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Prairie Plains receives grant to purchase ranch

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

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Community foundation good way to give

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

The testator simply wants to leave a sum of money to a worthy organization to help them carry on their good work.

Other times the testator wants to leave funds for a specific purpose. It could be something like a sum of money to help an organization continue a specific educational program or for a specific repair fund. No one wants to see their charitable bequest eaten up by attorney fees or administrative costs.

If establishing a foundation doesn’t make sense, is there an alternative? The simple answer is yes, and it can be found in Indiana’s strong community foundation structure.

A community foundation is a local nonprofit specifically set up to provide for the needs of the community and to help folks complete their charitable work.

For example, suppose you want to set aside money to provide a scholarship to a nursing student. They have the know-how and experience to help.

Here in Northwest Indiana, we have several outstanding local foundations including the Crown Point Community Foundation, the Legacy Foundation (Lake County’s community foundation), and Porter County Community Foundation.

So if you plan on leaving a charitable bequest and would like it to be more than a simple donation, I urge you to consider one of our fine local community foundations. Poll

Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to give away most of his fortune

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to give away most of his fortune – San Francisco Chronicle
Apple CEO Tim Cook tells Fortune that he plans to give the bulk of his wealth to philanthropic causes. Apple CEO Tim Cook tells Fortune that he plans to give the bulk of…

Philanthropy professional speaks to Zeta Chapter, Delta Kappa Gamma Society Int.

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

Philanthropy professional speaks to Zeta Chapter, Delta Kappa Gamma Society Int. PETERSBURG At the March meeting of Zeta Chapter, the Delta Kappa Gamma Society Int., Jill C. Coleman has extensive managerial leadership experience in the day-to-day operations of community-based organizations, with an emphasis on participatory approaches to community work, developing partnerships as resources; fundraising; fiscal accountability; and strategic alignment.In her presentation, Coleman explained that successful community outcomes depend upon healthy residents, education excellence, cultural richness, dynamic nonprofits, a vital economy, and vibrant communities.One way that the Zeta Chapter is helping with education is each member has purchased new books for elementary school children, which will be donated to the new Petersburg Public Library.The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG) is a professional honorary society of women educators. mainImageContainerInnerHTML_sm += ”+mainImageData_credit+”; mainImageContainerInnerHTML_sm += ”+htmlencode(mainImageData_caption)+”; $(‘#art-main-image-credit-container_sm’).css(‘width’,smimgwidth).css(‘padding’,’3px ‘+(mainImageData_leftPadding – 3)+’px 0 0’); $(‘#art-main-image-caption-container_sm’).css(‘width’,sm_img.width).css(‘padding’,’5px 0 0 ‘+(mainImageData_leftPadding + 3)+’px’); $(‘#art-main-image-caption-container’).css(‘width’,img.width).css(‘padding’,’5px 0 0 ‘+mainImageData_leftPadding+’px’); $(‘#art-main-image-credit-container’).css(‘width’,img.width).css(‘padding’,’5px ‘+(mainImageData_leftPadding)+’px 0 0’);

Groton Public Library Gets 21K in Grants

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

Groton Public Library Gets 21K in Grants – Ithaca Times : News Groton Public Library Gets 21K in Grants

The Groton Public Library offers snacks and stuff to do in a variety of programs outside school hours.A

The Groton Public Library recently announced that it was awarded two grants: One comes from The Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, and the other grant comes from the Children & Youth Fund of the Community Foundation.

Groton Public Library Manager Sara Knobel said the check came in last week. She explained that the money coming from the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen fund is actually an endowment, and part of a collaborative effort between Groton Public Library, Southworth Library Association in Dryden, Powers Library in Moravia and the Cortland Free Library. This grant will bring two authors to each Library for a presentation, and each family will receive a free autographed book by the author. It will always go to the 33 libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System.

The monies will however help the Groton Public Library host Sean Fay Wolfe, a 17-year old self published author of the novel, Quest for Justice, A Minecraft Novel, Book One of the Elementia Chronicles. Itas going to take off.a The library will also host childrenas author Suzanne Bloom, a popular author of the aGoose, Bear and Foxa stories.

