DISABLED children and their families started the Christmas holidays with some festive music-making thanks to a local arts organisation and funding from the Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

Catalyst Creates...CIC has been running music-making sessions specifically for families with disabled children throughout the autumn.

The Christmas Tunes sessions in Northampton brought together county families to enjoy musical activities, songs and opportunities to listen to and conduct professional musicians.

Suzanne Oliver, Catalyst creative director, said: Weve had a wonderful time working on this project and have worked with many new families.

We are passionate about providing opportunities for all members of the community and thanks to this funding we have been able to pilot these workshops to ascertain interest and gather evidence to fight a case for future funding, Ms Oliver added.

Ms Oliver said the organisation now hoped to source further financial support to continue the sessions.

SANFORD The Center for Grieving Children, which has programs in Sanford and Portland, recently received a $5,000 grant from Androscoggin Bank.

The center is one of six recipients of the bank's Impact Grants, which are awarded under the bank's MainStreet Foundation program.

The grants are used to benefit at-risk youths throughout the state and New England. Specifically, MainStreet Foundation grants are provided for local organizations that support the projects, programs and initiatives that foster the development of and ensure the support of young people.

With its grant, the Center for Grieving Children will provide partial support for its Bereavement Peer Support Program. The Center offers phone support, crisis outreach and education to deal with the death of a loved one.

"Our MainStreet Foundation grant program directly supports a number of great organizations that help build our community and protect at-risk youth, so we want to congratulate this cycle's recipients and thank them for all they do," said Christine Conrad, the Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Androscoggin Bank. "These grants will fund the ongoing work that supports development of the skills and attitudes in our youth that are essential to achieving success."

For its entire 141 years, Androscoggin Bank has supported hundreds of organizations by funding new initiatives and responding to urgent needs in the community.

Community Foundation of Kingston and Area achieves second most successful year largely thanks to bequest from local philanthropist - News - By Hollie Pratt-Campbell Kingston Local Community News EMC News - Kingston may have lost well-known businessman and philanthropist Larry Gibson last year, but his legacy lives on in the community thanks to a number of generous bequests to local charities and organizations.

The Community Foundation of Kingston and Area became the most recent benefactor of Gibson's estate when it was bequeathed $650,000. She feels honoured Gibson chose the foundation as a means of continuing his legacy of giving.

"He always had this very strong sense of running a good business," said Mackenzie, recalling a conversation she had with Gibson several years ago about what a good job the Community Foundation does with managing money.

"Stewardship of endowment funds was really important to him...he knew he wasn't going to be around to look after his money and wanted to place a good chunk where he knew it would get good care and would serve the community well...We were just thrilled that he had faith enough to leave that much money with us."

Varma noted that Gibson's donation is a great example of the benefits championed by a nation-wide initiative called Leave a Legacy with which the Community Foundation has partnered.

Flash mob dances in downtown Muskegon for retired Community Foundation president Pat Johnson, who has cancer | MLive.com Greg Lindstrom | Muskegon ChronicleRhashika Lewis leads the dance to the song "I Believe" by Yolanda Adams during a flash mob in downtown Muskegon on Wednesday afternoon. The city had been notified in advance that the Johnsons' car would be parked at the intersection and large numbers of people would be dancing in the street, she said.

Trip Johnson, Pat and Chuck Johnson's oldest son, said he didn't expect such a large turnout, and was sure his mother would be surprised. When he told her the Frauenthal might have something on its marquee, she said she wished people would stop making a fuss, he said.

Greg Lindstrom | Muskegon ChronicleParker Aerts, 11, dances to the song "I Believe" by Yolanda Adams during a flash mob in downtown Muskegon on Wednesday afternoon. And she loves a good party.

Music poured from speakers atop the Frauenthal's marquee just after the Hackley clock tower finished chiming four, and scores of dancers streamed from the Frauenthal, the Chamber of Commerce, the Holiday Inn and the Sidock building.

The choreography wasn't complicated, but the smiles were wide as old and young people swayed together, some of them holding signs with slogans like Pat, you have made a difference and We love you Pat.

It was over almost as quickly as it started, with most of the dancers going back to the buildings they had come from, although at least a dozen people who knew the Johnsons' went over to their car to say hello, causing a few impatient drivers to honk at the crowd.

Johnson said that she was overwhelmed and shocked at the outpouring of support.

Muskegon High School freshman Elizabeth Kurdziel said she doesn't know Johnson, but she came to dance because she wanted to help support people with cancer.

I think it's just a way to show her that everyone cares, she said.

The music and media arts program at Barium Springs Home for Children was awarded $2,000 by the foundation.

First Baptist Church in Mooresville received $5,000 from the foundation for its Back Pack Meals Ministry.

The Childrens Home of Iredell Countys grant award from the foundation was for $5,000.

