The original Carthage Community Foundation, founded in 1999, expanded in 2006, incorporating as the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc., to serve a four-county area of Jasper, Newton, Barton and McDonald counties.

With the development of philanthropic resources in the CFSWMO region in the succeeding years, particularly in the Joplin area, CFSWMO is changing its name back to Carthage Community Foundation and a new affiliate has been established to serve the Joplin area. The new affiliate will retain the CFSWMO name for the present.

Don LaFerla will serve as president of the CCF’s Board of Directors. Other board members include: Kevin Checkett, Frank Dunaway, Bill Putnam, and Stan Schmidt, who are four of the original founders;  former CFSWMO board members LaFerla, Bill Lee, Carolyn Phelps, Lee Pound, and Miriam Putnam; and new recruits Chuck Bryant, Patrick Scott, and Jim Woestman.

“The initial expansion of Carthage to encompass a broader section of our region has fulfilled its purpose,” said Putnam, who previously served six years on the board and four years as volunteer Executive Director of CFSWMO.  “Joplin is now well on its way to developing its own philanthropic assets and we think each area will be better served with a more direct focus on its own needs and goals.”

The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri will continue to serve Joplin, and the smaller communities in the immediate area. Stephanie Howard is the new Chair of the CFSWMO.

Michelle Ducre, the CFO’s staff associate based in Joplin, will transition from serving as Executive Director for CFSWMO to Regional Development Director serving all of the affiliates in the southwest region of the CFO’s service area – CFSWMO, Sarcoxie, Neosho and Carthage.

About 30 residents of southern Missouri’s Ripley County kicked off their “Strengthening Our Communities” project this week with a frank discussion about how to balance growing the local economic base with maintaining the character that draws people to the heart of the Current River.

The civic leaders and interested citizens hold dear the heritage of the river, protected as a national treasure for its wide, clean waters that draw paddlers and create a tourism base. They know some residents in Doniphan and the surrounding area would just as soon leave things as is. But they also want to stem the population losses in recent Census reports, and the loss of talented young people, by creating more jobs and opportunities.

That’s why a group of Ripley County leaders applied for the CFO’s new “Strengthening Our Communities” initiative in which two communities were selected for a 12- to 18-month strategic planning process that will yield a blueprint to move the community forward. The CFO is partnering with University Extension and the USDA Rural Development, which will guide Ripley County and a Joplin-area coalition through this planning process.

As they talked about their reasons for wanting to participate, the residents said they want to create a better environment for their kids and grandkids so they’ll consider staying around after high school, as well as improve the standard of living for those living in poverty and the high seasonal unemployment related to River tourism.

“We’ve got room for improvement,” said Russ French, an insurance agent who is helping coordinate the meetings. “We need to figure out how to maximize ourselves without stepping on toes.”

Mary Ann Curry, who is being honored as Doniphan’s Citizen of the Year this week, moved to the area from Los Angeles in 1974. She and her husband raised Charolais cattle, later moved to Arizona,  and then returned to Doniphan in 1997 where they opened up an eight-lane bowling alley.

She said she personally went around to recruit participants for this week’s initial meeting for the project. She wants to see more join the effort because she thinks Doniphan has a lot going for it if it will make this effort.

The next meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m, Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the Chamber of Commerce office.

Joplin residents celebrated another milestone on their journey toward recovery with a grand re-opening of the Home Depot store, one of the sites hardest hit on May 22 when the tornado claimed the lives of an employee and several customers and destroyed the store.

Just as the Atlanta-based retailer had resolved to rebuild its own store, it also reinforced its commitment to rebuilding Joplin with The Home Depot Foundation awarding a $500,000 grant to the Joplin Recovery Fund. That funding will be included in a new housing grant cycle to be announced Jan. 12  by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc., the CFO’s largest affiliate.

“On May 22, we had a disaster that struck this community and we are part of this community,” said Ann Marie Campbell, president of Home Depot’s Southern Division. “As leaders and managers, there is no script to deal with that size of disaster. It continues to be one of the toughest things we’ve had to deal with as a company.

“That’s why we’re here today because of the spirit of this community that says there is hope; there is resiliency,” she said.

CFSWMO board members and CFO staff associate Michelle Ducre accepted the ceremonial check for $500,000 before store manager Steve Cope led the “ribboncutting” – actually powersawing a long board functioning as a ribbon.

“Wow, a half million to our community along with the commitment to come back,” Ducre said, in thanking Home Depot.

With flourishes including cheerleaders, a drum corps, a Color Guard, Home Depot leaders treated customers a a drop of hundreds of balloons filled with slips of paper to redeem for gifts, cupcakes, and grand re-opening sales throughout the store.

But the tragedy won’t stay far from the minds of employees and customers; at the store’s front entrance is a fountain and a stone marker “in remembrance of the lives lost, and to a future of rebuilding in their memory.”

Created in 1937, the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment concentrates most of its grantmaking in its home state of Indiana, but it also has a long history of supporting relief efforts after other natural disasters.

“Watching the devastation wrought by the May 22 tornado that struck Joplin was wrenching and saddening,” said N. Clay Robbins, president of the Endowment. “The scars may never disappear, but homes can be rebuilt and quality of life restored. The Endowment is pleased to be able to help the community foundation in these efforts.”

The CFO, and its largest affiliate, the Joplin-based Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc., created the Joplin Recovery Fund on May 23 to focus on mid- to long-term recovery  through grantmaking to non-profit agencies, particularly in areas where philanthropy can address needs not covered through government funding or private resources.

The Lilly Endowment funds will initially be applied to an upcoming grant cycle that will focus specifically on developing affordable housing to help more tornado survivors return to permanent homes, CFSWMO Board President Lisa Knutzen said.

Full details of this grant cycle, including the total amount available, eligibility guidelines and application process, will be announced in January.

“We are very grateful to Lilly Endowment for its interest in Joplin and willingness to make this very generous grant to assist in the recovery,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.

“The lack of affordable housing has been described as the biggest unmet need for tornado survivors at this point,” he said. “It is our goal to create a pool of grant funding that can make a meaningful dent in that need. We understand that survivors cannot truly feel they are on their way toward recovery if they don’t have a permanent place where they can afford to live.”

This will be the second round of recovery grants made available by the generosity of donors to the Joplin Recovery Fund. In September, 18 non-profit sustainability grants totaling about $300,000 were awarded to help agencies that had been either directly affected by the tornado or are experiencing an increased caseload as a result of the storm. Details of those grants and other information about the CFSWMO/CFO’s Joplin work are available at: www.joplinrecoveryfund.org.

The Joplin Recovery Fund has received donations totaling more than $3 million. In all, donations of about $6.8 million have been made to the total 22 funds established at the CFSWMO/CFO for tornado relief efforts. The Joplin Recovery Fund is the only one directly administered by the CFSWMO/CFO; the others are administered by those who established the funds for their specific relief efforts.

Lilly Endowment is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, but it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the wishes of the founders, Lilly Endowment exists to support the causes of community development, education and religion. The Lilly family’s foremost priority was to help the people of their city and state build a better life. Although the Endowment also supports efforts of national significance and an occasional international project, it remains primarily committed to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

In all, 23 of the CFO’s 44 affiliates participated in the Hunger Challenge, which leverages the total of $250,000 at a 10:1 ratio of buying, transporting and distributing food through the OFH network of feeding programs and pantries.

The Walmart State Giving Foundation awarded a $125,000 grant to Ozarks Food Harvest for a second challenge opportunity earlier this year after last year’s success with a $100,000 grant for the original Ozarks Million Dollar Hunger Challenge.

In this year’s Ozarks Million Dollar Hunger Challenge II, 25 food programs across the region worked with the 23 CFO affiliates to raise matching funds by the end of September.

Grant presentations, shown in the gallery below, have been made with affiliate and food program leaders in a number of the communities over the past month. The participating affiliates were: Aurora, Bolivar, Cassville, DACO, Dallas, Dent, El Dorado Springs, Finley River, Houston, Jacks Fork, Lockwood, Marshfield, Monett, Mount Vernon, Mountain Grove, Neosho, Nixa, Oregon County, Seymour, Stockton, Southwest Missouri, Taney County and West Plains.

“We appreciate the cooperative spirit between our affiliate foundations and their local food pantries to jointly tackle this matching grant opportunity,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.

This program began in response to a national report  – “Hunger in America 2010” – describing the extent to which hunger plagues Ozarks communities. An estimated 155,000 Ozarkers face chronic hunger issues, according to the report.

“We are grateful for the funding from the Walmart State Giving Program which allows us to leverage hunger relief support to our local Ozarks communities,” said Bart Brown, CEO at Ozarks Food Harvest.

“There’s a growing population of clients who are not eligible for government assistance such as WIC or the National School Lunch Program. This ‘gap’ truly relies on our member pantries and feeding sites to help feed their families,” Brown said. “The current child food insecurity rate is sobering. More than a quarter of our children — five percent higher than the national rate — now face hunger, or do not know where their next meal is coming from.”

Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving more than 300 hunger relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties in addition to long-term relief sites in Joplin. The Food Bank reaches 20,000 individuals weekly and distributes one million pounds of food monthly. OFH was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org and at facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest.

Participants enjoyed a hot dog and hamburger dinner, live and silent auctions and entertainment by the Willard High School Ensemble Band.

Dr. Rhonda Bishop, Principal of Willard Orchard Hills Elementary, presented the WCCF with a check for $800 from part of the proceeds from the school’s 2^nd annual “Run for the Orchard 5K”.  Earlier this fall, the Willard Band passed the bucket at a home football game and raised $905 for the WCCF.

The mission of the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation is to raise, manage, and distribute funds to benefit the children and the future generations of the Willard community and school district.

Funds were pledged and distributed in the past year in support of:

• $6,000 in scholarships to eight deserving Willard graduates;
• Intensive psychological testing for several needy children;
• Dental, medical and vision examinations and therapies for several children; and
• Health-related equipment, including iPads with specialized apps for children with disabilities, for use by district schools.

Congratulations to the WCCF board and all the volunteers and donors who make this great work possible on behalf of kids in Willard.

MGACF board members and grant recipients at the banquet.

The Mountain Grove Area Community Foundation awarded $10,000 in grants to nine community groups at its first-ever Boot Scootin’ Benefit at the Downtown Event Center on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Foundation has been re-invigorated in recent months with the addition of more board members who organized Saturday’s event, which included entertainment by the STARS Foundation band, and singer Jason Plummer; a chuck wagon style steak dinner, a silent auction and awards for the Biggest Buckle, Ugliest Boots and Best Hat.

Guest speaker Carol Silvey, the CFO’s senior associate for advancement, congratulated the Mountain Grove board on its renewed activity.

“Philanthropy is not about people giving millions of dollars,” she said. “It’s about a lot of people giving $10, $25, or $2. It all gets put into a big pot and adds up.”

These groups received the grant awards at the banquet:
• Make a Wish: $500 to support a local child with a life-threatening illness achieve his dream of a trip to Disney World.

• Mountain Grove Fire Department: $500 to help upgrade the existing storm siren system and add new sirens.

• Mountain Grove Police Department: $500 to help pay for software licenses to connect patrol cars to the records management system to give officers access to information while on patrol or responding to incidents.

• Grove Dairy Products: $500 toward a feasibility study and business plan for a processing plant.

• Downtown Association: $1,000 for maintenance costs of the Event Center and renovating its floor.

• YMCA Mountain Grove Branch: $1,000 to help renovate the front lobby, including winterizing the doors.

• Mountain Grove Central Arts Council: $2,000 to help renovate the upper floor of its historic building, which had previously been used as a juvenile detention center.

• STARS Foundation: $2,000 for rental costs for instruments and equipment for the program that teaches children ages 4-15 music in return for kids doing community service projects.

• Wright County Children’s Home: $2,000 to help purchase a new agency vehicle so employees don’t have to use their own cars instead of using the 15-passenger van for trips of just a couple of people.

The Missouri Science & Technology MBA Association is sponsoring “Run to Rebuild” 10K and 5K run/walk at 8 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Rolla Lions Club Park.

The campus group is encouraging individuals of all ages and athletic abilities to participate in the family friendly event to help their Missouri neighbors recover from the May 22 tornado. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=279032608793364.

Meanwhile, a Joplin native now living in Denver is organizing the “Supreme Lending Twister 5K” at 8 a.m. at the city’s Cheesman Park.

“After the Tornado hit, I felt deep compassion for my hometown, and I knew I wanted to help,” organizer Gretchen Reyes said. “My husband and I were able to go back shortly after the disaster to help jump start the road to recovery in Joplin. Once we returned back to Denver, we realized a charity race would be a great way for the local community to help the families of Joplin.”

The Denver race’s sponsor, mortgage originator Supreme Lending, agreed to participate because of its commitment to the American dream of home ownership.

“We are honored to sponsor the 5k and aid the community of Joplin, as they look to rebuild that dream,” Lending Branch Manager Dale Petrillo said. “It is a great opportunity for the members of our community to use their feet to help another community get on theirs.”

For more information about the Denver event, please visit: www.twister5k.com.

The Joplin Recovery Fund, established by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri and the CFO, is designated for intermediate and long-term recovery efforts. Anyone who can’t participate, but is  interested in  supporting these events can donate online at: www.cfozarks.org/donate (note Joplin Recovery Fund in the fund/program box); or send a check to the Joplin Recovery Fund, P.O. Box 8960, Springfield, MO, 65801.

Table Rock Lake CF President Jim Holt, far left, and Vice President Nita Jane Ayres, far right, present a ceremonial check to non-profit agencies in their Barry County service area as part of this week's community grantmaking awards.

Stone County service providers are honored at a luncheon in Kimberling City.

The Table Rock Lake Community Foundation presented 13 community grants this week totaling nearly $30,000, including two first-time challenge grants designated for start-up organizations or one-time projects.

“Our goal is to support projects that provide vital community services, encourage collaboration within groups and improve our region as a whole,” said Jim Holt, president of the TRLCF, a CFO affiliate foundation.

The Eagle Rock-Mano Fire Department received a $2,000 challenge grant for a new generator and the Lakes Area Child Advocacy Center received the other $2,000 challenge grant for a piece of specialized equipment to improve screening young children who may be victims of abuse.

The other grant recipients were:

• Central Crossing Fire District: $3,000 for two AEDs
• CHANCES of Stone County: $1,300 to send kids to Camp Barnabas
• Children’s Smile Center : $2,500 for services for Stone County
• Christian Associates of Table Rock Lake: $3,000 to support its Northern Stone Facility
• Kimberling Area Library Association: $1,500 for book purchases
• Kornerstone Family Literacy:  $3,000 Early Childhood Center &  High School Recovery Program
• Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch:  $2,000 for its Community Assistance Program
• Pregnancy Life Line:  $2,000 for its  “Earn While You Learn” program curriculum
• Stone County Council on Aging: $1,250 for its Good Neighbor Transportation program
• Shell Knob Alliance of Churches: $3,000 for Community Assistance Programs
• Tri-Lakes Animal Shelter: $1,500 to help support improved conditions

A group of Gainesville students and community, government and other officials cut the ribbon on the generator.

On a clear, perfect October day, you could forgive students of the Gainesville R-V School District for wondering why they were attending an assembly to celebrate the completion of the district’s new generator.

But after getting a look at the generator, and learning what it will mean to the district, Gainesville, and the people of the surrounding Ozark County hills, they won’t be wondering for long.

Monday marked the official ribbon cutting for Gainesville’s new Woody-Biomass Heating System, which will use wood chips extracted from the nearby Ozark Mountain foothills to heat the district’s main high school and junior high campus. By eliminating the need for nearly all natural gas, the district can expect to save about $37,000 per year on heating and cooling costs, Missouri Department of Conservation representative Lisa Allen told a packed gym of community members, school officials and most of the district’s assembled students.

The new generator was made possible through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the post-2008 recession program that sought to bring jobs and energy innovation to the United States. The project was funded through a USDA Forest Service’s State & Private Forestry program grant to the Missouri Department of Conservation (who then granted the money to Gainesville). Gainesville also enlisted financial support from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and White River Valley Electric Cooperative.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks made a $1.1 million loan to the Gainesville School District for the generator, worked out through a lease-purchase agreement. Over the course of 10 years the district will make below-market interest rate  payments to CFO to own the generator outright. The project is the largest of CFO’s Mission-Related Investments (MRIs). Adopted by the CFO Board of Directors in 2009, up to 2 percent of the foundation’s assets can be invested in below-market loans for community projects in southern Missouri. This program represents the CFO’s commitment to the “double-bottom line” of investing in enterprises that produce both financial and social returns for Ozarks communities, instead of investing assets solely in financial markets.

The project is actually one of six new biomass generators scheduled to go online in coming weeks (other southern Missouri generators are in Mountain View, Steelville, and Eminence). The wood chips will be cut from trees in and around Gainesville.

In addition to the savings for the district and jobs for the forest services-and-products industry, Allen said, the thinning of native forest is good for the environment, preventing overgrowth, disease among the flora, and the likelihood of destructive fire. USDA Forest Service representative Lew McCreery, visiting from West Virginia where such generators are fairly common, said the connection of the town to its surrounding forest is only strengthened. “This will link your community to the forest you see every day in a whole new way,” he said. “It also allows your district to operate more cheaply and start on a new vision.”

Along with the new generator itself, the district secured enough money to replace all of its old windows with energy-efficient windows, replace baseb0ard water heaters in all of the bathrooms (that’ll be handled by the generator as well) and make other significant energy-efficiency improvements, Superintendent Bill Looney said.