Detroit Federation of Paraprofessionals Local 2350, 14191 Greenfield Rd, Detroit, MI 48227, US

For more than 20 years, the Canton Community Foundation has provided grants for community service projects, according to foundation president and CEO Joan Noricks. Noricks said the foundation also helps match donors and other leaders with projects. "Our assests are about $1.5 million," she said. In 2010, the foundation held a 2-day workshop to help military veterans secure their Veterans Administration benefits. The foundation also arranged for a $15,000 grant supporting a 6-month health study to identify Canton-area people without health insurance. In 2011, a task force will move this project forward by working with health care systems to validate the study results. From there, Noricks said, the task force and the health systems will find solutions for those in the greater Canton area -- Plymouth, Westland, Wayne, Belleville, Van Buren communities. Past landmark projects include a $20,000 grant in 1997 that led to the creation of Village Theatre of Cherry Hill.