Community Newsletter - Summer 2022

COMMUNIT Y Summer 2022 Newsletter

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President & CEO, Dr. Les Garner, Jr. Announces His Retirement For the last twelve years, the Community Foundation has benefitted from the leadership of Dr. Les Garner, Jr. Through some of the largest challenges our community has ever faced, Les led our organization with grace, compassion, and wisdom. After a long and illustrious career, Les will retire in June of 2023.

I am optimistic about the future of the Community Foundation and Linn County.

— Les Garner President & CEO

“It has been an honor to serve as the leader of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation,” says Les. “I am proud of the organization and its efforts to strengthen our community through philanthropy. The collective efforts of the Board of Directors, a talented staff, and innovative donors and nonprofits have been inspiring. I am optimistic about the future of the Community Foundation and Linn County.”

Les joined the Community Foundation in 2010 after serving as President of Cornell College for sixteen years. Before that, he was President of North Carolina Wesleyan College and served as assistant professor of business administration and director of the Young Executives Institute at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He also served as special assistant to the director at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.

Les led the Community Foundation through three strategic plans, more than doubling the organization’s assets from $91 million in 2010 to $223 million in 2022. Annual grantmaking increased from $6.3 million in 2010 to $12.6 million in 2022 and the staff grew from 13 employees to 21.

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“I have loved working with Les for the past 12 years,” said Karla Twedt-Ball, Senior Vice President, Programs and Community Investment. “Under Les’ leadership, the Community Foundation has helped position the community for the future through a number of efforts.

He will have a long lasting legacy in our community.”

Some of those efforts include the micro-lending program for Cedar Rapids entrepreneurs, the expansion of the Kids on Course University summer programs, the third-grade reading proficiency program called Reading into Success, and the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities Fund for youth violence prevention efforts. Many of these are direct results of Les’ ability to convene and connect with people.

When donors came to the Community Foundation with an interest in funding a microloan program for local entrepreneurs, Les brought the idea to life. “He began investigating how to create such a program and eventually formed a partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids, the Public Library, Kirkwood SBDC, the local SCORE chapter, and the East Central Iowa Council of Governments,” said Jean Brenneman, Chief Financial Officer. “While all the partners have contributed to the success of the program, I truly believe it would not have gotten off the ground without Les’ entrepreneurial, convening, and storytelling skills.”

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Within the Community Foundation, Les’ innovative leadership has had a tremendous impact. Initiatives during his tenure include an upgraded data software system, an expanded menu of investment options, increased involvement in community learning, and stronger supports for nonprofits through grantmaking and the Nonprofit Network.

By all accounts, Les leaves the Community Foundation in a good position to continue supporting Linn County far into the future.

“We appreciate Les giving us time to prepare the Community Foundation for his departure,” said Okpara Rice, Board Chair. “He has been a convenor and collaborator that has led the Community Foundation through tremendous growth over the past 12 years.”

For now, Les will continue to lead the Community Foundation and provide support during the transition.

The Board of Directors will oversee the search process, which will begin in January 2023 with the goal of filling the position by June 2023.

Summer 2022

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Spirit of Minnie Rubek honorees will be recognized at the Nonprofit Party at the Lodge on Thursday, September 8 at Wanatee Park’s Prairie Oak Lodge. All nonprofit professionals are invited to join the celebration from 4:30 to 6 pm.

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“Minnie Rubek was an unsung heroine in our community,” said Carrie Walker, Nonprofit Network Manager. “Her gifts made a lasting impact on our organization and community; the Spirit of Minnie Rubek honors those who are following in her footsteps.”

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Even in the nonprofit sector, where service to the community is the norm and the people are mission-driven, there are those who stand out and go the extra mile. These are the people who work day in and day out to have an impact on their organizations, colleagues and communities. We are excited to recognize a few of these individuals who have remained quietly committed to local nonprofit organizations.

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Nonprofit Professionals to be Recognized for Going ‘Above and Beyond’

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2022 Spirit of Minnie Rubek Honorees

Brad Bezilla Children’s Services Clinic Director Balance Autism Cedar Rapids

Kim Brown Crisis Counselor Foundation 2 Crisis Services

Abbie Covenah Director of Operations United Way of East Central Iowa

Dawn D’Amico Human Resources and Payroll Manager Horizon, A Family Service Alliance

Sarah Dawson Scout Executive/CEO Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

Amber Franzen Associate Executive Director Aging Services

Mugisha Gloire Executive Director United We March Forward

Janet Gross Client Coordinator Central Furniture Rescue

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Bob Hebl Executive Director Discovery Living, Inc.

