BAINBRIDGE, Ohio — The Bainbridge Fire Department has received a $2,500 matching funds grant from Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial to support modernization of the volunteer department, the department said in a Facebook post.
The money came through Modern Woodmen’s Matching Fund Program, which matches as much as $2,500 raised by local members for a cause of their choosing in their home community. The program backs more than 3,500 community fundraising projects nationwide each year, contributing more than $10 million annually to causes that include volunteer fire departments, food pantries and youth programs, according to Modern Woodmen.
Modern Woodmen of America, the fraternal benefit society behind the local grant, was founded in 1883 and operates without shareholders. The member-owned organization pairs financial products such as life insurance with fraternal giving, and it says local chapters and members direct millions of dollars each year back into their own communities through matching funds, scholarships and volunteer projects.
The Bainbridge Fire Department is staffed by part-time and volunteer firefighters who respond across roughly 77 square miles in Ross and Pike counties, according to the village of Bainbridge. The department is headquartered at the Bainbridge Municipal Building on Dewey Street and is led by Fire Chief Branson Leisure.
Department officials said the grant will go toward modernization efforts but did not detail specific equipment or upgrades in their announcement.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Bainbridge Fire Department.
