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WWC Annual Meeting goes virtual in 2020, reaches quarter million mark

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This WWC Steering Committee group staged the 2020 virtual annual meeting from the Elk County Community Foundation office.

The 2020 Fall Business meeting of Women Who Care (WWC) was held virtually on October 1st with 182 WWC members voting on grant funding for their favorite organizations and projects. The membership awarded $36,979 in grants to eleven non-profit organizations.

Women Who Care saw its beginning on October 8, 2009, when one hundred women from all walks of life came together at the St. Marys Country Club for one express purpose: how do we collaborate to effect a change to improve the lives of our families today and in the future? After a year of organizing, that question was answered when WWC began granting their pooled donations in 2010 to support local non-profit organizations. As of today, a total of $268,400 dollars in grants have been invested into worthy projects that enhance life in our communities.

Every fall since 2010, WWC members have gathered at their annual meeting to vote on their organizations and projects to receive a grant that year. Then came the fall of 2020, when COVID-19 changed everything.

Even though the annual in-person meeting could not be held this year, the women of WWC showed their spirit of philanthropy and happily participated in the “Girls Night In” 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting. All organizations applying for a grant were asked to submit a short video on their project. The videos were compiled and placed on YouTube for members to review prior to placing their vote.

An annual meeting packet mailed to all members included their voting ballot as well as the opportunity to pre-order turkey dinners to be picked up at one of three drive-thru locations in the county, and to purchase chances on two beautiful mega-baskets and a 50-50 drawing. After picking up 159 turkey dinners the night of the event, many members gathered safely with small groups of trusted friends at someone’s home to enjoy their dinners and tune into the Live Facebook event that announced the winners of the grants, door prizes, baskets and 50-50. Additional income from our member’s tremendous support of the raffles allowed every grant request to be funded this year.  The event was a huge success with more votes being cast for grant recipients than any past year.

Area organizations receiving 2020 awards were: Guardian Angel Center, $5,000 for a custom counter; WRC/Ridgmont Campus, $2,579 for Amazon Fire Tablets for face-to-face family contact; Friends of Twin Lakes, $3,500 to develop management plan; Ridgway YMCA, $1,500 for deep cleaning, 2 foggers & disinfectant; Boys & Girls Club, $5,000 to enhance & offset programs; Elk County Farm Bureau, $2,500 for AG Mobile Lab; Penn Highlands Elk, $2,000 for Jaxson bags; City of St. Marys, $5,000 for portable ice rink; Penn State Extension 4-H, $3,000 for virtual programming; St. Leo’s School, $2,400 for air purifier, and $500 for You Go Girl program; Johnsonburg School District, $4,000 for technology program.

The 2020 granting monies were made possible through donations made by the 255 area women who are members of Women Who Care, a philanthropic giving project of the Elk County Community Foundation

(ECCF). The women of Elk County have truly embraced the Women Who Care mission. WWC was built locally, and gives locally, covering issues like human services, recreational opportunities, women and girl equality, strengthening families, and education. Members find that with the same amount of money they would use to write a check to a charity, they get to make more of a difference to more organizations, spend more time with friends, and learn more about what their community needs. Two gatherings a year bring members together to socialize, learn about programs in our community, and vote on projects to support each year during its fall granting meeting.

With a goal to provide grants to local charitable organizations, women make an annual minimum contribution ranging from $100 to $1,000. Their donation entitles them to a vote on what agencies will receive the dollars as well as the opportunity to enjoy yearly events. All area women are invited to join Women Who Care. For more information, contact ECCF at 834-2125, by email at eccf@elkcountyfoundation.org, or visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org.

Nonprofits Create Rainy Day Accounts at ECCF

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Nonprofits Create Rainy Day Accounts at ECCF

ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future.  This is the 15th in a series of articles on the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) during its 20th anniversary year, highlighting its history and impact in the community

ST. MARYS: The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) is known for helping area organizations fund their projects through grant awards, but ECCF offers other services to non-profits as well. Just like our families, agencies should have a “rainy day” fund in case there’s an emergency or to help plan for the future. The good news is that a number of local organizations have a plan in the form of an Endowment Fund with ECCF that can provide them with an annual income.

Just what is an endowment fund? Simply put, it works like a savings account or “401K” for an organization. The agency and its supporters make contributions directly to the fund, which generates income for the organization to use or reinvest to help the principle grow. An endowment demonstrates that an organization has made a long-term commitment to their mission. Endowment earnings can be used each year to help fund operations, programs, and unanticipated needs. The Community Foundation provides investment oversight of the funds and many other services.

