The Monett Area Community Foundation Board of Directors hosted about 40 community members at a  first-time “Celebrate a Legacy” event Saturday night to learn more about the impact charitable giving has had on Monett.

Founded in 1998, the MACF now holds about $1.3 million in charitable assets in about 35 funds.

Representatives of Camp Barnabas, the YMCA, The Den, and RockOn set up displays to show the impact of charitable gifts for their groups. The Monett Youth Empowerment Project chapter told its story through a Powerpoint and video presentation outlining its youth grantmaking efforts and having students describe what participating in YEP has meant to them.

Two MACF founding members also described their experiences with charitable gifts and planned giving.

Rod Anderson said he established the Howard and Dorothy Anderson Education Assistance Fund to honor his “working middle class” parents who both graduated from Monett High School in 1939. He designated the endowed scholarship fund for non-traditional students who have to work their way through college.

Frank Compton told the story of how he and other MACF founders worked to transfer a portion of an estate left by EFCO and Clark Industries founder Tom Clark and his wife, Mary Dell, who died in a motorcycle crash in Europe. Instead of ending up in probate court, estate proceeds established the Tom and Mary Dell Clark Memorial Fund through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. That became the impetus to set up the Monett Area Community Foundation as an affiliate of the CFO. The fund now supports the Clark Community Mental Health Center, which provides crisis assistance and treatment services for residents in Barry and Lawrence counties with mental illness, substance-abuse problems and developmental disabilities.

CFO President Brian Fogle said such legacies are important to fill the gaps created by decreased public funding for education and human services.

“A Community Foundation is just a means of helping gather local resources for local challenges,” Fogle said, noting last week’s announcement of the CFO’s grantmaking milestone. “People like you are the reason we’ve been able to give out $100 million over the past 38 years.”

MACF President Mark Nelson summed up the challenge to the community members to consider charitable giving as part of their family financial and estate planning.

“What do you want your footprint to look like?” he asked.

Perhaps the largest presence in a room chock full of civic energy and pride was the one who was not there.

On Thursday night, the Nixa Community Foundation honored as its Citizen of the Year the late Betty Ann Rogers, a spirited volunteer and NCF board member who died unexpectedly last year at just 64.

Betty Ann was determined to contribute to Nixa when they moved to the community in 1998, said Mitch Callicott, whose moving tribute to his partner of 23 years stilled the room. She threw herself into every volunteer role with the same spirit and passion she put into her friendships and voracious reading habit, he said.

“We wanted to make this community our own,” Callicott said.

“I can only ask that we remember Betty Ann for what she was – energetic, loving, active and involved – and learn from her example. Become involved and make your mark. When you deeply and truly believe in something, you’ll make a difference.”

Every one of the citizens honored Thursday are making a difference in Nixa – at the schools, protecting the public, helping kids, and supporting community projects.

Another CFO partner, Holly Beadle, was honored as the school district’s Volunteer of the Year for her service including the Nixa Education Foundation Board.

President Sharon Whitehill Gray and the Board members distributed $46,591 in community grants to 24 organizations. As the CFO’s first affiliate in 1993 and now with the largest community grantmaking program, Nixa has awarded a total of $836,654 and has assets of more than $1.8 million in 50 community and school funds.

“You are to be congratulated for having the energy and resources that it takes to create a vibrant community,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.

And a special grant was presented to Mitch Callicott and Betty Ann’s step-daughter Shelby Rogers for the Betty Ann Rogers Community Fund. She was a member of the CFO’s Legacy Society for the Nixa Community Foundation. She understood the significance of making her mark for good on Nixa – the place she’d come to consider home.

NCF Vice President Ken Worthley had spoken earlier in the evening about what planned gifts like Betty Ann’s had meant to the community over the years.

“Each of us has the opportunity to plan how we want to give back to the community,” he said, recalling how philanthropic dollars helped create the park he played in as a kid.

“We have to plan for what we want things to be,” he said. “We are the ones reaping the benefits of their plans.”

Stand Up for the Arts patrons and guests enjoyed a thank-you reception at Obelisk Home to kick off last weekend’s First Friday activities in downtown Springfield.

The CFO held the reception to thank the Legacy Society members who joined on behalf of Stand Up for the Arts during 2009-10. Arts supporters can make planned gifts through the CFO’s Legacy Society designated specifically for a favorite arts program.

Springfield Regional Arts Council Executive Director Leah Hamilton Jenkins, an accomplished vocalist accompanied by Harry Beckett, entertained the group with a selection of their favorite standards.

We’d like to thank Nathan Taylor and Jay Martin, owners of Obelisk Home, for providing their wholesale showroom as an enjoyable venue for the reception.

Tom Prater’s Message from CFO from CF Ozarks on Vimeo.

