Community Foundation of the Ozarks

Every Friday, we share the news of new groups and individuals choosing to make philanthropic gifts and investments in their community. You can read more about types of funds available at CFO here. Click here for a full list of non-profit Agency Partners. For more information on fund types and how to get involved, contact Winter Skelton at wskelton@cfozarks.org.

Inch At A Time – Sarcoxie Schools Foundation established this fund to build a new football field and track.

Kyle Curtis Dicken Memorial Scholarship Fund – This scholarship fund was established by Wanda and Curtis Dicken.

Sarcoxie Alumni Scholarship Fund – This scholarship fund will award to graduating seniors based on academic achievement and extracurricular activities. This is a component fund of the Sarcoxie Schools Foundation and Sarcoxie Community Foundation.

Sarcoxie Schools Foundation Fund – This fund establishes the newly formed Sarcoxie Schools Foundation which will help support the school district.

More than 60 CFO affiliate presidents and board members attending today’s annual conference in Springfield were encouraged to think expansively about the leadership and resource development roles they can offer as anchors in their communities.

They shared stories of successful collaborations fostered through listening to their communities and convening the right people to accomplish shared goals. Greater Seymour Community Foundation founder and board member Ron Geidd recalled how the affiliate led a Seymour 2026 long-range planning process that uncovered a serious concern among residents that the frequently used train tracks through the center of town cut off access to the fire department when trains rolled through. That led to construction of a second fire station on the other side of the tracks to allay those fears.

A larger affiliate, the Joplin-based Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, used a recent grant cycle for tornado recovery to encourage a number of groups to collaborate on one application to fund much-needed affordable housing, and that coalition received CFSWMO’s largest grant ever of $1.5 million.

CFO President Brian Fogle said it’s not easy work, nor does it promise quick results. But offering community foundations as “safe spaces” to convene multiple stakeholders on community issues will lead to more effective grantmaking, and produce stronger results to build new assets. (more…)

The founding Sarcoxie Community Foundation Board (left to right): John Lewis, Gay Lynne Dawson, President Gary Turner, Judy Patrick, Secretary, and Johnny Hankins.

The founding members of the Sarcoxie  Community Foundation Board of Directors are:  Gary Turner, President; Judy Patrick, Secretary; and board members Gay Lynne Dawson, Johnny Hawkins, and John Lewis.

The Foundation was seeded through the generosity of a $30,000 donation from The Stebbins Trust, which has existed for many years to help citizens of Sarcoxie. One of its highest-profile projects was donating funds to the Sarcoxie Park Board to create the Stebbins Memorial Park.

Turner said the Foundation will begin its work by educating residents about the benefits of having a community foundation. The Board hopes to initiate its first community grantmaking process within the next year to begin giving money back to the community. Turner said he wants residents to understand that an endowed foundation, where its principle remains intact and a certain amount is distributed each year, creates a community resource that will last forever.

“We just felt like there was a need in the community for a foundation,” said Turner, who credited board member John Lewis with handling much of the initial start-up process. “By having people reach out and give to a foundation, which can in turn give to those who need assistance, it gets everybody engaged in the community.”

The Sarcoxie Community Foundation Board will receive support and assistance from Michelle Ducre, the CFO’s staff associate based in Joplin, as well as from CFO’s Springfield staff. Information about the SCF will be posted on the CFO’s website at: www.cfozarks.org/sarcoxie.

“We look forward to working with the Board to take a leadership role in the community by using charitable resources to help address local needs and also to build on Sarcoxie’s strengths for its long-term success,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is a public charitable foundation founded in 1973 to enhance the quality of life in our region through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration, and public leadership. In addition to its 44-member affiliate network, the CFO also works with about 400 non-profit agencies, including more than 100 schools, through more than 2,000 funds established for charitable resources.

Gifts made to the Sarcoxie Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the IRS