Many local organizations have an established Endowment Fund at ECCF.  CAPSEA, Catholic Daughters of America, Crystal Fire Department, Dickinson Center Inc., Elk County Catholic School System, Elk County Council on the Arts, Elkland Search & Rescue, Friends of Twin Lakes, Johnsonburg Public Library, Oak Manor, Pheasants Forever Chapter 630, Potter County Education Council, Ridgway Free Public Library, Ridgway YMCA, Rita M. Sorg & Marcella A. Largey Fund for Elcam Community Center, St. Marys Area United Way, St. Marys Christian Food Bank, St. Marys Public Library, and Women Who Care have all established funds. It’s important for community organizations that enhance the lives of area residents to have a plan for long-term stability.

Some funds are established by the organization itself, while others may be started by an individual who took special interest in that organization and its mission. In some cases, people designate organizations for donations in their estate plan. Recently, endowment funds for the Crystal Fire Department and Elkland Search & Rescue were started with money bequeathed to them through the estate of a local gentleman who passed away.

When people give contributions to an endowment, they support the cause of perpetuity, and their money will support a community institution long after they’re gone. Donations, large or small, can be made at any time to support an endowment fund. An endowment provides a cash reserve that can help smooth out the ups and downs that every organization experiences over time.

There are many reasons why donors give their dollars and resources for charitable purposes. It brings more meaning to their lives, helps others in need, provides a tax donation, promotes generosity in their children, motivates family and friends to do the same, gives them a personal connection to the cause of the organization, and makes them a part of growing their communities.

The Community Foundation is an ideal vehicle for building an endowment to help a nonprofit better meet current challenges and provide long-term stability for the future of the organization. Donations to any endowment fund will help support both the agency and the many programs they offer that enhance the lives of our families. ECCF provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes. For more information, visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or call the office at 834.2125.

Photo: The St. Marys Public Library Endowment Fund serves as a “rainy day” account for the organization. The fund’s yearly earnings are often used to support their popular summer reading program.

ECCF’s Annual Report Card To The Community

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ECCF’s Annual Report Card to the Community

ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future.  This is the 14th in a series of articles on the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) during its 20th anniversary year, highlighting its history and impact in the community

ST. MARYS: The Elk County Community Foundation Annual Report tells the story of ECCF’s accomplishments of the past year and its impact in the community. Now celebrating its 20th year, the Foundation has carefully recorded its rich history of philanthropic service to the community through its annual reports. The recently published 2019 Annual Report is available to the public by picking up a copy at the Foundation office or reading it online at www.elkcountyfoundation.org.

So the question is, did the Foundation get decent grades on its 2019 report card? You can judge for yourself by looking at the numbers. In 2019, ECCF created 12 new charitable funds; awarded 134 grants, 158 first year scholarships, and 35 renewed scholarships. The Foundation received $394,000 in gifts from donors, and now holds funds totaling nearly $12.9 million dollars. That’s quite a record of growth from the $1.9 million noted in the 2004 Annual Report!

The ECCF Annual Report tells what our nonprofit does – who it served over the past year, who its key supporters and donors are, and how it spent its resources. The annual report tells stories of grant funding that supported the Penn Highlands Elk Auxiliary holiday gifts and activities project, equipment for the Snowmobile Association, funding for a pavilion at the Ridgway Community Pool, and a grant to help the Friends of Twin Lakes repair the trail around the lake. These are just a few of the ways in which ECCF spent its resources in 2019, with over $639,000 dollars awarded in grants to non-profits through the year.

New scholarship funds were started by eight families and organizations to support students seeking higher education. Local students were awarded over $170,000 in ECCF scholarships last year.

Close to 250 everyday Elk County women became members of Women Who Care in 2019 and pooled their donations to award $35,000 in grants to 11 schools and non-profits for programs that improved the lives of women and children. Philanthropy in Elk County is alive and well!

As a community 501c3 organization, the ECCF Annual Report presents the opportunity to be candid and transparent about the finances of the foundation and gives a vision of what lies ahead. The purpose of nonprofit organizations is generally to improve quality of life for others at a community, local, state, national, or even global level. These organizations are not dedicated to private or financial gain but to the advancement of public interest. Elk County is blessed with many non-profits that add value to the lives of our residents every day.

The Elk County Community Foundation has been helping individuals and families realize their charitable goals for over 20 years. Through the Foundation, donors can create funds to support causes they care about. Since 2000, the funds created by generous donors have invested $5,334,686 dollars back into our communities through grants awarded. This is quite an amazing number that has made a significant impact on the lives of every resident of Elk County. ECCF provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes. For more information, visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or call the office at 834.2125.

Grant applications now available for Ridgway Charitable Fund

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Grant applications now available for Ridgway Charitable Fund

The Borough of Ridgway Charitable Fund grant applications are now available, with an application deadline of September 15th. This special fund, held by the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF), was designated by its donor, Sara-Jane Stackpole, to enhance the quality of life for Ridgway Borough residents. The Foundation encourages nonprofit organizations that will serve a particular need of the community to apply.