The CFO’s 2009-10 Board Chairman, Dr. Tom Prater, of Springfield, taped a short video about planned giving that will be airing on Ozarks Public Television throughout the year.

The video is part of the collaboration between the CFO and Springfield public radio and TV stations KSMU and OPT on the  ”Making a Difference Where You Live” series.

We appreciate Dr. Prater’s commitment to the CFO through his year as Chairman and now continuing as a member of the Board of Directors.

We’d like to welcome this latest group of new funds established since mid-June. Watch the website during the coming year for future acknowledgements of our growth in planned-giving and capacity-building funds.

Beshore Family Foundation – Lance and Sharon Beshore of Carthage established this family and community fund with the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri to assist them with their charitable giving.

John & Betty Brecht Endowment Fund for United Methodist Church in Clinton – Betty Brecht established this designated endowment fund to benefit the United Methodist Church in honor and memory of her late husband, John. Mrs. Brecht also established the John & Betty Brecht Endowment Fund for Clinton Arts Council in honor and memory of John. These are component funds of the Truman Lake Community Foundation.

Community Support Services of Missouri Fund and Community Support Services of Missouri Endowment Fund – These funds were established by Community Support Services in Joplin to help fund the organization’s work with children and adults with developmental disabilities. These also were established with the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri. We also want to welcome Community Support Services as a new agency partner in the social services category.

Billy Coyle Leadership Fund – Bill Coyle established this designated endowment fund to provide a student leadership award to the Conway School District. The student must demonstrate traits and qualities of a leader or have been involved in laboratory opportunities for leadership. Preference will be given to students pursuing higher education as a science teacher, then in the science field and then in law enforcement.

Dallas County Pet Outreach Program Fund – This capacity-building fund will provide for the needs of animals in the Dallas County area, such as spay/neuter services, animal medical bills, and improved living conditions. A component of the Dallas County Community Foundation, the program also will join the CFO as a new agency partner in the environment/animals category.

The Gary Funk Running Jenny Fund for Rural Schools – This Field-of-Interest Fund was established to honor and commemorate outgoing CFO President Gary Funk’s service to the Foundation. Grants from the fund will be used to assist rural schools and education.

Meramec Regional Community Foundation Community Grantmaking Fund – This unrestricted endowment fund will support long-term grantmaking for the Meramec Regional Community Foundation. The Meramec Regional Community Foundation also established a Capacity-Building Fund to provide dollars for grantmaking in the area.

Tri County Pregnancy Resource Center Fund – The newly established Tri County Pregnancy Resource Center established this capacity fund to help support its mission. This component of the Aurora Area Community Foundation also joins the CFO as an agency partner.

West Plains Agriculture-Science Building Fund – The West Plains R-7 Educational Foundation established this capacity-building fund as a component of the Community Foundation of West Plains to support an agriculture-science building project.

EMH at West Plains High School Fund – Haley Bray and Kathy Miller, along with the West Plains R-7 Educational Foundation established this capacity-building fund to support the Educating the Mentally Handicapped program at the high school. This is also a component of the Community Foundation of West Plains.

These programs help with a wide range of needs for people ranging from schoolkids to grandparents.

We’ll profile these grants in two segments this week.

• The $3,300 made available through the Caplan/Kramer Holocaust Museum Award will allow three Springfield R-12 Social Studies teachers to attend workshops this summer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D. C., for the opportunity to work with curators of the Museum and other teachers from around the country.  The Caplan and Kramer families created the grant to expose teachers to the Museum’s instructional offerings so they can share authentic knowledge of one of the most tragic periods in history.
• The John, Beth and Jack Raidel Fund will provide $1,300 in funding for early intervention for Springfield Public School students who experience repeated absences and poor achievement due to chronic head lice infestations.  The funds from this program provide the appropriate equipment and personal hygiene materials needed to treat these infestations and get the children back to school as quickly as possible, without exposing the remainder of their classmates.  The Raidels were inspired to create this fund after reading an article about the problem for Springfield children.
• The $1,198.00 award made through the David B. Woodruff Fund will extend summer school opportunities for youth held in the Greene County Juvenile Detention Center, beyond what is provided through Springfield Public Schools.  This allows for continued instruction for students who are traditionally behind their classmates and the chance to re-enter in the fall better prepared.
• The Lennie Cloud Fund for the Hearing Impaired Fund will provide a $450 scholarship for a hearing-challenged student to attend the Term 8, Sensational Week at Camp Barnabas, which provides services for campers who have hearing or vision difficulties.  The traditional camp experiences will be made available to the scholarship recipient, with the necessary equipment, specially trained staff and services, made available though the Cloud Fund.
• The Eslick Fund will award $948 to Sunshine Baptist Church in Springfield.  William E. Eslick established the fund to provide Southern Baptist Churches in southwest Missouri with capital improvement funding.   Sunshine Baptist plans to replace the Fellowship Hall piano and broaden its music-outreach program.

