Money made by the annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival is being awarded to area nonprofit groups for the fourth year. Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association.Pictured is a view from atop of the Cycle Warehouse of the Annual Jeep Invasion on Main St. in Butler on Friday June 8, 2018.

Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association (FBJA) announced Friday that 21 Butler County groups will receive between $250 to $2,000 as part of the 2019 grants distributed by the association. This announcement marks the fourth consecutive year the association, which owns Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, has given back to the community.

“Our organization has made a commitment to support other local nonprofit organizations because we want our volunteers to see that their efforts not only make the Festival successful, but they make a positive impact on our community,” said Todd Wagner, president of the association. “Since 2016, we have given $93,500 in gifts to a wide-variety of nonprofit groups, and we know that these contributions make a huge difference in providing much needed services throughout Butler County.”

Formed in October 2015, the group includes more than 50 volunteers who work together to plan and execute the successful Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival which attracts more than 2,500 Jeeps to Butler County each June to celebrate Butler's notoriety as the birthplace of the Jeep. The 10th annual Festival will be held June 12-14, 2020. Anyone wishing to get involved can email Info@Bantam.org or call 724-256-4050.

This is preview of an article that will appear in Sunday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to find out what local non-profits the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association selected to receive grants.