COMMUNIT Y Spring 2022 Newsletter
2
6
4
Malcolm and Ruth Ann Peel
Maintaining Connections and Prioritizing Education Malcolm and Ruth Ann Peel have always seen the value in education and connection. Ruth Ann taught in special education for 17 years before serving for another 15 years as an adjunct professor in the field at Ashland University in Ohio. Malcolm enjoyed a long career in higher education, teaching at three different colleges and serving as department chair at two of them. Along the way, through Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Georgia and Ohio, they prioritized connection—helping others connect to the world around them and maintaining connections to the communities they love, like Cedar Rapids. From an early age, Malcolm felt called to Christian ministry. He earned a doctorate in religious studies from Yale University, and decided to become an educator himself, eventually making his way to Coe College. Within a few years he was Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. He stayed at Coe for 17 years, until an interesting proposition pulled him away.
Connecting with relatives of President Hoover’s administration, a new “Director of Endowment” would lead the effort. Dr. McCabe nominated Malcolm, who took a leave of absence from Coe, hoping the position would help his chances of one day becoming a college administrator. Malcolm found that his ability to connect with people made him a good fundraiser—the Board of the Library aimed to raise $2 million, and he was able to secure $3 million. While the Peels were living in Cedar Rapids, Ruth Ann also found her calling while serving as a substitute special education teacher at Prairie High School. “Though my teaching degree was in business education,” she said, “I enjoyed it so much I returned to school and got certified to teach multi-categorical special education at the University of Iowa. This led me into such teaching for many years.”
Dr. Joseph McCabe, then the President of Coe, was on the Board of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, and the organization wanted to establish an endowment to support historians looking to study the library’s archives.
Following Malcolm’s work at the Library, he became Chairman of the Department of Bible and Religion at Agnes Scott College near Atlanta, Georgia. But after three years, Cedar Rapids called the Peels back.
2 Community
environment, our support of arts and culture, our preservation and interpretation of history and many other initiatives—were all attributable to the nonprofit sector.”
By that time, William “Bill” Quarton had issued a challenge to what was then known as the Community Welfare Fund. If they would commit to becoming a public charity, raise $450,000, and hire a full-time Executive Director, Bill would match the amount through a charitable lead trust. In addition, if the Board could raise an equal amount within three years, Bill would add another $450,000 to his gift.
By prioritizing both funding and such connections, Malcolm set the Community Foundation on the path to success. Today the Community Foundation provides more than $12 million in grants annually, while also working to connect nonprofits to resources and one another.
Of course, Malcolm and the Board accepted the challenge, and the Community Welfare Fund became the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. By the end of 1989, they had raised more than $1 million. Malcolm served as the Community Foundation’s first Executive Director from 1989 to 1994. He worked alongside the Board of Directors and Bill Quarton to grow the organization’s endowment to more than $5 million, and with local volunteer Ralph Adolph, he helped establish the Funding Information Center in the Cedar Rapids Public Library. This collection of resources and information was the predecessor of the Nonprofit Network, which continues to serve local organizations to this day.
With these things in mind, the Peels recently established two endowed funds at the Community Foundation. One will support special education in the Cedar Rapids Community and College Community School Districts; the other will support the work of the Nonprofit Network. By establishing these funds, Malcolm and Ruth Ann hope to inspire others to give through a community foundation—wherever they may be. They opted to make their gifts now, rather than through their estate, in order to experience the benefits of charitable giving to a beloved community while still alive. “These funds, in our judgment, support the services that are vital to the quality of life in a great Iowa community,” Malcolm said. “We are hopeful that others who share our vision may add their own contributions to these funds.”
“Our goal was to create the most knowledgeable and versatile charitable gift-making shop in the community and be viewed as an ally, not a competitor, of all nonprofit agencies in Linn County,” Malcolm recalled about those early days. “I had learned that the quality of our life—our music, our education, our attention to the
2021
by the numbers
The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is proud to help donors and nonprofit organizations improve the quality of life in Linn County. Here is a preview of 2021 by the numbers:
$223.4 1,078 $20.1 MILLION 45
MILLION Total Assets
Total Number of Funds
Contributions in 2021
$12.6 540 162
MILLION Grants and Scholarships
Number of Nonprofits Funded in 2021
Number of Scholarships Funded in 2021
Number of New Funds in 2021
GRANTMAKING FROM UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
$2.4 MILLION $1.5 MILLION $823,575 (Requested)
(Funded)
(Unfunded)
3 Spring 2022
Derecho Repairs Continue with Nonprofit Recovery Grants By late 2021, the dust had largely settled from the August 2020 derecho. Recovery was far from complete, but the community had transitioned to assessing and addressing long-term needs. For organizations that rely on grounds for programming, this meant finalizing cleanup and finally looking for a path forward. In December, the Community Foundation’s Disaster Recovery Fund distributed Nonprofit Recovery Grants to six such organizations whose costs were not covered by insurance or other fundraising.