Knobel said it is absolutely critical for the Groton Public Library to receive grants, and that without them, the library couldnat do the things it does. She was proud to admit the library in Groton has served as an example of what a small town library can be.

The Graham Public Education Foundation is turning classroom wishes into reality

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

The Graham Public Education Foundation is turning classroom wishes into reality – Graham LeaderThe Graham Public Education Foundation is turning classroom wishes into reality
Education isn’t always about just supplying the basics, but it’s also about enrichment programs that inspire students’ learning, and the Graham Public Education Foundation fits into that category.
The GPEF is focused on making classroom wishes into realities for educators trying to spark new ideas and engage their students.

In its five-year existence GPEF has made an impact in the lives of Graham ISD students and enabled teachers to be creative with their instruction.

Getting an early start on philanthropy

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

Maya Rigler, a 10-year-old diagnosed in January with cancer for the second time, says she wants to be a philanthropist when she grows up.

The fifth grader from Radnor Township may already have reached that goal, raising more than $100,000 for pediatric cancer this year.

Brett Mezrow, also a fifth grader living in Radnor, was frustrated that research on mitochondrial disease was underfunded because not enough people know about it. 27, two days after doctors discovered a tumor on Maya’s pancreas – unrelated to a different form of cancer she defeated at age 2 – Maya and her parents set up a charitable Web page through Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Bala Cynwyd-based charity founded by Alexandra Scott, in 2000.

Within a week of creating the Web page, Maya, a student at Ithan Elementary School, had surpassed her initial goal of $10,000 and raised it to $50,000. Now Maya has a new goal of $250,000.

“People raise money for years to reach that amount,” said Liz Scott, Alexandra’s mother, who with husband Jay met this month with Maya and her parents.

Added Jay Scott, “Usually it’s a company that raises that type of money.”

Richard Marker, a professor at New York University and a philanthropy consultant, said young people today aren’t necessarily more concerned about issues than in the past, but that children and young adults may be more likely to connect and work with an established organization to spread their campaigns.

Maya’s father, Peter Rigler, said their campaign had gone viral through the support of friends, family, and the local Jewish community.

“It’s directly helping us,” said Stacy Rigler, Maya’s mother.

Niels’ story

At the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Brett and Niels are trying to raise money for and awareness of mitochondrial disease. They have launched a video campaign they hope will go viral like last year’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Their “Mito 5 Challenge” asks viewers to repeat the words mitochondrial disease five times fast on camera, then post the video to social media, encouraging friends to participate and donate $5.

The boys created the video after Brett urged Niels to speak out about the disease as part of a class project tasking students with raising awareness for an issue.

Niels, who had been shy about speaking publicly about the disease, is now the public face of the campaign the boys hope to continue into middle school.

“I just wanted the school to know,” Niels said.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Scholarship season is a great time of year

March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Published by

While that is true, it is also a time when I have the pleasure to meet outstanding students from high schools throughout Porter County who are looking for scholarships as they prepare for the next phase in their life.

Students today are doing more before they graduate high school than my generation ever imagined even if the opportunity was present. Through the generosity of many donors, the Porter County Community Foundation continues to make a difference in the lives of young people by awarding scholarships to ease the financial burden for post-secondary education.

When Steven Juszczak from Portage received the call that he had been awarded a scholarship, he said it was like winning the lottery. Upon graduation, Steven returned to Porter County and is a mechanical engineer at ArcelorMittal.

Katherine Schryner was a young mother running a day care business out of her family’s Valparaiso home when she applied for a scholarship from the foundation. She also returned to Porter County and is a commercial interior designer at Kramer & Leonard.

And while we cannot help everyone, there are some great resources available to help students navigate the process. In addition, websites such as Fastweb, the leading online resource for finding scholarships, can assist in searching a vast database of scholarships.

A scholarship can provide the springboard for each student to turn their dreams into reality by finding their passion. As the saying goes, “If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.”

Since 1998, the foundation has awarded 269 scholarships to deserving students throughout Porter County. Submit a Letter to Editor

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