The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Fall Newsletter

COMMUNITY Community Health Free Clinic: Restores Dignity to Patients

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Fall 2012

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COMMUNITY

F r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t / C EO

Fall 2012

board of Directors Chris DeWolf, Chair Nancy Kasparek, Past Chair Cheryle Mitvalsky, Vice Chair/Chair Elect Katie Oberbroeckling, Treasurer Chris Skogman, Secretary Directors Gary Bartlett John Bickel Lydia Brown Karl Cassell John Chaimov Loren Coppock Greg Dunn Tiffany Earl

Sara Fitzgerald Ruth Hairston Maureen Kenney Thomas Moore John Osako Elizabeth Schott Fred Timko Kevin Welu

Chair Emerita Nancy G. McHugh President & CEO Les Garner Jr. Foundation Staff Emmylou Ball, Accountant Wendy Blood, Office Manager Amy Johnson Boyle, Vice President of Resource Development Jean Brenneman, Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Cwik, Program Officer Katie Giorgio, Coordinator, Nonprofit Network Bernadette Gladish, Program Assistant Rochelle Naylor, Program Officer Deb Orr, Development Assistant Kaitlin Oswood, Endow Iowa Program Assistant Corinne Ramler, director of Marketing and Communications Karla Twedt-Ball, vice president of Programs Josie Velles, Director of Donor Services Special Programs Staff Barbara Klawiter, REACT Center administrator Community is published triannually

by The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, 324 3rd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please write, call (319.366.2862) fax (319.366.2912), or e-mail info@gcrcf.org.

Please visit our Web site: www.gcrcf.org Design WDG Communications Inc. Managing Editor & writer Vanessa Rogers Contributing writer Sherry Crawford photography Tade: cover, pgs. 3, 4 Schmatt: pg. 7 Anderson: pg. 6

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The Strength of Generosity and Power of Collaboration

Les Garner Jr.

One of my favorite childhood stories was “Stone Soup.” In this fable, three soldiers are returning home from the battlefront and stop in a small village that has suffered from the war surrounding it. The soldiers camp for the night and go off to seek food.

Unfortunately, none of the villagers they meet has a meal to share.

The soldiers announce that they will make stone soup. They ask for a large cauldron and wood for a fire. They then fill the cauldron with water and add three large stones.

One of the villagers, all of whom are very interested in the process, says that she has some onions that might add some flavor.

Another offers some potatoes; another, some carrots; another, a few pieces of bread. And so it goes, until the soldiers and townspeople together have cooked a meal sufficient to feed the entire village.

In the aftermath of the flood of 2008, I certainly felt a sense of devastation not unlike what I imagine these villagers felt.

Yet, slowly but surely, with the entire community contributing, we are rebuilding.

In this issue of the newsletter, we celebrate the re-opening of two of our community treasures, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Center and National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library and the grand opening of NewBo Market.

Together with partners from around the state and nation, and working with our donor advisors, GCRCF is proud to have played a role in these projects and others that have recently been completed or will

be completed in the near future. Together, the projects speak of a community that is rebounding from a major natural disaster.

They speak clearly to the generosity of the community and the power of collaboration.

The strength of generosity and the power of collaboration are themes that occur throughout this newsletter. They are evident in the story about Kathy J. Hall’s generous gift to endow children’s programs at the Indian Creek Nature Center and in the story about the impressive success of the pharmaceutical program at the Community Health Free Clinic, supported in part by a grant from the Foundation. They are reflected in the article describing how the Board members of the Willis Dady Center have come together to create an endowment for that organization.

The newsletter also includes information on the Nonprofit Network and the Community Development Grant Program.

The success of those programs is directly related to the extent to which effective collaboration among nonprofit agencies can be channeled into innovative programming and organization effectiveness. Our new Endowment Challenge Grant Program, also described in the newsletter, will help nonprofit organizations build a strong financial base for the future.

All of these stories illustrate what we can do when we bring our individual talents together in support of a common goal.

We may not be cooking stone soup, but we are contributing what we can when we can to make this a wonderful place to live.

Les Garner Jr.

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Cover Story

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Community Health Free Clinic Restores Dignity to Patients

Co-founder and CEO Darlene Schmidt has led the Community Health Free Clinic with great passion for more than a decade. It only takes a few minutes with Darlene to realize that she is deeply involved with every aspect of the organization and truly understands the needs of the Clinic’s patients.

“It isn’t enough to diagnose an illness or injury if we are unable to offer treatment,” Schmidt says. “The Greater Cedar Rapids “The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation’s support of our Community Foundation’s support of our Prescription Services Program has been Prescription Services Program has been monumental. The program is a safety net monumental. The program is a safety that saves lives and keeps people out of net that saves lives and keeps people the emergency room.”

