Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is pleased to announce that the Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Fund has been established with the Taney County Community Foundation. The Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Fund will provide grants for the development, maintenance and support of the City of Hollister, Missouri parks. This fund was established by Chad’s mother, LaVaughn M. Fuqua-Mathiesen, her husband, Bryan,  and donations from family, friends and the community.

Mrs. Fuqua-Mathiesen and Mr. Mathiesen have also made a planned gift that will leave a bequest to the Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Fund ensuring that the Hollister parks will remain an important part of the city. This planned gift recognizes Mrs. Fuqua-Mathiesen and Mr. Mathiesen as members of the Legacy Society.

In August 2008, at the age of 40, Chad Fuqua was struck and  killed while riding his motorcycle by an alleged drunk driver.   Prior to his untimely death, Fuqua served as Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Hollister for ten years.   Alderman and Park Board Member, Scott McCaulley, stated, “ I can’t think of a major event we have had in Hollister that didn’t have Chad’s mark on it.” City aldermen voted in September 2008 to re-name the Town Hall Square Park to the Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Park to honor his service to the community.

The Taney County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. It is comprised of 37 funds with assets totaling approximately $2.8 million. In fiscal year 2009, the Taney County Community Foundation granted more than $125,000 back to the community. Please click here to learn more about the Taney County Community Foundation.

CFO would like to welcome and thank four new members to our Legacy Society for fiscal year 2010. Mr. and Mrs. Don Martin, Sr. (Springfield), Dr. Gloria Galanes (Springfield), Michelle Ducre (Carl Junction), and Steve Schneider, Jr. (Springfield) have made planned giving commitments to support the Community Foundation of the Ozarks or one of its affiliates.

Legacy Society membership is a tangible step toward building charitable assets for the future and sustaining the organizations that serve our communities and neighbors.

CFO’s board of directors understands the importance of planned giving. Because of this, garnering 25 new Legacy Society members in this fiscal year is an annual goal.

For more information on how to give back to your community, please visit this link.  To view a complete list of Legacy Society members, please click here.

Leaving a bequest is a wonderful way to support the organizations you love after you pass on, and CFO can assist these plans. Henrietta Hedge was a retired schoolteacher with a passion for volunteerism and a heart filled with generosity. She loved her church, the First United Methodist Church of Carthage, and upon her passing left $100,000 in an endowment to be held with the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. to support the organization. Now the First United Methodist Church of Carthage will always remember Ms. Hedge for her thoughtful long-term support of their congregation.

Thoughtful planned giving has played a significant role in the growth of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, providing new life to our towns, schools, and the non-profits we serve. A planned gift is simply a legacy to a charitable entity made through a deferred/intentional gift that keeps resources here, working for the benefit of organizations that serve our community. To learn more about planned giving and how you can give something back to your community, visit the planned giving section of our website.

For more information on becoming a Legacy Society member and leaving a planned charitable gift, please contact one of our offices in Springfield, Carthage or West Plains.