Indian Creek Nature Center “Sixty percent of Indian Creek Nature Center’s tree canopy was destroyed in the derecho, and nearly every signature event, program or activity at the Nature Center has a land component. But nature is resilient and there is hope. ICNC has committed to a four-year restoration timeline focused on clearing debris, making structures safe, reworking existing trails, and replanting ecologically and programmatically significant areas. Support from the Community Foundation will help to fund our derecho recovery work so we can maintain a healthy, sustainable forest.” -John Myers, Executive Director
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library “This grant assisted in restoring the trees and landscape that are so important to the edifice and cultural ambience of the Czech Village and NewBo areas. The funding also provided us with an opportunity to develop a daffodil garden as part of a larger initiative to honor Holocaust victims. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the tragedy in Lidice, in what is now the Czech Republic, the enhanced landscaping will also serve as a memorial to our ancestors and the fight for democracy and freedom.” -Dr. Cecilia Rokusek, President & CEO 4 Community
Affordable Housing Network, Inc. “Across AHNI’s entire Cedar Rapids property portfolio, the organization incurred more than $1 million in out-ofpocket costs from unreimbursed tree removal fees and insurance deductibles. An estimated 400 trees were lost. The Nonprofit Recovery Grant provided much-needed funds to assist in the recovery and restoration of the grounds across AHNI’s properties to help ensure not only safety, but also stability and community for tenants.” -Mary Beth O’Neill, CEO
Brucemore “The derecho destroyed four generations of growth at Brucemore in 45 minutes including over 450 trees. We will continue to recover, restore, and reconstruct this iconic estate in the decade to come for the benefit of the community, knowing that it will take a generation to return the estate’s nationally significant landscape and buildings to their full glory. This grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is a positive step in that ongoing work.” -David Janssen, CEO
Prospect Meadows “Prospect Meadows was very fortunate and appreciative to receive this grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. This funding will allow us to restore the warning track to its original state prior to the derecho. The lost warning track material was causing a safety problem for the players on several different fronts.” -Jack Roeder, President/CEO
Tanager Place “Nearly all trees on the Camp Tanager property sustained heavy damage, and we had to completely remove over 100 mature trees in the immediate aftermath of the derecho. Volunteer crews spent over a week simply cleaning up debris and broken limbs from the ground after the storm. Professional crews came in later to clean up the challenging and dangerous damaged trees.” -Donald Pirrie, Camp Tanager Director
5
Spring 2022
Okpara Rice, First Black Board Chair Shares Why Representation Matters On January 1, Okpara Rice began his service as the Community Foundation’s Board Chair. Okpara is the CEO of Tanager Place and is the first Black Board Chair in our organization’s history. During Black History Month in February, President & CEO Les Garner sat down with Okpara to talk about the Community Foundation’s racial equity work, why representation matters, and the path ahead for our community.
Les: What was it about Tanager Place that appealed to you?