Watch the website for the second group of 2009-10 Field-of-Interest Grants.

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.

Michelle Ducre, executive director of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc., has announced that her organization has received a $625,000 bequest from the late Guthrie Gilmore. The Guthrie Gilmore Fund will benefit three charities that were important to Mr. Gilmore: the First Presbyterian Church of Carthage, American Red Cross, and First United Methodist Church of Carthage. Mr. Gilmore and his wife, Harriet, were members of First Presbyterian Church, where Guthrie served as a deacon. Mr. Gilmore was a veteran of World War II, where he served as a First Sergeant in the U.S. Army. After returning home from the war, Mr. Gilmore worked as a farmer until his retirement.

Carthage attorney Kevin Checkett provided professional assistance to Mr. Gilmore’s planned giving document, and additional support was provided by Doug Crandall of Southwest Missouri Bank Trust. This is the third bequest gift received by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. during the past six months.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. was established in 1999. It serves Barton, Jasper, McDonald, and Newton counties. The foundation currently has 60 different funds and distributed $640,356 in charitable grants during the past fiscal year. It’s total charitable assets are approximately $5.5 million.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. has been a regional leader in promoting charitable planned giving. In fact, in its relatively short history, the foundation already has garnered 8 Legacy Funds via bequest, which combine for more than $950,000 in philanthropic funding. This movement is supported by a strong local Legacy Society, which currently has 11 members. Legacy Societies recognize individuals and families who have made charitable planned giving commitments and provide momentum for local philanthropy efforts. Lori Smith is the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc.’s board chair.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is proud to support the work of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, Inc. For more information contact Michelle Ducre, 417-359-5534.

Dorothy worked at Commerce Bank for more than 30 years, and always found time to work on behalf of the needy, on top of her career. A member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, it was there that she met her husband Louis L. Coover. After a long courtship, they were married until his death in 1970. The couple had no children, and through their estate plan they left a generous portion of their assets to serve the needs of the community.

In 2003, CFO and Commerce Trust Company partnered to expand the impact of grantmaking within the region. Since then, the Louis and Dorothy Coover Regional Grantmaking Program has awarded more than $2 million in support of worthy projects that directly impact the quality of life in the Ozarks. The most recent Coover awards focused directly on thoughtful solutions to conditions associated with rural poverty.

The Louis and Dorothy Coover grantmaking program will continue to be essential to efforts to address the challenges facing our communities. It’s an ongoing effort that’s possible because of a very personal decision made by the Coovers long ago to give something back.

• For more information about the Louis and Dorothy Coover Regional Grantmaking Program, visit the grantmaking section of our website.
• For more information about planned giving, visit the planned giving section of our website.

Nita Jane Ayres, Kimberling City, MO (Table Rock Lake Community Foundation)
Paul O. Barker, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
David & Susan Belcher, Little Rock, AR (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
John & Barbara Brockschmidt, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
William & Sylvia Cornette, Forsyth, MO (Taney County Community Foundation)
Bridget & Andy Dierks, Springfield, MO (Houston Community Foundation)
Brian & Renee Fogle, Springfield, MO (Aurora Area Community Foundation)
JW and Kirsten Gibbs, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
Mildred & Leona Hoffman, Ste. Genevieve, MO (Valle Schools)
Mimi Kauffman, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
Paul & Charlene Koch, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
Margo Murray, Oakland, CA (Ozark County Community Foundation)
John Nixon, Ozark, MO (Finley River Community Foundation)
Jill & Brad Reynolds, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
Richard & Carol Silvey, West Plains, MO (Community Foundation of West Plains)
Winter Skelton, Springfield, MO (Mount Vernon Area Community Foundation)
JC Smith, Clinton, MO (Truman Lake Community Foundation)
Doug Thornsberry, Springfield, MO (Community Foundation of the Ozarks)
Price Baker Walden, Bolivar, MO (Bolivar Area Community Foundation)

The Foundation’s board of directors has challenged the organization to enlist at least one new Legacy Society member from each affiliate and 20 new members from metropolitan Springfield during this fiscal year. Through thoughtful planned giving, we strengthen community grantmaking, support sustainability of the foundations serving our neighbors and keep vital community capital in the Ozarks region. We hope that you’ll consider making a planned gift to the Foundation or your favorite charity. Please remember that the Community Foundation of the Ozarks staff stands ready to assist you in this effort.

To learn more about the Legacy Society, you can watch a short video featuring CFO’s honorary Legacy Society Ambassadors discussing what inspired them to give something back to their community and even some helpful dialog about how to make a charitable planned gift.