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.”

We have a very special program this quarter, which will focus on disaster preparedness and response. In the wake of the Joplin tornado, nonprofits in our region have become more aware of their plans (or lack of plans) in case of a disaster. We are bringing a panel of experts to this quarterly session to discuss with you the ways you can become more prepared for the unknown as an organization.

Our panel will consist of the following individuals:

Erin Coryell – Program Officer, Midwest Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation based in Eden Prairie, Minn.;

Don Greenlee - Program Director of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Jasper and Newton Counties (Joplin); 

Tim Connell – Commercial Insurance Consultant at Connell Insurance, Inc.; and

Ryan Nicholls - Director of the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management.

This panel will be moderated by Tiffany Applegate of X-Factor Consulting. Each panelist will discuss his or her area of expertise, and there will be time for questions at the end. If you have a specific question you would like Applegate to ask the panel and would like to submit that question in advance, please send it to bdierks@cfozarks.org.

Parking for this session is available in the garage across the street from our office or in the CFO lot behind our building.

Please RSVP to Bridget Dierks at bdierks@cfozarks.org or directly to voicemail at (417) 447-5360.  Space is limited, so RSVP soon to ensure your seat in this informative and helpful session.

CFO Board Chair Cliff Brown, 2011 Humanitarian Roseann Bentley, Humanitarian founder Jewell Schweitzer and Junior League of Springfield President Brooke O'Reilly.

Greene County Associate Commissioner Roseann Bentley was honored as the 2011 Humanitarian today for her efforts over many years to help schools, address community needs, and serve as a leader in government, philanthropy and education.

She received the 22^nd annual award at a luncheon today at Doubletree Hotel in Springfield. The award was presented by CFO Chair Cliff Brown and its founder, Jewell Thompson Schweitzer, a longtime supporter of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks who wanted to honor individuals who place service to others as the primary motivating force in their lives.

“I am so lucky to have grown up in a wonderful time during the Greatest Generation,” Mrs. Bentley said in acknowledging the luncheon was taking place on the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. “My parents gave us a fabulous childhood. It was very important to them that we give back to our community.”

The Junior League of Springfield nominated Mrs. Bentley for the award; she served as the League’s first president in 1976-77. Current President Brooke O’Reilly said that while she has worked with Roseann Bentley in a number of roles, she’s been most inspired by seeing her interact with her family at the church they both attend.

“As a mother and a community volunteer, I cannot express enough the impact that has had on me,” O’Reilly said.

Surrounded by about 200 friends and family members upon accepting the award, Mrs. Bentley said she will equally divide the $3,000 cash award given to the Humanitarian honoree between the Child Advocacy Center and the Court-Appointed Special Advocates-CASA of Southwest Missouri.

She said she chose those two agencies because of the decline in government support for those services, coupled with the increase in the number of local children in foster care and the fact that Greene County has one of the highest rates of child abuse among all Missouri counties.

The nomination cited accomplishments including being the first woman to win a seat on the Springfield Board of Education and also to represent southwest Missouri in the State Senate, where she served eight years, including chairing the Senate Education Committee. Her achievements in the Senate included sponsoring a bill to use money from gaming boats for early childhood programs.

In addition to her local school board service, she also served as president of the State Board of Education and President of the National Association of State Boards of Education.  She has been a board member for a number of national organizations including Parents As Teachers and the Child Welfare League of America.

She was a founding member of Ozarks Public Television and Female Leaders in Philanthropy. She is a prior Chair for the United Way of the Ozarks and helped start the first “Day of Caring” after she and Springfield educator Karen Sweeney attended a conference in Dallas and brought the idea back to Springfield where the annual day is the largest in the nation in participation.

She also is a former Chair of the CFO’s Board of Directors, having served on the board from 1980-85 and on grants committees for a number of years.

Her previous honors include the 2004 recipient of the Pioneer in Education Award of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; the 2003 Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Springfieldian Award recipient; Association of Junior Leagues International Mary Harriman Award recipient; and Junior League of Springfield Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2002.