$5,000 to Appropriate Placement Options, Inc.

$2,000 to the Barium Springs Home for Children for the Music and Media Arts Program.

$3,500 to the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont, Inc.

$5,000 to the Childrens Home of Iredell County, Inc.

$5,000 to Diakonos, Inc.

$2,500 to Easter Seals UCP North Carolina, Inc.

$5,000 to First Baptist Church Mooresville to help support the Back Pack Meals Ministry providing supplemental food to children for weekend meals.

$5,000 to Gaston Family Health Services to provide dental services to children at the Open Door Dental Clinic.

$2,500 to Girl Scout Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont, Inc.

$2,500 to Habitat for Humanity of Iredell-Statesville for the HAND Up Program assisting people with critical home repairs.

$2,500 to Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, Inc.

$10,000 to Iredell Christian Ministries for crisis assistance with utility bills.

$2,000 to Iredell County Partnership for Young Children for the Positive Solutions for Teen Parents Program.

$2,500 to Iredell Museums, Inc.

$2,000 to Iredell-Statesville YMCA for the Community Nutrition in Action Program.

$5,000 to Matthew 25 Ministries to support their food ministry.

$5,000 to Piedmont Mediation Center, Inc.

$10,000 to Power Cross for the Power Cross Preferred College Prep Mentoring Program for at risk young men ages 7-18.

$10,000 to Yokefellow Ministries of Greater Statesville for crisis assistance.

$4,000 to Young Life Ministries to assist in the startup of Young Life at South Iredell High School.

News Bartlesville

Posted: Dec 28, 2011 3:50 PMUpdated: Dec 28, 2011 3:54 PM

BCF & YPB Game Nite Announced

The Bartlesville Community Foundation and Young Professionals of Bartlesville have announced their third annual BCF YPB Game Nite.

Event proceeds benefit the Bartlesville Community Foundation, enabling the organization to continue its work in grant-making, non-profit support, and administrative oversight of community projects and charitable initiatives.

Editorial: Madison Community Foundation's Year End Gift To Us - Madison News Story - WISC Madison Home WISC-TV TVW Madison Magazine Mobile Video Slideshows E-mail/Text Alerts Follow Us Contact Us News Local News National News Traffic Politics Scanner Opinion Video E-mail/Text Alerts Weather Weather Main Forecast Radar Maps Interactive Radar Traffic School Closings Recreation E-mail/Text Alerts Sports Sports Main Badgers Packers Prep Sports Brewers Bucks Scoreboard Recreation Entertainment Entertainment Main Contests Events Reviews Shop Madison Food & Recipes Dining Guide Watch CBS TV Program Listings Travel Health Health Main Healthy You Time For Kids Education Education Main Topnotch Teachers Classroom Connection Family At Home At Home Main Real Estate Family Pets Food & Recipes Going Green WI Money Money Main Smart Savings Madison Jobs Shopping Deals Auto Auto Main Gas Prices CarSoup Research Dealers New Used Certified Sell Tech Tech Main Mobile Video Slideshows You Post It Features Features Main Contests Scanner Going Green WI Recreation Keep It In Wisconsin Deals Holidays Editorial: Madison Community Foundation's Year End Gift To Us Investments in a better Madison By Neil Heinen
Editorial Director 12/26/11

As we begin the last week of the old year we start to think about the promise of the year to come.

If the affiliation does not take place, the condition will not be applicable.

The Wilmington, Del.-based insurer said it will commit a total of $10 million over four years (20122015) to reduce the rate of premium growth for individuals and small group subscribers.

BCBSD also will commit a total of $5 million over a 10-year period (20122021) to invest in health care workforce development initiatives; $1 million per year over a five-year period (20122016) to the Delaware Health Information Network; and community contributions of at least $500,000 per year for the next decade.

When we announced our intention to affiliate with Highmark last year, we stated that, among other things, it would help us to become more efficient to better serve our members as well as enable us to continue to be a significant contributor to the local economy, said Timothy J.

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The H&N View: Oregonians have lots of chances to help with time, money, or both - Herald and News: Editorials The H&N View: Oregonians have lots of chances to help with time, money, or both

The Foundation announced last week that charitable giving by Oregonians is "consistently on par, or higher, than national averages."

According to 2009 figures, Oregonians contributed 2.1 percent of their income and the national average was 2 percent.

This also was at a time when the unemployment rate was higher in Oregon than the national average.

Oregonians stay generous, even in tough times. Oregon, incidentally ranks 14th in the nation in volunteering, at 32.9 percent of the population.

There are lots of ways to help people.

Editorial board

Pat Bushey wrote today's editorial.

The members of the Herald and News editorial board are Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor Steve Miller and Forum Editor Pat Bushey.

The community advisers to the editorial board are Jeff Ball, Kate Marquez and Steve Harper.

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