area residents to grow closer and together.”

The Hope Heart Institute, a prevention based non-profit that works to fund cardiovascular research and education, will receive a $2,000 grant for preparedness workshops. Classes will provide free, community-wide training for handling sudden cardiac arrest emergencies and performing CPR.

“The Hope Heart Institute would like to thank King County for its support of our Heart Restart program, which increases community preparedness for a sudden cardiac arrest emergency through increased awareness, hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) training, and the placement of AEDs in the community. This grant will help expand the reach of our program, bringing lifesaving information to communities in unincorporated King County that may otherwise not have access,” said Allison Emery, Heart Restart & Evaluation Program Manager.

A grant will go also to the Glacier Vista Neighborhood for a replacement entrance sign. Years of strong winds and weather have worn the current 40 year old sign and made the neighborhood difficult to recognize. The $2,000 grant will go toward a new sign that will increase visibility as well as encourage area residents to work together on the installation process.

“We appreciate being awarded $2,000 toward a new sign for our neighborhood. We are grateful to Reagan Dunn for his efforts to improve our roads and our neighborhood. His staff steered us toward the grant application process. Thank you to Rebecca Middleton for her diligence in writing this grant application,” said Mary O’Connor, a resident of Glacier Vista Neighborhood.

Green Valley Lake Holm Association will receive two grants totaling $2,000 for community projects. The funds will support community meetings intended to provide residents a voice for local problems as well as a partnership between residents and the Mt View Fire & Rescue Department to complete an emergency house number project to increase visible address identification.

The King County Community Service Areas (CSA) offer expanded ways for the County to engage with the 252,000 county residents who live outside city boundaries. There are more than 72,000 residents represented by Councilmember Dunn who live in unincorporated King County.

The grant programs within the CSA’s are available through a competitive application process. The grants must be used to fund community projects that offer unincorporated area residents in the Community Service Areas an opportunity to participate and be more connected in their communities. A total of $60,000 was awarded for projects in 2016.

If you live in an unincorporated community and are interested in learning more about the CSA program and how to apply for future grant opportunities please visit www.kingcounty.gov/exec/community-service-areas.aspx.