She was first elected to represent Greene County’s Eastern District in 2004.

Mrs. Bentley is married to Dr. John Bentley, who received the Humanitarian Award in 2002. They have four children: Jeff, Melissa, Chris, and Jonathan; and 11 grandchildren.

The Humanitarian is selected annually by a committee organized by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, which was chaired this year by John Wilson, and included: Jennifer Kennally, United Way of the Ozarks; Morey Mechlin, Care to Learn; Michael Overton, First Baptist Church; Clif Smart, Missouri State University; Dr. Robert Spence, Evangel University; and Mark Struckhoff, Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

Click here to read more about the award and learn about past Humanitarians.

She will receive the 22nd annual Humanitarian Award, which was founded by longtime Community Foundation of the Ozarks supporter Jewell Thompson Schweitzer, at a luncheon at noon, Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Doubletree Hotel in Springfield.

Mrs. Bentley was nominated by the Junior League of Springfield, for which she served as its first president in 1976-77. The nomination cited accomplishments including being the first woman to win a seat on the Springfield Board of Education and also to represent southwest Missouri in the State Senate. She was a founding member of Ozarks Public Television and Female Leaders in Philanthropy. She helped start the first “Day of Caring” for United Way of the Ozarks, which is now the largest in the nation in participation. The Junior League’s nomination also cited her role in bringing libraries to all Springfield Public Schools elementary buildings.

She was first elected to represent Greene County’s Eastern District in 2004.

Mrs. Bentley is married to Dr. John Bentley, a prior Humanitarian Award recipient. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.

Tickets for the luncheon are still available. The cost is $20 per person. For information, please contact Randy Russell at the CFO at (417) 864-6199 or e-mail rrussell@cfozarks.org.

The annual Humanitarian Award was created by Mrs. Schweitzer to honor individuals in our region who place service to others as the primary motivating force in their lives. The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce organizes a committee to review nominations and select the annual recipient. The winner receives a $3,000 cash award, which he or she has traditionally donated to a favorite charity.

Rob Keck, Chair of the Wonders of Wildlife, American National Fish and Wildlife Museum Board, also announced today that the museum no longer plans to accept its designated portion of the city hotel-motel tax. This is consistent with the museum’s goal of constructing the new Conservation Education Center and completing the expansion of the WOW Museum totally through private donations and sales-tax revenue collected through the Museum Sales Tax District established for the Bass Pro complex.

The $1.3 million gift made today by Mr. Morris represents an amount equal to the hotel-motel revenue collected since the museum closed for expansion in December 2007. This private gift from Mr. Morris and Bass Pro Shops is an equivalent amount being invested into the community.

“From all of us at Bass Pro Shops, we are happy today to announce these pledges of support for the museum and Springfield,” Morris said. “We want the new museum, aquarium and education center to be a very positive, long-lasting benefit to our community and to the future of conservation in Missouri and nationally.

“We are excited about the dynamic quality of the facility that is being created,” Morris added. “It will be among the first of its kind ever built. Personally, I am very grateful to our museum Board Chairman Rob Keck and all of the museum board members. Collectively, they represent the Who’s Who of great conservation leaders and heroes in America. We can all be grateful and consider it an honor that they are donating their personal time and talents to help create this facility.”

Keck presented a check for $1.3 million to CFO Board Chair Cliff Brown and President Brian Fogle. In addition, Keck returned the most recent hotel-motel tax payment of $32,506.14 to Mayor Jim O’Neal.

“It is our hope that this money can be used to support a number of important community causes especially those relating to conservation, natural resources, and promoting tourism in the Springfield area,” Keck said.

A portion of the gift will be endowed, which means that its principle will remain intact and an annual distribution of its investment growth will be available each year for grants to non-profit agencies working in the areas of conservation, natural resources and tourism.

The pledge of the additional $2.7 million private gift over the next five years or less is equivalent to the hotel-motel revenue invested in the museum from the inception of that tax until 2007.

The CFO and Morris have previously collaborated on the Stewardship Ozarks Initiative.

