The Villagers have announced their 2019 grant recipients, with eleven entities sharing $50,000. Grants are allocated for historic restoration and preservation projects, including those to educate, document, and perpetuate the heritage of Miami-Dade County.
Grantees for 2019 are Barnacle State Park for Marjory Stoneman Douglas House, Coral Gables Garden Club, Coral Gables Merrick House, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables Woman’s Club, Deering Estate, Montgomery Botanical Center, Pinecrest Gardens for Whilden Carrier Cottage, Redland Farm Life School, Damir Anthony Sinovcic’s research for “Façade: Historic Coral Gables”, and the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove.
Susan Medina chaired the Projects/Grant Committee to review applications and select the recipients, along with committee members Jeanne Bunten, Marlin Ebbert, Gayle Duncan, Helen Duncan, Alexis Ehrenhaft, Sweet Pea Ellman, Dolly MacIntyre, Carolyn Reyes, and Martha Voytek. ”Our mission is to protect and preserve our interesting and valuable history, so it can be enjoyed for generations to come,” said Villager President Joan Bounds.
The Villagers is Miami-Dade County’s oldest historic preservation organization, founded in 1966. The not-for-profit all-volunteer group, originally formed to save the Douglas Entrance, grew to identify and assist other endangered sites. Members regularly advocate for local preservation and have been leaders working with sites for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, providing brainpower, elbow grease and funding. By educating, advocating, fundraising, and documenting, The Villagers continue a 53-year tradition of service for the restoration and preservation of historic sites.
More than 70 local organizations have received funding for preservation projects, many with multiple grants. Additionally, college scholarships are awarded annually to students studying historic preservation at Florida universities, and graduating seniors from Miami’s Design and Architecture High School.