Les: For those who have not had the chance to meet you, tell us a bit about yourself. Okpara: I grew up in Chicago. I grew up in a community that continues to struggle to this day with poverty, with gang violence, with a lack of resources. I’m one of those young people who I guess maybe should not have made it, but really worked hard to get where I am and also had a tremendous amount of support in that effort. I got my bachelor’s in Social Work from Loyola University, Chicago, and I went to graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, which was a wonderful experience. That really started me on my trajectory in social work, always focused on young people and families. That work took me out to New York, then back through Ohio and eventually to Tanager Place, which has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Okpara: It’s the rich history that’s here at Tanager Place, the level of advocacy that’s built into the DNA here—we fight for what we know is right for young people and families. The focus on treatment was something that really spoke to my heart as a treatment professional. People here are very mission-driven. That is one thing that is true throughout every aspect of this organization, people are here because they want to make the lives of young people and families better. That is something that really resonated with me, and it’s been an amazing experience. Les: What has it been like as a Black man to step into a leadership position in this community? Okpara: Well, that’s a tough one. There are not a lot of African American leaders in this community. I think these issues of diversity in senior ranks and management is something that we are looking at as a community. Coming into this community, I was very welcomed. There are many people who believed in me and opened the door and said, hey, we want to talk to you about this community, we want you to understand the impact you can have in
6 Community
this community. They wanted me to understand how I should and could use my voice, and I was embraced by everyone in this role. I have really appreciated that. I’ve tried to do that for others who entered the community as well. Les: Well, you’re the first African American to lead Tanager Place, you’re the first to be a Board Chair at the Community Foundation. Why is that important to you?
...symbolism for young people is huge, and it opens the doors for the people behind you. —Okpara Rice
Okpara: Every time I hear that it makes me smile a little bit because that’s a ceiling that’s broken. I do believe it’s very symbolic. I tell the story sometimes about my two sons: about five years ago, they were in my office, and they were playing CEO. For them, they don’t know any different, they don’t see a ceiling; a Black person can be a CEO, and they can aspire to that. But as I look at my own childhood, I didn’t see those examples around me. And so the symbolism for young people is huge, and it opens the doors for the people behind you. I am not special; I don’t think I’m the greatest CEO ever. But symbolism does matter, and I think it’s important that we have people who are examples that you can achieve and you can impact the community. Les: Of course, you could not have broken any barriers if those barriers didn’t exist. Do you see other barriers in this community that we need to address?
acknowledgement to action. I think there’s more of an open acknowledgement of that disparity now, and we have to push people to action. Les: You’ve been very active in the work we’ve done at the Community Foundation on racial equity; as Board Chair in 2022, what do you see that the Community Foundation might be able to do? Okpara: I think the fact that the Community Foundation took that on, knowing that there would be some in the community who may not be pleased about it, speaks a lot to the desire to do the right thing because it’s the right thing. We have a group of people at the board and staff levels who are committed to advancing equity and making sure that everyone has an equal playing field in this community. I think we’re leading that conversation and can be leaders in convening those conversations. Again, symbolism matters, right? The Community Foundation is very highly respected, so the fact that we took that on also helps other organizations see that maybe they can take it on as well. Les: What excites you about the future of the Community Foundation? Okpara: Literally everything about it. It’s so interesting, being in the room with such talented people who are so passionate, talking about where we want to go as an organization. There’s a very clear roadmap that’s being followed that’s making sure we are meeting the needs of our donors, our community and our nonprofits. I think those things are very impactful. I kind of see the sky as the limit. I think that the Community Foundation will continue to be a leading voice in this community for many, many years to come.
Okpara: I think we have a lot of disparities. I’m a social worker by trade, so I look at things from a systems perspective, and when you look at the social determinants of health, about what makes a community thrive, we see that we have challenges on every single level. The Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County report the Community Foundation generated shows some of those issues. Part of improving anything is admitting that there are issues and then moving that 7 Spring 2022
Agency Funds Provide Ongoing Support Agency Funds provide vital support for the nonprofit organizations that make our community thrive. The funds are established by nonprofit organizations and held and managed by the Community Foundation. Distributions are made upon request by the nonprofit organization to be used at their discretion. The Community Foundation currently manages agency funds for more than 110 local organizations. Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success African American Museum of Iowa Aging Services, Inc. Alzheimer’s Association - Iowa Chapter Amana Arts Guild American Gothic House Center Anamosa Community Hospital Foundation Anna Purna Ghosh Foundation Area Substance Abuse Council Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa, Inc.
Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center Brucemore Inc. Camp Courageous of Iowa Catherine McAuley Center Inc. Cedar Rapids Community School District Foundation Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc.
