The Soldotna Silver Salmon Swim Team will be able to buy new training equipment and Way Out Women will be able to provide more grants to cancer patients after both were named recipients of $1,000 Soldotna Mini Grants on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

According to a memo from City Clerk Johni Blankenship included in the Soldotna City Council’s meeting packet, the two organizations were found to be eligible for mini grants out of four applicants for the first of two cycles this fiscal year.

Mini Grants, according to the city’s Mini Grant Policy, provide funding to civic programs, services and events that contribute to the cultural and economic environment or the quality of life of the Soldotna community.

Ana Monyahan spoke on Wednesday for the Silver Salmon, saying that the organization began in 1980 and has always been run by a volunteer parent board. The swim team, she said, provides the opportunity for kids to participate in competitive sport, learning team work and goal setting. This season, they have 44 swimmers.

The team applied for grant funding to purchase and install a smart television at Soldotna High School. Monyahan said that the TV would be used to aid in training by displaying video of proper swimming technique. This is something that’s already being done, she said, by using coaches’ phones.

“They have to gather around the coach with this little phone to see,” Monyahan said. “This way, with the TV, it’ll be live and instant feedback. They can stay in the pool.”

The TV, she said, would be mounted on the wall away from splashes and available to other programs using the pool.

Cheryl Tachick asked the council for funds so that Way Out Women could provide grants of their own. Way Out Women, she said, has been around for 20 years, originally established by Kathy Lopeman, an oncology nurse at Central Peninsula Hospital. They provide funding to help cancer patients with their bills, traveling, or other expenses. Tachick said the mini grant funds would also be used to help with outreach.

“There are a lot of people that don’t know that we exist,” she said. “The grant is not just about funding, it’s about being able to present what we are out there for.”

Within “just” the last week, Tachick said, they had issued six $500 grants to cancer patients in the community.

The two mini grants were approved by unanimous consent by the council.

A full recording of the meeting and the applications submitted by the Soldotna Silver Salmon Swim Team and Way Out Women can be found at soldotna.org.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Ana Monyahan presents on behalf of the Soldotna Silver Salmon Swim Team, seeking a mini grant from the Soldotna City Council during their meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)