Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation was established in April 2003 and has grown to include eight funds. Since its inception, the Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation has made $302,608 in charitable grants and distributions.A new fund, the Ste. Genevieve County Community Development Fund, has already made a tremendous impact on the county. Established with a $200,000 gift from Holcim (US) Inc., the Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation and members of the Ste. Genevieve County Community Development Fund (CDF) Review Committee awarded the first official CDF grants to organizations in Ste. Genevieve County on July 21.

“This new development fund has been very good news for our community, and we owe a debt of thanks to Holcim for their generosity,” SGCCF chairperson Sandra Cabot said. “The recipients have made it a point to express their appreciation for the grant funds. This program will make a very positive impact in the community.”

Members of the Ste. Genevieve County Community Development Fund Review Committee, county officials and recipients of the first round grants gathered at the Ste. Genevieve County 911 Emergency Dispatch Center for presentation of the grant awards.

“Many very worthy organizations requested grants from this fund and it was a very tough decision as to how to disperse the money,” said Art Armbruster, a member of the review committee. “We looked at the purpose of the request and how it would benefit the whole county to make sure we fulfilled our obligations to the Community Development Fund.”

The Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation and the Ste. Genevieve County Commission will work with Holcim (US) Inc. as it contributes $200,000 to the fund annually for the next 14 years.

A total of $191,540 was awarded to support 13 proposals during the first official grantmaking round. The grant recipients and award amounts are as follows:

Bloomsdale Fire Department: $10,000 for pagers, rescue equipment, turnout gear, etc.
City of Ste. Genevieve Fire Dept.: $10,000 for training tools, nozzles, entry equipment, lights and fire extinguishing equipment
Kinsey Fire Department: $10,000 for safety gear & personal protective equipment
Lake Forest Fire Department: $10,000 to outfit brush truck, upgrade radios, add pulse oximeter and replace outdated AED
Ozora Fire Department: $10,000 for truck equipment upgrades, pagers, training
materials
St. Mary’s Fire Department: $10,000 for upgraded hoses and nozzles, Crossfire
monitor, rescue equipment
Weingarten Fire Department: $10,000 for monitor, hoses, nozzles and adapters
Wolf Creek Fire Department: $10,000 for rescue airbag lift kit, training, lights
Zell Fire Department: $10,000 for training materials, updated AED device firefighter health & safety
County Courthouse: $1,950 for security button system – partial funding
Ste. Genevieve County 911: $42, 950 for Reverse 911 emergency notification system
Sheriff Dept. of Ste. Genevieve County: $36,640 for police vehicle, communications and safety equipment
University of Missouri Extension Office: $20,000 for countywide technical assistance and educational programming in public safety and business development

The next grant application cycle for CDF grants will begin on September 1, 2006. Organizations can apply between September 1 and November 30 for 2007 grant funds. Eligible applicants must be a government entity or a not-for-profit organization.

For more information or a grant application, please visit the Ste. Genevieve County affiliate page or send a letter to: SGCCF, PO Box 247, Ste. Genevieve, Mo. 63670.

Eldon Community Foundation was established in February 2005 for much the same reason other community foundations have been established – to re-invest local monies into community charitable projects for perpetuity. But a little over a year later, Eldon Community Foundation is buzzing with activity.

That activity, the “Kent Kehr Challenge,” has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of Eldon citizens for years to come. Kent Kehr, a 1949 graduate of Eldon High School, has pledged to match donations made to the Eldon Community Foundation up to $500,000.

Kehr, a 1953 graduate of Colgate University, finished his doctorate of law degree in 1956 and now practices law at Kehr & Associates, PC in St. Louis, Mo. An educator in the Eldon R-1 District made such an impact on Kehr’s life that he wants to give back to the Eldon community.

The kickoff event for the “Kent Kehr Challenge” will be held June 24 at the home of Eldon Community Foundation’s board president, Dennis Bond. The annual donor appreciation event will include music, a catered dinner and a short speech from Kehr. After this inaugural evening, the Eldon Community Foundation will begin what Bond calls “regular fundraising.” Eldon Community Foundation board members will speak to individuals and nonprofit organizations about the matching opportunity. Local groups like the Friends of the Animals and the Boy Scouts have already expressed an interest in partnering with the Eldon Community Foundation.

“We’re asking individuals to give $100 a year for 10 years for non-restricted grant money, but right now we hope they will give as much up front as possible for the match,” said Bond.
With a population of 5,000, the “Kent Kehr Challenge” will make a difference in the Eldon community. Programs often go unfunded because of a lack of matching dollars from the community, but future grants from the Eldon Community Foundation could change all that.
“The impact will be huge,” said Bond. “The school board had to cancel the gifted program because of no matching monies. The city tells me they don’t apply for improvement grants because there has to be matching money. That will be over. We’ll be able to do that.”

The Finley River Community Foundation began with the vision of Karen Miller and several others who saw a need in Ozark and surrounding area. Miller, who has a fund in her late husband’s name with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO), and her counterparts recognized an opportunity, and founded the Finley River Community Foundation to help solve problems in the community.

“When we first started out, we didn’t have much name recognition. People thought we cleaned the river because of our name,” said Karen Miller, President of the Finley River Community Foundation.

Five years later, the situation has changed considerably for the Finley River Community Foundation. Familiarity with the organization grew rapidly as Finley River Board of Directors members worked diligently to improve the quality of life in the communities nestled on the River’s banks. Today, the foundation’s market value for fiscal year 2006 stands at $484,055. Through the last fiscal year, they received more than $30,000 in contributions and made over $21,000 in charitable contributions.

Grant requests have increased substantially through the five year history of the Finley River Community Foundation. This year, Miller reports, was the first year that they were unable to fund all of the grant applications they received. The grants issued by the foundation had a far-reaching impact on the community. Grantees this year included the Children’s Smile Center, Least of These, Christian County Child Welfare Advocacy, and many others.

Recent distributions of seven grants totaling more than $4,000 helped expand learning opportunities for a number of Ozark students. Students at Ozark South Elementary will have the opportunity to further explore a featured topic from their curriculum when the Discovery Center’s (a CFO Endowment Partner, read more about the Discovery Center here.) education outreach program pays a visit to their school, thanks to one of the Foundation’s grants. Sharp new photos will soon appear in the Ozark Junior High yearbook and newspaper thanks to a grant that allowed the communication skills class to purchase a new digital camera.

Going forward, the Finley River Community Foundation will harness the momentum created in their most successful year to expand their presence in the community. Plans for the immediate future also include assembling a scholarship committee to help determine award winners for the growing number of scholarships being established through the Foundation. Already they are working with the local Chamber of Commerce to present grants. For others seeking a way to give back to the community, partnerships such as this will acquaint them with the Foundation and its important work.

“We started as a bunch of like-minded people who really believed that we could do something to make a difference where we live,” said Miller. “We want to get more like-minded people involved in the Foundation. That way we can help more people in the community.”