Jackie Lee Senior Accountant Waypoint

Margie Leonard Medical Coordinator His Hands Free Clinic

Laura Martin Mediator Kids First Law Center

Dave Mather Director of Ministry Support Team St. Paul’s United Methodist Church & Foundation

Achissa Mushimiyimana Education Coordinator Catherine McAuley Center

Jill O’Hara, CDA, RDA, EFDA Dental Clinic Manager Eastern Iowa Health Center Dental Health Clinic

Tora Phelps Supported Employment Specialist The Arc of East Central Iowa

Jackie Stallman Food Pantry Manager Metro Catholic Outreach

Chelsey Steckly Program Supervisor YPN

Karen Takes Project Coordinator Tanager Place

Clint Twedt-Ball Executive Director & Founder Matthew 25

Michelle Waldron Strategy Director Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa

Dianne Wasson Transitions of Care and Continuum of Care Mercy Medical Center

To learn more about each honoree, please visit www.gcrcf.org/2022-minnie-rubek-honorees/.

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Summer 2022

Michael Stallman

Discovering A Passion for Philanthropy More than 30 years ago, while working as a CPA for McGladrey LLP, Michael Stallman started on his philanthropic path. A client was in the process of establishing Discovery Living, a local nonprofit helping adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities live meaningful lives in mainstream society. After helping with some of the paperwork, Michael eventually took on a more active role.

“I’ve been on the board there for about 35 years now,” Michael said. “Back then, people didn’t necessarily want group homes in their neighborhoods, so it wasn’t always easy.” Still, the dedicated board and staff were able to grow the organization—today they serve 150 people at 34 Linn County locations.

After more than two decades of donating his time and talents, Michael got an opportunity to give back even more—not only to Discovery Living, but to other organizations he cared about as well.

“We received an annuity from my father and used that and some converted mutual insurance company stock to establish an endowed fund,” Michael said.

“We didn’t really need the additional taxable income at that point, and this way we could use it for charitable gifts in the future.”

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We were always encouraged to stay involved and support the community where we could.

— John Stallman, Michael’s son

Opting for an endowed donor-advised fund, Michael was able to make a single tax-deductible gift to the Community Foundation upon receiving the annuity without deciding yet which organizations the fund would support. The flexibility of making annual grant recommendations has allowed him to support organizations that are important to him, including the schools his seven grandchildren attend.

Because the fund is endowed, it will make grants to the community forever, and Michael looks forward to getting his three adult children involved in the process. With a range of family philanthropy services, the Community Foundation can provide guidance as families enter into these discussions.

summer break from college. John is an Eagle Scout, long-time troop leader, and now a father to young scouts, and he was looking for a way to support the summer camp staff program.

In fact, the Stallmans have already started having those conversations.

“We looked into establishing a nonprofit for this purpose, but it isn’t easy,” Michael said. “The Community Foundation was a much better option, and this fund now provides scholarships for students who work at the camp.”

“As we were growing up, both of our parents were quite active in charitable organizations,” said John, Michael’s son. “We were always encouraged to stay involved and support the community where we could. They set great examples for us kids—and for a lot of others as well.”

The designated fund makes annual distributions to the Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and those grants support the Camp Staff Alumni Scholarships Program. As an endowed fund, it will make those distributions forever. To date, the fund has provided more than $6,000 in scholarship funding.

Shortly after establishing the donor-advised fund, Michael teamed up with John to establish the Howard H. Cherry Reservation Camp Staff Alumni Fund. The camp serves eastern Iowa scouts and is partially staffed by former scouts who are on

Now Accepting Gifts of Cryptocurrency In response to donor requests, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is now accepting gifts of cryptocurrency. There are many different types of cryptocurrency, but each is a digital asset made for exchange across computer networks.

In recent years, cryptocurrency—or crypto—has grown in popularity with both investors and philanthropists.

The Giving Block, which helps nonprofits fundraise through digital assets, processed $5 million in contributions in 2020, compared to $100 million in 2021.

Beisker, Senior Vice President of Development at the Community Foundation. “Many foundations are beginning to accept these assets, and gifts of crypto have become popular with donors. We accept a wide range of gifts to make it easy for donors to strengthen our community, and adding crypto to that list will help ensure we are prepared for Linn County’s future.”

To learn how you can make gifts of crypto—or any other asset—to the Community Foundation, contact us at 319-366-2862 or info@gcrcf.org.