The Ridgway Charitable Fund’s purpose is to provide financial support to those non-profit organizations whose application reflects a purpose or project that will benefit Ridgway residents. It was Sara-Jane’s wish that the Foundation appoint an Advisory Board of five individuals to represent various groups of people residing in the Borough of Ridgway. Board members from this Advisory Board will review the applications and then make grant recommendations to ECCF’s Board of Directors for their consideration.

ECCF is a non-profit organization that strengthens our region through development, stewardship, and grantmaking as donors achieve their philanthropic goals. For a grant application, please visit the ECCF website at https://elkcountyfoundation.org/grants. For additional information contact the ECCF office at 834-2125.

Photo: 2019 Borough of Ridgway Charitable Fund grant recipients

Donors Leave a Legacy Through Their Estate Plans

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ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future.  This is the 13th in a series of articles on the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) during its 20th anniversary year, highlighting its history and impact in the community

Donors Leave a Legacy Through Their Estate Plans

ST. MARYS: Taking care of their family is usually the first priority when people think about estate planning. After that, they look to the things that are important in their lives, such as a charity that has touched their lives in a meaningful way, loyalty to a school that helped them succeed, or a worthy organization they strongly believe in. The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) strives to help individuals who care about this community to fulfill their charitable wishes by leaving a lasting legacy.

A number of area residents have left their legacy by incorporating a portion of their estate into a fund established in their name at the Foundation. Funds like those established through the estates of Sara-Jane Stackpole, Tom and Mary Rita Valentine, Harold and Midge Fritz Lenze, Gloria and Jim Straub, and Frank and Josephine Sicheri, are still making a difference in the communities they loved.

Sara-Jane Stackpole was an avid supporter of her community and an on-going contributor to the Foundation who left a lasting gift to her friends and neighbors by establishing two funds as part of her estate plan: The Ridgway Volunteer Fire Department Fund and The Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund. These funds have provided many thousands of dollars in grants to support projects and non-profit organizations in the Ridgway area. The Sara-Jane Stackpole Legacy Society at ECCF was named after Sara-Jane in 2007 in appreciation for her deep commitment to philanthropy and to honor her memory.

In 2013, Tom and Mary Rita Valentine included the creation of a charitable fund in their estate plans. Their fund supports Catholic education at Elk County Catholic School System through scholarships and funding for general operational needs. Northwest Saving Bank (NSB), as well as local attorney Tom Wagner, played a large role in giving guidance to the couple as they completed their charitable plans. NSB representatives described Tom and Rita as “a very loving, sweet couple that lived for each other and their faith. The couple believed that by supporting Catholic education they could share their faith with the next generation. We honor their belief in Catholic education by administering this fund exactly how they wished.”

Harold C. Lenze was a longtime supporter of Catholic education in our community. Throughout Harold’s lifetime he and his wife Marguerite “Midge” would contribute to the education of many students in the area attending local Catholic schools. Provisions were made by Harold in his estate plans to establish a fund for the purpose of supporting Catholic education after his death. Upon Mr. Lenze’s passing the “Harold C. and Marguerite M. Lenze Tuition Assistance Fund for the St. Marys Catholic Elementary and Middle Schools” was created. The fund will provide tuition assistance for generations to come.

Gloria Straub left her imprint on the community she loved when she passed away in May of 2018. Her husband, Jim, preceded her in death in 2002. As part of her estate plan, Gloria provided for the establishment of three separate funds with ECCF. The James & Gloria Straub Benedictine Sister Fund provides for the special needs of the Benedictine Sisters who formerly resided at the St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys. The James & Gloria Straub Memorial Fund will provide charitable funds to non-profit organizations recommended by the designated advisors for the fund. The James & Gloria Straub Pinecrest Manor Activities Fund will support the activities of the local nursing home where Gloria spent so many hours as a volunteer.

In 2017 ECCF received a large estate gift from the Zita Sicheri Estate. Jake Meyer and Brad Kraus of Meyer, Wagner, Brown and Krause Law firm helped to administer the estate. Zita donated a good portion of her assets to the Foundation to establish the Frank and Josephine Sicheri Family Fund in honor of her parents. The Fund will be for the sole purpose of support to the St. Boniface Catholic Church and School in her community. Her and her sisters’ years of labor and frugality will reap abundant benefits for the St. Boniface parish family whose lives will be touched by her generosity.

The Elk County Community Foundation has been helping individuals and families realize their charitable goals for over 20 years. Through the Foundation, donors can create funds to support causes they care about. It’s like having your own private foundation – but a lot easier. Funds can be started with just a minimal donation. Most can be set up in just one meeting, and your gifts are tax deductible. ECCF provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes. For more information, visit ECCF’s website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or call the office at 834.2125.

Photo: Sara-Jane Stackpole, Mary Rita & Tom Valentine, Harold & Midge Fritz Lenze, Gloria & Jim Straub.  Local residents left a legacy by establishing a fund at the Community Foundation which ensure their wishes will continue beyond their lifetime. Their funds recognize and support the charitable organizations and philanthropic causes that made an impact on their lives.

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