With 40,000 unique patient records on out of the emergency room.” file, the Community Health Free Clinic - Darlene Schmidt serves more than 11,000 individuals annually. In the fiscal year ending June 30, patients have at least one member of the household that is working. We serve the 2012, the Clinic provided more than working poor.”

24,000 medical visits, 1,900 dental visits Seventy nine percent of Clinic patients and distributed 32,552 prescriptions with report 30% or less of the area median a retail value of $2,624,715. income, which is $21,000 for a family A typical visit to a doctor’s office of four. or even a trip to an Emergency Room “For many of our patients, the entails diagnosing the patient’s condition arithmetic just doesn’t work out,” Eno and prescribing medication(s) to treat says. “Imagine that you earn $30,000 the illness. For the uninsured and a year and have four members in your underserved, this is important but does family. The cost of insurance for a family little good if they cannot afford the cost of the medications. At Community Health of four is around $15,000 – that comes out to be half of your annual income.

Free Clinic, this is when the Prescription What about rent, car payment, groceries Services Program steps in to fill the gap and child care? It just doesn’t add up.” in coverage.

A partial funder of the Community “The perception of the patients we serve Free Health Clinic’s Prescription Services is often inaccurate,” explains Community Program, The Greater Cedar Rapids Health Free Clinic Board Chairman Community Foundation provided Rex Eno. “Around 70 percent of our

$40,000 over two years to support the wages of the Clinic’s licensed staff pharmacist, John Drzycimski.

In addition to Mr. Drzycimski, the Clinic also employs five part-time pharmacy technicians.

“We would not be here today without the support of the Community Foundation,” says Eno. “The grant was very timely and extremely helpful.

The Clinic does not receive government assistance – we are completely privately funded.”

During a short visit to the Clinic on a warm October day, it was instantly clear that the staff and volunteer leadership are far more than careful stewards of their organization’s resources – they are personally committed to ensuring that the Clinic delivers the highest level of preventative care possible.

“Our in house medication area completes the cycle of care. People have pride and often put off accessing care,” explains Schmidt. “Rex says it best – we are trying to create ‘consistency’ for patients in a very ‘inconsistent’ arena.”

Darlene, Rex and the whole Community Health Free Clinic team are giving members of the Cedar Rapids community – neighbors, friends and loved ones – more than just the vital prescriptions they need to stay healthy and prevent the spread of illness.

They are providing the gift of dignity; the dignity to make timely and affordable health care decisions for one’s self and one’s family members.

“We would not be here today without the support of the Community Foundation” Community 3

Gift Empowers Nature Center’s Outreach to Children

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Loving the outdoors comes naturally for Kathy J. Hall. Nature’s fascinating beauty and diversity captivated her as a child, growing up on a farm in central Iowa.

Kathy’s passion for the outdoors is also in her blood; her father taught her a lot about trees and her mother was an avid birdwatcher. Her parents allowed no hunting on their property and encouraged Kathy to roam freely, exploring all the gifts that nature had to offer.

“To my parents, land was a loan from God and you should leave it better than you found it,” Hall says.

In her own way, Hall has now done just that by providing a $100,000 endowment gift to the Indian Creek Nature Center’s (ICNC) education program. In December 2011, Hall established the Dorothea and Joseph Hall Gift of Wonder Fund – in honor of her parents – through The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF).

Starting next year, the endowment will have grown enough to support ICNC’s programming for children, generating a perpetual annual income to bring low-income kids to ICNC who otherwise might not be exposed to nature’s wonders.

Hall has been a long-time advocate, volunteer and member of ICNC, helping teach preschool kids and bringing her own grandchildren to visit the Nature Center often.

4 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

“You have to really know and love nature to have a passion to take care of it.”

- Kathy J. Hall

After marrying and raising her own children in Cedar Rapids, Hall realized she’d like to teach; and with a Master’s degree from University of Iowa in early childhood development, she was prepared for the challenge. Over the years, she worked with disadvantaged kids and taught in Cedar Rapids’ preschools and grade schools. Eight years ago, Hall retired, but her love of working with children never faded. For Hall, combining her two passions – the outdoors and working with small children – at ICNC was simply perfect.

“My favorite activities are with preschool kids,” she says. “For them,

everything is new; they’re excited about bugs or releasing a butterfly. They lose that wonder too soon.” ICNC’s curriculum for children is wonderful and exposes kids to the joy of discovery, Hall says.