That initiative, which included a lead gift from the Johnny Morris Foundation, raised about $670,000 beginning in 2007 to offer matching challenge grant funds to environmental and conservation non-profit agencies to build their endowments for long-term sustainability, as well as grants to conservation-related education projects.

“This gift offers incredible potential to maintain and enhance Springfield’s natural assets, as well as the economic benefits of our tourism economy, for many generations to come,” Fogle said. “We are very grateful for this gift and look forward to developing grantmaking opportunities for non-profit environmental and tourism agencies working in Springfield.”

The Museum’s decision to voluntarily opt out of the hotel-motel sales tax revenue approved by voters in 1998 for several community facilities, including the museum, will mean about $330,000 will be available for other eligible uses for the City of Springfield. The Museum will continue to use sales-tax revenue collected through the Museum Sales Tax District established for the Bass Pro complex. The Springfield City Council will determine how these newly available hotel-motel tax revenues will be allocated per the 1998 ballot language.

“This is an amazing opportunity for Springfield, made possible by the generosity of Johnny Morris and the Wonders of Wildlife Board of Directors,” Mayor Jim O’Neal said. “The ability to re-allocate future hotel-motel tax revenues will make our community even stronger.  And the private gift to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks is extremely generous.  All I can say is ‘Wow.’”

A scholarship for the “underdog” students  in Branson and Hollister.

A Springfield family’s desire to give back to the community that helped their business succeed.

A fund that recognizes an outstanding teacher each year in Ash Grove.

These are some of the examples of planned gifts that a group of estate-planning leaders shared during a recent breakfast at the CFO.

The CFO hosted members of its Professional Advisors Council to discuss how estate planners, attorneys and financial advisors can partner with the CFO to help clients achieve their charitable goals through thoughtful planning about their long-term intent.

Mitch Holmes, with Edward Jones in Branson, helped clients establish a scholarship fund that targets students with ACT scores under 28 and GPAs of 3.5 or lower.

“That’s going to give a whole new group of kids the opportunity to win a scholarship,” he said.

Attorney John Courtney described a scholarship fund benefiting Ash Grove students, which stipulates that one-quarter of its annual distribution be awarded to an outstanding teacher.

“If you think outside the box, you can do some innovative things with scholarship money,” he said.

Diane Homan, with Central Trust & Investment in Springfield, recounted a client who sold his business and wanted to support specific issues in the community that helped his business succeed.

“It helps our clients to give back and makes them feel that they are part of the community,” she said, of helping him create a charitable component in his estate planning.

Randy Saul, Director with BKD Wealth Advisors, LLC, said the CFO’s willingness to work with externally managed funds offers a comfort level to clients who have long-established relationships with their financial advisors. The advisors can still manage the funds, but direct the charitable giving through the CFO’s expertise.

“It’s a win-win for us,” he said. “The ease of a donor-advised fund vs. a private foundation saves a lot of time and expertise needed to set up a private foundation.”

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.

The Springfield-Greene County Park Board joined the Springfield Downtown Kiwanis Club to break ground today on a new playground at Jenny Lincoln Park that will offer accessible equipment for those with all levels of ability.

The Kiwanis Club conceived the idea of the accessible playground and partnered with the Park Board to locate it at the 9.3-acre park in downtown Springfield. The club raised $100,000 for construction of the park, which included a $10,000 matching grant from the CFO’s 2010 Metro Springfield Red-Flag Response grant cycle.

“This was a long journey and we worked hard to get here,” said Pat Dierking, President of the Downtown Kiwanis club. The group worked with the Southwest Center for Independent Living for guidance and resources to design the playground effectively for all abilities.

“It is another community-led initiative that makes this a community affair,” Greene County Associate Commissioner Harold Bengsch said. “That’s what our Parks system is known for.”

Park Board Chair Jerry Clark said the project is near and dear to her heart because her late husband was a Kiwanis member. She also credited Parks Director Jodie Adams, who celebrated the groundbreaking as one of her last official events before she retires after more than 30 years in the Parks system on Thursday.

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.