donor strenGth in numbers
donor spotliGht home is Where the heart is A piece of our hearts always remains connected to our hometowns even when we move away. Former St. Louis Crossing resident Timothy Andrews continues to connect the dots of needs in his community by giving back all the way from Princeton, New Jersey. In 2004 Tim challenged his hometown to raise funds to support the local food bank by establishing the Hope Area Food Bank Endowment Fund. Tim pledged a gift of $5,000 a year for five years provided the community could raise $5,000 per year in matching funds. Thanks to Tim’s generosity and the hard work of many in the community, the Hope Area Food Bank is happy to report it met Tim’s five-year challenge. Today the fund has over $64,000. But Tim’s challenge did not stop there – he added that when the fund reaches $200,000 he will add an additional $25,000! Tim also sponsored a thank you dinner last January to honor longtime food bank volunteers George and
At its August meeting the Board approved grants totaling more than $43,000 from Heritage Fund’s Community Fund to notfor-profit organizations serving Bartholomew County:
Donna Rose. It is clearly important to Tim to remain connected to the Hope community. In addition to his commitment to the food bank, he has also issued a challenge to Hawcreek Flatrock Endowment of $100,000 to be paid over 10 years with an additional $100,000 when the fund reaches one million dollars. He remains an active participant in the work of the endowment advisory board. Most recently Tim served as Grand Marshall for the Hope Heritage Days Parade. Heritage Fund is proud that Tim Andrews has partnered with the community foundation for his philanthropic giving. We thank him for his commitment to his hometown community. Timothy M. Andrews is president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute, president of The ASI Show, and vice chairman of ASI Computer Systems, Inc.
The Hope Food Bank, begun in 1982 with the generous support of local ministers, helps those in need in the Hope area. The Food Bank now is a service of the Community Center of Hope, Inc. and has grown significantly in its outreach to surrounding areas including Flat Rock and Haw Creek townships. The Food Bank serves on average 75-80 families who meet family size requirements and income guidelines. It is staffed by volunteers who often work beyond scheduled hours to provide for families caught in emergency situations.
taG – you’re it! Representatives from more than 40 area not-for-profit organizations gathered at YES Cinema on Monday, September 21st to receive Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) awards. Grants Committee members Lorraine Smith, Kevina Schumaker and Tom Finke tag-teamed to present 20 grant checks to agency representatives for capacity building and collaborative projects. Grants awards from the Community Fund ranged in size from $500 to $6,000. Details can be found on the Heritage Fund website at www. heritagefundbc.org. Ann Smith, Executive Director of the Child Abuse Prevention Council, said in her thank you note, “As I sat at YES Cinema listening to all the different agencies talk about how
the TAG grants will help them in their work, I was amazed and humbled at the breadth and depth of good works the grants will help accomplish. Hats off to you, Heritage Fund!”
diCtionary proJeCt Every third grade student in Bartholomew County recently received a personal dictionary thanks to the Dictionary Project. The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Bartholomew Retired Teacher’s Association are partners in the project. Adults enrolled at McDowell Education Center also received dictionaries. Since 2004 more than 8,000 dictionaries have been distributed. Grants Committee member Tom Finke with Hope grantees Julie Begin and Donna Robertson
Grant aWards From the Community Fund
Above: Third grade students from Smith Elementary School. Photo courtesy of The Republic
Flat roCk-haWCreek sChool Corporation (FrhC) (F - $15,000 towards the installation of
Graduates of Columbus High School have stayed connected to their alma mater by establishing endowment funds for the benefit of current students at both Columbus North and East High Schools. The Columbus High School Class of ’57 Endowment Fund and the 1958 Class of Columbus High School Endowment Fund were established by class representatives to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduations from Columbus High School. Both funds support students experiencing hardships affecting their academic success. These two classes are now connecting to each other! At the request of fund representatives and donors to the two funds, the Heritage Fund Board approved combining them into the Columbus High School Classes of 1957 and 1958 Endowment Fund. Distributions from this fund will be made equally between the two high schools. Both classes felt this would provide more resources to help students in need. They also hope that other classes will join the fund as they celebrate graduation milestones. Graduating class representatives from Columbus High School, Columbus North and Columbus East are encouraged to contact Lisa Shafran at 376-7772 or lshafran@heritagefundbc.org to learn more about joining your fellow alumni.
a generator in the school addition currently under construction. Construction plans include the creation of a Community Safe Room that will withstand a Level Five Tornado and will provide refuge to the community and emergency services following a natural disaster.
eConomiC development board - $10,000 to support an Engineering Development Study at Walesboro Airport. The Airport has the potential to be developed into a green industrial park with rail access, providing another resource in attracting new businesses and industries to the community. international sChool oF Columbus - $9,600 for the accelerated implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. The state-funded school opened in August 2009 and provides an international
standard of education. The grant will enable the school to obtain accreditation from the governing body within three years.
united Way oF bartholomeW County - $5,000 to support the second year of the AmeriCorp Program. The Federally funded AmeriCorp program, which requires local support, provides trained volunteer coordinators to manage volunteer programs at 20 local notfor-profit organizations. the diCtionary proJeCt - $2,235 to provide personal dictionaries to all Bartholomew County third grade students, English as a Second Language students and Adult Literacy students. This marks the sixth year of the program organized in collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Bartholomew Retired Teachers Association. Dictionaries were distributed in October. leGal aid distriCt eleven - $2,000 to create a separate reception area where clients can wait for their appointments. Since Legal Aid works with a number of domestic violence victims, the separate reception area will provide a safety buffer that offers a degree of protection to staff members and clients.
spellinG bee supports tots readinG lots proGram Grant awards from the Millie Reeves Early Education Fund provided seed funding for the Tots Reading Lots Reading Club.. The Bartholomew County Literacy Task Force launched the literacy initiative by hosting an adult Spelling Bee on September 22nd at St. Bartholomew School Gymnasium. Thirty spelling teams competed in the competition vying for the title of Bartholomew County Spelling Champion. The Spelling Bee was an outstanding success raising more than $6,500. Monies raised along with a $15,000 grant will provide books and educational activities for low income families with children under the age of two. Visit the Heritage Fund website at www.heritagefundbc.org to view photos from the Spelling Bee and to learn more about the Tots Reading Lots program. From top left: Heritage Fund Board Member Dom Glover entered Team Potato-E in the tournament. Winners of the 2009 Spelling Bee, Spell Check is for Sissies. The trophy is on display at Columbus Regional Hospital. John Foster and the Word Nerds represented White River Broadcasting.
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