Non-profits, schools, community organizations and volunteer fire departments were among those who came to the Cullman County Community Development Commission (CCCDC) meeting Tuesday night to plead their case for grant money. Many went home empty-handed, but at the end of the hour-long meeting, the board had granted a total of $118,000.

According to Chairman Champ Crocker the board reserves $100,000 of its available funds – slightly more than $224,000 as of Tuesday – leaving about $124,000 to award.

Among the grant winners Tuesday was Grace Place, which received a $12,000 grant for its programs that help sufferers of dementia and their care givers. Grace Place of Cullman is a respite program for memory loss patients and their caregivers, serving 10-12 clients two days a week. Grace Place also has a support group for caregivers of memory loss patients.

The grant request had been pending for a year and sponsors asked it to be placed in the “dire-need” category. “We’re not trying to make money, we’re trying to have a program that this community and this county can be proud of,” said Grace Place co-founder Jerry Jacobs.

St. Paul’s Lutheran School also received a $12,000 grant to update technology for students. The school is also raising money through fundraisers and donations.

Other recipients of $12,000 grants were:

Loretto Volunteer Fire Department for a chest compression medical device

Valley Grove Community Center to upgrade the heating and cooling equipment at the community center/voting precinct

Cullman Soil and Water for educational supplies for the educational program take to schools

Walter Volunteer Fire Department for equipment

Liberty Learning for supplies for the civics education program they bring to schools.

The Baileyton Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $10,633 grant for two automated external defibrillators, and the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department received a grant for $10,000 for a thermal imaging camera. The Cullman Area Literacy Council was also awarded $4,000 for community literacy projects.

Crocker was called on to break a tie vote when the members were split on awarding $10,000 to Hanceville Elementary School for an electronic sign to communicate with parents. Board members Cherrie Haney and Josh Speakman voted in favor of awarding the grant, while Joe Golden and Brad Williams voted against. Crocker voted to award the grant to the school, which will use the funds to offset the cost of the sign, estimated to be between $21,000-$26,000.

According to state law, CCDC grants can only be used to promote education, economic and community development, conservation or fire protection.

The next meeting of the CCDC board will be in April or May, Crocker said.