8 Community
Cedar Rapids Thursday Noon Lions Charities Cedar Valley Christian School Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity Cedar Valley Humane Society Cedar Valley Montessori School City of Mount Vernon for Mount Vernon Fire Department Clothe-A-Child Inc. Coe College Community Health Free Clinic Community Theatre Building Corporation Discovery Living Inc. Eastern Iowa Arts Academy Eastern Iowa Health Center Ecumenical Community Center Foundation First Lutheran Church First Presbyterian Church of Cedar Rapids Foundation 2 Four Oaks Family & Children’s Services Gems of Hope Goodwill Industries of the Heartland, Cedar Rapids Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Greater Delaware County Community Foundation Harmony Hawk Chorus Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America Henry Davison Scholarship Program Inc. Heritage Area Agency on Aging His Hands Free Clinic Holy Family School System Horizons - A Family Service Alliance Indian Creek Nature Center Indian Creek Nature Center Charitable Trust Iowa Abortion Access Fund Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio Iowa Choral Directors Association Iowa Humane Alliance Iowa Legal Aid Foundation Iowa Sister States Jane Boyd Community House Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa Junior League of Cedar Rapids Kennedy Choral League Kids First Law Center Kirkwood Community College Foundation League of Women Voters of Linn County Legion Arts Inc. Linn Christian Education Association The History Center
Linn-Mar School Foundation Lisbon Community School District Foundation Lutheran Services in Iowa Marion Public Library Matthew 25 Mercy Medical Center Foundation Meth-Wick Community Metro Youth Football Association Miracles in Motion Therapeutic Equestrian Center Mount Mercy University Mount Vernon Community School District Foundation National Alliance on Mental Illness Linn County National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Oak Hill Cemetery Association Old Creamery Theatre Company Paul Engle Association for Community Arts Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Prospect Meadows Red Cedar Chamber Music Salvation Army of Cedar Rapids St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House St. Joseph’s Church St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Cedar Rapids Foundation St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church Summit Schools Foundation Systems Unlimited, Inc. Tanager Place The Arc of East Central Iowa Theatre Cedar Rapids Trees Forever United Nations Assoc., Linn County Chapter Metro Catholic Outreach United Way of East Central Iowa Waypoint Services Westminster Presbyterian Church Willis Dady Emergency Shelter Inc. Women Lead Change Xavier Foundation YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metro Area Young Parents Network Zach Johnson Foundation
9 Spring 2022
Youth Violence Prevention Collaboration Continues When the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities (SET) Fund was established in 2018, there were still a lot of questions. There was widespread agreement that our youth needed encouragement, opportunity, and protection, but exactly how to build a community that worked for them was still unclear. And yet, the City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County, and the Cedar Rapids Community School District each committed funding and staff time to work toward the recommendations made by the SET Task Force.
With this funding, stakeholders began the transformative process of implementing GVI strategies in Cedar Rapids. The work was in full swing by May 2021, and initial data shows a significant impact on youth violence. With help from SET Fund grants, Foundation 2 has led Support and Outreach components of GVI, receiving additional support from Linn County Public Health through a Centers for Disease Control grant. The work itself involves close collaboration with local law enforcement, and a strong partnership has emerged.
To oversee the new fund held at the Community Foundation, Rachel Rockwell was hired as a part-time SET Program Officer. The SET Policy Committee, comprised of representatives from funders and the community, established that the first priority would be addressing gun violence.
Thus far, the Community Foundation has filled the role of project management while GVI gets off the ground. While such a role is unusual for the Community Foundation, it was necessary and logical, given the SET Policy Committee’s role in bringing GVI to Cedar Rapids. Once the GVI strategies and partnerships are fully operational, the Community Foundation will step back into the role of funder, which is anticipated to occur in early 2023.
The SET Fund began making grants in 2019 to support programs and projects that address the inter-relational factors that lead to youth violence. At the same time, the SET Policy Committee began exploring a groundbreaking, evidence-based approach called Group Violence Intervention (GVI). When the grants that were awarded in December of 2019 were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Foundation helped the grantees shift strategy and pivot to “ReSET 2020” to collaboratively engage youth amid school and program closures.
SET Program Officer Rachel Rockwell, inspired by her work in managing this project, has recently left the Community Foundation to work for the Central City Development Corporation. The Community Foundation is currently in the process of hiring a new program officer, who will take on a portfolio of grantmaking work that initially includes SET Fund administration.