“Cryptocurrency remains a developing industry, but its growth cannot be ignored,” said Michelle 7

Summer 2022

Working Toward Equity from the Inside Out The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation exists to strengthen Linn County and improve the lives of its residents. Everything we do is in pursuit of a vibrant and inclusive Linn County where all people thrive—and those efforts begin at home.

“Equity is a simple concept—it is acknowledging that equitable outcomes may require differentiated treatment,” said Les Garner, President & CEO. “Unfortunately, many of our systems have built-in barriers for certain groups, and addressing those barriers is no small task.”

The primary role of the Community Foundation is a funder. Our unique position in the community allows us to act as a convener, a catalyst, and a place for ongoing dialogue on challenging issues. We can partner with donors who truly want to empower disadvantaged communities; we can shine a light on disparities and provide support for emerging solutions; we can rethink our policies and practices to promote equity.

Equity is a simple concept—it is acknowledging that equitable outcomes require differentiated treatment...

“Learning requires asking questions,” Les said. “We’re asking ourselves challenging questions at the Community Foundation, and we’re reaching out to groups that may not have felt connected to our organization in the past.

We want to know how we can better serve everyone.”

As a philanthropic organization, we acknowledge that the Community Foundation exists in a nation in which certain groups of people Through two recent outings— have been historically to the African American disadvantaged. As our nation — Les Garner, President & CEO Museum of Iowa and the comes to terms with this LGBTQ+ Youth Center at truth and acknowledges Tanager Place—Community entrenched disparities, it may seem difficult to see how Foundation staff and board members took a closer philanthropic organizations can find a path forward and look at the barriers some in our community face. address these problems.

Community Foundation staff and board members at the African American Museum of Iowa. The group toured Mapping Exclusion: Redlining in Iowa, and talked with Museum staff about their role in preserving and celebrating Black history.

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Staff at the African American Museum walked us through Mapping Exclusion: Redlining in Iowa, and helped us understand how racist lending practices in the mid twentieth century are still affecting communities across the country. Redlining pushed some neighborhoods deeper into poverty and made it harder to access things like healthcare, food, and in recent years, even internet service.

At Tanager Place’s LGBTQ+ Youth Center, we heard from staff who provide vital resources for LGBTQ youth and their families. LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for a wide range of negative outcomes, such as homelessness,

suicide, and violent victimization, but resources like the Center can help mitigate these risks by connecting them to each other and their communities.

Organizations like the African American Museum and Tanager Place are working to serve, educate, and empower our communities; by supporting Linn County’s nonprofits, we can help build a more equitable future.

The Community Foundation has made a commitment to equity, and we will continue to search for collaborative, empowering ways to serve our community.

Welcome New Program Officer Casey Baustian The Community Foundation is excited to announce that Casey Baustian, MSW, has joined our team as a Program Officer. Casey will manage a portfolio of grant funds, initially focusing on the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities (SET) Fund and the implementation of Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategies.

With a diverse background working in medical social work, education, harm reduction, and restorative justice, Casey is sure to be a true asset to the Community Foundation’s grants team.

Casey Baustian, MSW Program Officer

“I’m very excited to work with the many dedicated individuals who are having a positive impact across Linn County,” Casey said. “I look forward to getting to know the nonprofit organizations that are serving our community.”

Team Up with the Community Foundation to Support Linn County Teachers The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is once again partnering with DonorsChoose to match donations to classroom projects of teachers in Linn County public schools. The one-to-one match began on August 1, 2022.

in creative, innovative, and effective classroom projects. Additional support comes from the Peggy Fashimpaur Kahr Fund for Arts Education and the Community Foundation’s unrestricted funds. Currently, $25,000 in matching grant funds are available through DonorsChoose for the 2022-23 school year.

DonorsChoose is a national nonprofit, founded in 2000, that allows teachers to crowdsource funding for supplies, projects and equipment. Donors can give to schools in To view a list of classroom requests from teachers in Linn their area, to teachers they know, or to any classroom County, visit donorschoose.org. with an unmet need. The Community Foundation has partnered with DonorsChoose since 2015.

The Community Foundation’s Fund for Educational Excellence, which provides a portion of the matching grants, was established in 1990 to support teachers 9 Summer 2022

Collaborating to Serve Afghan Refugees In the final months of 2021, shortly after the Taliban toppled the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, some 75,000 refugees arrived in the United States. More than 600 refugees came to Iowa, and a number of these were resettled in Cedar Rapids.

Recognizing the urgency of this need, the Community Foundation provided a $27,000 grant to fully fund the service for ten weeks while more sustainable funding options were explored. Within two weeks refugees had access to free rides to and from essential services.