“It’s just a wonderful place to roam around,” she notes. “Our kids today are so confined. We don’t send our children out to wander anymore.”

Hall’s gift is the ICNC’s largest single contribution. Director Rich Patterson helped Hall establish her GCRCF fund.

“I debated about different things I could support,” Hall says, “but this is what I most love doing. It will be a great pleasure to see this happen.”

It will also truly make a difference, says Jan Aiels, ICNC’s education coordinator.

“Kathy opened doors with her gift,” Aiels notes. “It will allow us to expand our programming, as well as underwrite costs for ICNC staffing and time. It’s a huge gift – for us, the community and the future.”

Hall hopes her passion for nature spreads to those touched by the educational opportunities her GCRCF Fund will provide.

“You have to really know and love nature to have a passion to take care of it,” Hall says. “I’m glad I could do this in my parents’ memory. They used to say it’s not ‘give until it hurts,’ but ‘give until it feels really good.’ This feels really good.”

www.gcrcf.org

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Fall 2012 Endow Iowa Update

Endow Iowa encourages individuals, businesses and organizations to make lasting investments in their communities by establishing permanent, endowed funds at a qualified Iowa community foundation. In exchange, donors can claim state income tax incentives worth 25 percent of the amount of their gift.

What that means for the diverse constituencies we serve is that gifts made through The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation cost donors less.

According to Iowa Economic Development Administration (IEDA), over $1.5M in Endow Iowa Tax Credit requests have been made as of October 2, 2012, leaving approximately $3,025,519 remaining for calendar year 2012. Eligible gifts made now will qualify for tax credits for the 2012 tax year.

More information on Endow Iowa, including a tax credit application, can be found on IEDA’s website www.iowalifechanging.com/endowiowa.

GCRCF Welcomes New Endow Iowa Program Assistant .

Kaitlin Oswood Kaitlin joined the GCRCF staff on July 23 as Endow Iowa Program Assistant.

Originally from Cedar Rapids, Oswood attended Drake University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2010. Following graduation, Oswood spent time teaching English in Guilin, China, and first grade in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Oswood is excited to be back in Iowa and looks forward to getting more involved in the Cedar Rapids community.

Endowment Challenge Grant First Round of Endowment Challenge Grants Awarded The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation’s (GCRCF’s) board of directors approved the first round of Endowment Challenge Grants at their meeting on September 16th. Announced earlier this year, the Endowment Challenge Grant Fund provides up to $25,000 in matching funds to a nonprofit organization’s endowment.

The Endowment Challenge Grant is an investment in the future of an organization and was developed to assist nonprofits in their efforts to create sustainable funding

Kids First

models. Endowments can provide organizations with general operating support, provide stability during cyclical variances in income, and provide financial support for areas of high importance to the organization.

In this first round of grant funding, GCRCF selected three organizations including Kids First, Four Oaks and Discovery Living, to each receive an endowment challenge grant of up to $25,000. The grant is a 3 to 1 match, which means the organization must raise $75,000 to fully draw down the $25,000 match. The funds will go into an endowment fund held at GCRCF and designated for each organization.

Discover y Liv

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Four Oaks

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NCSML, Symphony Center, NewBo Market Grand Openings The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) is proud to help our donors, fundholders and nonprofit partners play a significant role in (re)building our community.

In 2012, gifts made through GCRCF helped fund the post flood recovery efforts of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and assisted in the expansion of Orchestra Iowa’s Symphony Center, including the addition of a brand new performance space, the Opus Concert Café.

Gifts made through The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation also played a unique role in providing some of the ground-level funding for the NewBo City Market, including funds to support development of the organization’s initial business plan.

July 14, 2012

Gifts made through and by GCRCF to these three worthy projects include:

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: $236,025 Symphony Center and Opus Concert Café: $247,900 NewBo City Market: $116,445

©NCSML/2012/Anderson

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N ovember 12, 2011

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O ctober 27, 2012

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GCRCF Launches New Website, Online Tools

As we strive to better serve our diverse constituencies in an increasingly digital world, The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) is excited to announce the launch of the newly redesigned GCRCF website, as well as new online tools Donor View and Grantee View.

GCRCF.org gets a facelift After a year-long redesign, GCRCF launched a refreshed and more interactive version of its website, gcrcf.org. The updated design allows visitors to more easily navigate the site and find a particular section of interest with fewer mouse clicks.

The site also prominently features breaking news, upcoming events and links to resources for donors and nonprofits. The website redesign was completed with the assistance of Stellar Technologies.