“The funding partners remain committed to this GVI is a strategy developed and supported by the work, as do several nonprofit organizations and local National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) and has law enforcement,” said Karla Twedt-Ball, Senior Vice been implemented with great success in cities around President, Programs and Community Investment. “We’ve the country. In October 2020, an anonymous donor made been working to put things in motion, and now it’s time a $465,000, three-year grant to fund technical assistance to let these groups manage the work together. The SET from NNSC for GVI implementation and expand the SET Fund will now explore new ways of supporting this work, Program Officer position to full-time. building equity, and ensuring that our youth have access to opportunities, and we’re excited about that.”
Community Foundation Seeks Program Officer Applications are being accepted by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation for the position of Program Officer. This position provides support for grantmaking and programmatic activities at the Community Foundation as part of the team that administers grants and scholarships to Linn County and beyond. The position will provide temporary support for grantmaking and programmatic work for the Creating Safe, Equitable & Thriving (SET) Communities Fund and the community’s Group Violence Intervention strategy this year and will assume a more traditional program officer portfolio over time. A complete job and portfolio description is available online at www.gcrcf.org. To apply, submit a cover letter, resume and three references to hiring@gcrcf.org. Application deadline is Monday, April 4, 2022.
10 Community
Jean Hunnicutt Remembered Through William Quarton Gift When William “Bill” Quarton passed away in 2007, his $35 million estate gift was the largest in the Community Foundation’s history. But before he passed, he established two funds to support his longtime partner, Jean Hunnicutt, as well as his beloved Cedar Rapids. Sadly, Jean passed away on January 10, 2022, at the age of 88. Jean attended the annual William Quarton Heritage Society events in honor of Bill’s legacy and their love of philanthropy. We are thinking of Jean’s family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing her. The balance of Jean’s charitable remainder trusts—which provided her with income for more than 20 years—will now support the Community Foundation’s unrestricted grant programs. The gift, totaling more than $3 million, is an investment in our community’s future. Bill often said that he could not know the future needs of the community, but he wanted to be sure it was equipped to meet those needs. With this final gift, Bill has provided more enduring support for the community he loved.
Jean Hunnicutt and William Quarton
Nonprofit Know-How Event Helps Nonprofits Capture Their Stories In February, the Nonprofit Network hosted a virtual Nonprofit Know-How: Video Content & Creation. Courtney Ball of Flow Media led the session, which covered shot composition, equipment, editing, messaging, and how create videos on a budget. It was a great beginner’s workshop for organizations looking for fresh ways to connect with the community. The session was recorded and can be viewed at gcrcf.org. Nonprofit Know-How events are free, fast and focused trainings on topics that support the professional development needs of local nonprofit professionals. It’s one of the ways the Community Foundation helps support the organizational capacity of nonprofits in our community. Nonprofit Know-How events are free, fast and focused trainings on topics that support the professional development needs of local nonprofit professionals.
Staff News
Welcome to the Board
Bernadette Gladish Promoted to Grants and Programs Manager In recognition of her growing role within the Community Foundation’s grantmaking efforts, Bernadette Gladish has been promoted to Grants and Programs Manager. Bernadette joined the Community Foundation in 2012 as Program Assistant and has since taken on a host of new responsibilities related to the administration and management of grants and scholarships. In this new role, Bernadette will continue to support the program team and assist grant and scholarship applicants.
Mary Junge
Farm Manager
Janice Kerkove
Bradley & Riley, PC
If you are interested in serving on a committee or the Board of Directors at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, please complete and submit the Indication of Interest form located at www.gcrcf. org/about/board-and-committees/. 11 Spring 2022
324 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401-1841 319.366.2862 / gcrcf.org
Where charitable gifts multiply for community good.
UPCOMING E VENTS Community Learning Series: Rebuilding the Soul of our Community Wednesday, May 4, 12 – 1 p.m. via Zoom Join us to learn about the resiliency of the arts and culture sector in our community and how it contributes to our well-being, community vitality, and economy. To RSVP, visit gcrcf.org.
July Grant Deadline 2022
Friday, July 1, 2022, 4:30 p.m. CST Visit gcrcf.org for information on available grants and how to apply.
VISION
A vibrant and inclusive Linn County where all people thrive.
MISSION
To strengthen our community through our philanthropy.
VALUES
Equity & Inclusion Collaboration Learning Integrity Innovation
STAY CONNECTED! We encourage you to join our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages for regular news, updates and stories about the impact of giving and grantmaking in our community.