In the years leading up to this, the federal government had reduced some of the infrastructure in place for refugee services. By the time the refugees arrived, many service providers were overwhelmed by the combined challenges of the lingering pandemic, supply chain delays, reduced workforce, and decreased government funding.

NTS began in 1995 as a solution to transportation barriers to employment in Cedar Rapids. In 2021, NTS started a partnership with technology company Via, increasing the types of services they provide and allowing them to react quickly to changing circumstances in our community. With Via, NTS could use a web-based translation service for refugees needing transportation.

The sudden influx of refugees, combined with these existing challenges, made the resettlement process even more complicated than usual. Earlier this year, as the federal supports that were in place began to taper off, transportation suddenly became a major barrier for refugees still navigating the resettlement process.

“Horizons was notified that transportation for Afghan refugees was causing significant barriers to accessing social services, medical services, and employment,” said Kelzye Bedwell, Director of Financial Stability at Horizons. “Through a collaborative conversation between the Community Foundation, Catherine McAuley Center, Eastern Iowa Health Clinic, Catholic Charities and others, we determined that Neighborhood Transportation Service’s (NTS) microtransit model could help.”

Refugees arriving in Cedar Rapids will always have a need for transportation—to government offices, medical appointments, and a wide range of other services—and having this program in place will help make these new Americans feel welcomed.

“NTS’ new service has transported clients to prenatal care appointments, English as a second language classes, employment, and much more,” Kelzye said.

“The creative solution that emerged from crisis led to a long-term and expanding service that will increasingly and efficiently remove barriers for new Iowans in our community.”

The creative solution that emerged from crisis led to a long-term and expanding service that will increasingly and efficiently remove barriers for new Iowans in our community.

— Kelzye Bedwell, Horizons 10 Community

Trees Forever

Final Grants Distributed for Derecho Recovery Two years after 140 mph winds tore through eastern Iowa, the damage wrought is still visible. Some 65% of the local tree canopy was lost, the stumps and broken branches serving as a reminder of what was once there.

“It will be a long time before our tree canopy is restored,” said Carrie Walker, Nonprofit Network Manager and 2022 LAP-AID Chair. “But like all trees, these are being planted for the next generation, and as a community we will get to watch them grow.”

While these scars will be visible for years to come, grants from the Disaster Recovery Fund continue to help our Through recovery efforts after the 2008 flood and 2020 derecho, and through partnerships with regional and community heal and recover. national organizations, the Community Foundation has learned a lot about philanthropy’s potential in disaster Established within a week of the storm, the Disaster preparedness, response and recovery. In accordance Recovery Fund initially made grants to provide basic needs to the community’s most vulnerable. Nonprofit with best practices in the field, a small portion of the Disaster Recovery Fund will remain available for future organizations could apply to the fund, and grants were also made to meet needs identified by community disasters, and the fund itself will serve as a readily available resource for when it is needed. partners, such as Linn Area Partners Active in Disaster (LAP-AID).

“Preparedness goes a long way in the immediate Working with LAP-AID, other funders and local leaders, aftermath of a disaster,” Carrie said. “Having the Disaster Recovery Fund in place, ready to accept and distribute the Community Foundation was able to help prioritize needs and increase recovery efficiency. This collaborative funds, will be a big help when our community eventually approach helped establish programs such as PATCH faces another disaster.”

(Providing Assistance to Community Homeowners), which offers housing repairs, loan assistance and case support.

Grants for Tree Purchase, Planting and Care While it is difficult to say at any point that we have fully recovered from a disaster, we can say that the most pressing needs have been addressed. As such, the Disaster Recovery Fund is no longer accepting applications. This month, a final batch of grants totaling $293,000 has been made to support the purchase, planting and care of trees throughout Linn County.

City of Hiawatha

$10,000

City of Marion

$40,000

City of Mount Vernon Monarch Research Project (for trees in rural Linn County) Trees Forever (ReLeaf Cedar Rapids)

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$5,000 $13,000 $225,000

324 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401-1841 319.366.2862 / gcrcf.org

Where charitable gifts multiply for community good.

UPCOMING E VENTS

2022

Nonprofit Party at the Lodge

Fall Grant Deadline

Thursday, September 8, 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Wanatee Park, Prairie Oak Lodge in Marion

Friday, October 4, 2022, 4:30 p.m. CST

A celebration of the nonprofit sector and its outstanding professionals! Nonprofit professionals are invited to join us for complimentary appetizers and drinks, and to celebrate the 2022 Spirit of Minnie Rubek honorees. To RSVP, visit gcrcf.org.

Visit gcrcf.org for information on available grants and how to apply.

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