As part of their Helping Today grant funding program, the Erie Community Foundation is sending out money to different organizations throughout our community.

One of them is the Christian Ministries of the Apostolic Faith Church to help with their Achievers Entrepreneurial Hub, a 10-month program that runs from September to June, where small business owners learn how to start and grow their business.

Mentor of the program, Floyd Hull said the money is going to a good cause.

"What we try to do is help avoid the pitfalls in business that make them fail, we try to be that guardrail and make sure their business is successful," Hull said.

Throughout the course of the free program, Hull brings in speakers from different fields of the business world to introduce the students to those who are experts at what they do.

"With those connections I tell them it is networking, maybe that particular person cannot help you but through networking they know people that can because they are in the business community," Hull said.

Another group that received funding is the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York.

Andrea Sprickman, Community Relations Specialist, said the money is much needed because of how worn out the donor chairs are.

"It is going right back to the donors, so with this wonderful donation we have purchased five new donor chairs so when you are donating blood you get to relax in a new comfy chair," Sprickman said.

She said the chairs are coming at the right time because around these months, as the weather gets colder, the need for blood for goes up.

"Just like the summer we tend to see the hospital usage increase so we really encourage donors to come out during these winter months as we know it is all approaching soon," Sprickman said.

A full list of the organizations receiving funding can be found here: