Community Foundation of the Ozarks

A walk downtown amidst the growing number of galleries or a perusal through a listing of local events leaves little doubt that Springfield enjoys a vibrant local art scene. It’s clear that the arts add a great deal to the overall quality of life Springfield enjoys. However, growing such a large number of arts and cultural opportunities and integrating them into the daily life of a city and the region requires much more than brush strokes and dress rehearsals. Hidden somewhat behind the scenes, the Springfield Regional Arts Council (SRAC) has been a central building block in these efforts for close to three decades. (more…)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks’ mission is to enhance a child’s self esteem and outlook on the future by providing a one-on-one relationship with an adult role model and providing financial assistance for personal and scholastic needs. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a five county service area including Greene, Webster, Christian, Stone and Taney counties, with the main office in Springfield and a satellite office in Branson. If a child wants a mentor in another Ozarks’ county, Big Brothers Big Sisters will do its best to find an adult to create that relationship.

Last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters served 838 children throughout the region. “The program could easily serve more than 1,000,” reported Lisa Slavens, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters. But even more astonishing than the number of children served is the number of adults who volunteer. “It is a huge gift of time,” said Slavens.

An endowment partner since 1993, Big Brothers Big Sisters has three endowment funds held by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. One of these endowments, the Jake R. Piatchek Endowment Fund provides three to five $500 scholarships per year to a child who benefited from the mentoring program or to a mentor. Slavens believes the partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters and CFO has been valuable to the organization.

“It’s nice to know the endowment is there when money is scarce,” said Slavens. “And all the education opportunities (provided by CFO) have been great.”

Fundraising doesn’t end with the endowment funds. Big Brothers Big Sisters will be hosting A New Taste, an adult evening to sample food from local restaurants in August. It will be held in the White River Room at Bass Pro, and features a live and silent auction. Last year the event raised $71,000 for the operating budget. It is funds like these that provide mentors with planned activities every month or two for their “littles,” as well as covering operations issues.

Though money is always needed and appreciated, Big Brothers Big Sisters also needs volunteers. There are 40-70 boys on the waiting list for Big Brothers at any given time.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national organization serving children across the United States. Even with national ties, it still faces the same challenges of other nonprofits in the region. That is why she has confidence in CFO’s Endowment Partner program.

“Take advantage of what CFO has to offer. Use their expertise,” said Slavens. “Build your endowments through them; the investments are wise.”

The Foundation for the Council of Churches of the Ozarks’ primary mission is to support the Council of Churches of the Ozarks and to provide individuals with a variety of options that support charitable organizations, religious endeavors, or educational opportunities. Through the Foundation, individuals are able to take advantage of tax savings as well as help with estate planning and the enhancement of personal earnings. The Foundation serves in 50 counties in the area and provides $50,000 in funds each year to the Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

Contributors’ wishes are always honored by the Foundation when discussing the designation of the distributions. These gifts can be distributed by the Foundation through various means including planned gifts, charitable gift annuities, gifts of real property, charitable remainder trusts, bequests, gifts of life insurance, gifts of retirement plan assets, charitable lead trusts, gifts of appreciated securities, gifts of personal property and donor designated gifts.

The Foundation for the Council of Churches of the Ozarks partners with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks through CFO’s financial management. President Richard Dunn sees this partnership as a prudent move. “It’s been a great partnership for us,” he said. “There’s a high confidence level.” The partnership of CFO and the Foundation helps to strengthen the non-profit sector of the area.

Gary Funk, Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ president echoed Dunn’s comments. “We truly appreciate the opportunity to partner with The Foundation. They are one of our larger nonprofit funds, and the Council of Churches of the Ozarks’ programs, which are supported by The Foundation, received many CFO grants from our community grantmaking program.”

The Foundation supports the different operating agencies within the Council of Churches of the Ozarks. A prime example is Daybreak, an adult day care that offers a medically monitored environment for elderly and disabled adults. CCO also supports Families for Children, a program that addresses issues with abused and neglected children through the foster care system, among many other local family-based programs.

The Foundation supports all operation costs through events such as the “Ozark Mountain Mule and Donkey Days” and the “Sporting Clay Shootout,” among other projects. Because of these events, the CCO portfolio is never used for operation costs.

Through its various beneficiaries, the Foundation continues to have a positive impact upon our local community. As said by Mr. Dunn, “We’re an institution in getting people where they want to go.”

The Foundation was established in 1999 and is chaired by Bill Darr with Don Wessel serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the organization.