Local volunteers and organizations received just more than $32,000 earlier this month through the Pete and Margaret Leighty Grant Fund.

Shawna Gilmore of First State Bank and Trust presented certificates to 11 individuals representing various groups Nov. 13 during a reception at bank’s U.S. Highway 24-40 location in Tonganoxie.

Grant recipients this year were:

• Tonganoxie Police Department for K9 patrol enhancement.

• Girl Scout Troop 691, Celeste Bartels, for a reading program at Tonganoxie Elementary School.

• Good Shepherd Thrift Shop and Food Bank for additional storage for perishable food.

• Happy Helpers 4-H Club for a club multimedia presentation system.

• Leavenworth County Special Education Co-op for an Apple TV.

• Tonganoxie Community Historical Society for new shingles on the Honey Valley School.

• Tonganoxie Elementary School for three separate items: an author visit, additional student clickers and a classroom audiology system.

• Tonganoxie USD 464 Education Foundation for an investment project.

• Tonganoxie VFW Post 9271 for an extension of its walking trail at VFW Park.

Julius “Pete” and Margaret Sanders Leighty created a charitable trust before their deaths in order to provide funds to benefit organizations and people in Tonganoxie and the surrounding area.

Representatives from each recipient of this year’s grant winners met at First State Bank and Trust on U.S. Highway 24-40 on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for the announcement of the grants. The bank administers the trust, which is in its fourth year of awarding grants.

The Leighty Endowment Advisory Committee, a group comprised of community members, reviewed the applications and made selections based on the interests of Pete and Margaret Leighty, which included youth, education, history, pioneerism, agriculture, women’s issues, technology and family and consumer science. Consideration was also given to long-term benefits of each proposed project, the number of individuals positively affected, budget, other resources available and the ability of those involved to complete the project.

Applications for 2014 will be available next summer. For more information, contact Gilmore at 913-845-2500.