Connections of Tipp City receives GWYL August grant

On Thursday evening, August 14th, Give Where You Live (GWYL) members listened to three informative presentations from Child Care Choices, Connections of Tipp City, and the Tippecanoe Educational Endowment Fund. All the presentations were rewarded with member votes, but it was Connections of Tipp City that received the most votes, so they are winners of our August 2025 GWYL grant.

Connections of Tipp City is a place for youth and more. It is a nonprofit youth outreach organization in Tipp City that happens to carry penny candy and craft soda. Their main goal is to provide a safe space for teens to gather after school. They hope to nurture positive relationships within the community by connecting teens with caring adults who willingly share their gifts and time. The retail portion of Connections is a means to that end. Connecting with artists, musicians, faith leaders, and teachers allows students the opportunity to grow and become all that God has designed them to be. Performance and service opportunities provide a way for teens to explore their gifts and give back to the community. Barbara Cooper is Director of the Fun and Founder of Connections. She is assisted by her daughter Elise Cooper and George-Bailey Cooper, the resident therapy dog of Connections!

Give Where You Live of Miami County (GWYL), a Giving Circle, is a group of women and men who love giving where they are living. We began in 2015 and to date, we have donated over $291,700 to Miami County Charities. We meet in-person four times a year to provide grants to charities that improve the lives of people living in Miami County. Any member can nominate a Miami County charity and from all the nominations we randomly select three charities. At our meetings, representatives from these organizations make five-minute presentations about their organizations. Their presentations are followed by a question-and-answer segment, and then our members vote for the charity of their choice. The top vote-getting charity receives our Grant. Grant funding comes from each of our members’ commitment to donate $100 to the charity selected by the group. GWYL membership is open to anyone who has a heart for giving back. You can become a member by going to: https://givewhereyoulive.wixsite.com/miamicounty

Attached is a picture of Barbara and her daughter Elise