Donor View launches to rave reviews Donor View is a free, secure, online tool that offers fundholders the convenience of accessing their fund information 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Donor View allows designated representatives or advisors to: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Review fund balances and gift history Check grantmaking activity Review fund statements online Make donations to your chosen fund

Since its launch in early September 2012, Donor View has been accessed by 459 users and 23 donor advised recommendations have been made.

Josie Velles, Director of Donor Services

for GCRCF, says that those accessing Donor View have shared their thoughts on the new system and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. “Users report that Donor View is easy to navigate and includes enough detail to allow fundholders, or their designated representatives, to access fund information and make recommendations when it is most convenient for them and in the comfort of their own home or office,” says Velles.

Grant submissions go paperless with Grantee View In October, GCRCF implemented a new online application process, Grantee View, to provide efficiencies for nonprofit organizations and will allow a paperless review process. With Grantee View, GCRCF staff accepted all applications for the fall grant cycle via the new online grant portal.

According to GCRCF’s Vice President of Programs, Karla Twedt-Ball, “Grant applicants no longer need to print multiple copies of their grant applications and worry about physically bringing often cumbersome stacks of applications to our office. This helps create streamlined and more efficient processes for area nonprofit organizations.”

Grantee View also allows nonprofit organizations to complete an organizational “snapshot,” viewable by GCRCF fundholders (potential donors!) that summarizes the mission and programs of their organization.

Nonprofit organizations can also use Grantee View to manage current grants with GCRCF, including the convenient benefits of printing PDFs of all applications submitted online and managing grant requirements such as final reports.

Connect with GCRCF on Facebook and LinkedIn The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is now on Facebook (www.facebook.com/gcrcf) and we invite you to become part of our fan base today! We’ll provide you with interesting and inspiring donor and nonprofit stories, resources, event and organization news, updates on new technology features like Donor and Grantee View and much more.

Our LinkedIn group will offer periodic updates and discussion topics on community needs and trends, meetings and training opportunities and resources for professional advisors.

Feedback welcome!

As with the introduction of any new technology, there are bound to be processes or features that just don’t function as intended or could be improved from the user perspective. If you have feedback, comments and/or suggestions on any of the new or improved technology solutions described here, please contact Corinne Ramler, Director of Marketing and Communications, at 319.366.2862 or corinne.ramler@gcrcf.org.

Photos from the Donor View Open House 8 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

www.gcrcf.org

From the vice president of development

Local Board Goes “All In” To Start Agency Prairie Fund

W Amy Johnson Boyle

When past Willis Dady Emergency Shelter board member John Weyer first approached us late last year, he had a dream.

“Willis Dady had celebrated its 25th anniversary and was wellpositioned for the future,” said Weyer. “But I had long wanted to establish an endowment to provide a permanent funding stream for shelter operations. I felt like it was the right time to make that happen.”

It was a big step for Willis Dady, which provides immediate shelter for homeless single men and families, and helps them make progress toward finding a stable housing situation.

“Opening an endowed fund was an obvious choice for an organization our size,” said Weyer. “I was proud of how Willis Dady had evolved and stabilized over the years – but we needed to address our long-term future. The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation was the obvious partner to help us do that, given its track record and reputation.”

Weyer and Willis Dady Executive Director Tim Wilson chose to open an Agency Prairie Fund, which allowed the shelter to open an endowed fund with a $2,500 minimum investment.

It also gave the agency five years to reach a fully-endowed fund level of $10,000.

But opening a Prairie Fund was not the only thing that made this fund unique. Weyer decided to team up with another longtime board member, John Earhart, and issue a matching challenge to the board.

“This allowed the board to contribute meaningfully to the endowment, but also affordably,” said Weyer. “It gave them an opportunity to be part of the process.”

The results were Community remarkable. On 9 a beautiful fall afternoon, Tim Wilson sat in my office and proudly displayed the contributions of his board members – name by name, check by check. It was a very touching moment. It was also a wonderful testament to the shelter and its volunteer leaders. Together, this group of individuals took the first step toward changing the plight of the homeless in our community – forever.

The moment reminded me why I love what I do. We help connect donors with the causes they care about and help local nonprofit organizations thrive.

Thanks to the Board of the Willis Dady Emergency Shelter, I am also reminded of something else. Anyone can help change the landscape of their community, even long after they leave it.

Thank you all for joining us!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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Since 2005, The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) has made a commitment to supporting and strengthening the nonprofit organizations in our area through the Linn County Nonprofit Resource Center.

In October, after months of strategic discussion, GCRCF officially launched the Nonprofit Network. This network – now a program of the Community Foundation – will be a newly refocused point of connection for local nonprofit organizations and professionals in the community – connecting them to peers, learning opportunities, information and mentors.

An important element of the Nonprofit Network is connecting nonprofit professionals to their peers within the sector. The Nonprofit Network hosts a variety of peer groups – for CFOs, Executive Directors and marketing professionals, for example – so that nonprofits sector-wide can share ideas, offer support and gather input from their peers.

One of the other goals of the Nonprofit Network is to strengthen nonprofit organizations by providing access to relevant best practice information on a wide variety of topics of nonprofit interest.

In order to best serve local nonprofits,

Nonprofit Network: Making Connections for Local Nonprofit Organizations

Katie Giorgio Nonprofit Network Coordinator

the Nonprofit Network has partnered with the Cedar Rapids Public Library to become a go-to source of information – whether accessing periodicals or nonprofit compensation surveys online or meeting with research librarians for additional project help.

The Nonprofit Network also strongly believes in continued learning for nonprofit professionals in our community.

Through reflection over the last two years, we’ve realized there are many organizations that already offer highly beneficial training programs and learning opportunities for the nonprofit sector. Through our Nonprofit Learning Network, we seek to collaborate with such training providers to ensure that nonprofit organizations have access to workshops, presentations and training series that cover a broad variety of topics of interest and meet the professional development needs of those organizations. Our hope is that in working with these partners we can help build the organizational capacity of nonprofits in our community.

In coming months, new ideas and resources will be shared. In early 2013, for example, we plan to offer the Nonprofit Mentor Network, a program that provides experienced professional volunteers as consultants in capacity building projects.

We anticipate offering help in three areas initially: organizational assessment & review, board assessment & development, and executive coaching & mentoring.

“The Community Foundation inherently believes it is important for nonprofit organizations to have the opportunity to build their capacity to continue the good work they do in our community,” says GCRCF President & CEO Les Garner.

“The Nonprofit Network will be an invaluable resource for the nonprofit sector, especially because of all the strong partnerships we’ve already formed.”

The Nonprofit Network seeks to honestly and meaningfully connect with nonprofit professionals and gather regular feedback on how this program of the Community Foundation can be most beneficial. For more information about the Nonprofit Network or to share your thoughts, please visit our website (www.gcrcf.org) or contact Nonprofit Network Coordinator Katie Giorgio at 319.366.2862 or katie.giorgio@gcrcf.org.

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation celebrated the launch of the Nonprofit Network with an Open House event on Friday, October 26, 2012. The event was attended by over 100 nonprofit professionals interested in learning about how they could connect with the Nonprofit Network.

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Corinne Ramler Named Director of Marketing and Communications

On October 22, Corinne Ramler joined The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) staff as Director of Marketing and Communications.

A key member of GCRCF’s leadership team, Ms. Ramler will establish and guide the strategy for all marketing and communications efforts, serve as the organization’s chief brand champion and will actively educate the public about GCRCF’s role in addressing key community needs.

“I am excited to welcome Corinne to the GCRCF team,” said Les Garner, President & CEO. “She will be instrumental in developing a strategic marketing vision that will actively support the nonprofits, donors and fundholders that we serve.”

Ms. Ramler brings a deep understanding of nonprofit marketing, public relations and donor relations to her new role at GCRCF, having served as the Chief Development Officer and Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Waypoint Services for over a decade. Prior to joining the Waypoint staff, Ms. Ramler was an Account Manager for Henry Russell Bruce.

Ms. Ramler is actively involved in the community where she serves as Chair of the Marketing Committee at St. Pius X School and as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She was a member of the 2008 Leadership for Five Seasons class and was named one of the Corridor Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2010.

Corinne Ramler

Director of Marketing and Communications

New Members Join GCRCF Board of Directors

Terri Christoffersen

Brent Cobb

Oather Taylor III

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) is pleased to announce the addition of three new board members.

New members include Terri Christoffersen, community volunteer; Brent Cobb, President of World Class Industries; and Oather Taylor III, Director of Infrastructure Security and Facilities Services at Alliant Energy.

We also want to express our most sincere appreciation for the service of outgoing board members John Bickel, Shuttleworth and Ingersoll, PLC; Ruth Hairston, AEGON; and Nancy Kasparek, US Bank; whose terms will end on December 31, 2012.

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PERMIT NO. 214 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

324 3rd Street SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401

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COMMUNITY

Fall 2012

20 1 2 Outstanding Foundation...

S erving an O utstanding Community The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) began its philanthropic legacy when it was created as a community welfare trust in the 1940s.

In 2012, GCRCF was honored to receive the Outstanding Foundation Award....having distributed over $60 million in grants since becoming a public foundation in 1992.

Thank you for working with us to strengthen our community.