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.

More scholarships, technology improvements, and dual-credit tuition assistance will be available to students and educators in Hermann, West Plains, and Willard as the three latest school districts to celebrate their successful efforts in the Cooper Challenge grants for educational endowments.

The CFO awarded $15,000 to Hermann Schools and the Community Foundation of the Hermann Area, Inc., for the CF Dual Credit Scholarship Fund endowment, which offers tuition assistance for students taking college-level classes that count for both high-school and college credit.

The Hermann area raised $43,071 for a total of $58,071 to complete the Harry Cooper Supply Company Campaign Phase II Challenge for members of the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership during 2010.

“We are so pleased to receive the Cooper Challenge Grant,” said Dr. Chris Neale, Hermann Superintendent and President of the Community Foundation of the Hermann Area, Inc.

The Willard community celebrated its $11,000 Cooper Challenge Grant on center court during the halftime of the Willard vs. Republic basketball game on Feb. 15.

The Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation and Willard schools raised $22,314 for a total of $33,314 applied to the Willard Educational Endowment Fund, which is designated for scholarships for Willard graduates and grants to the Willard School District for technology infrastructure to enhance educational performance.

“The WCCF Board of Trustees would like to thank the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for their continuing assistance, the Cooper family for their tremendous generosity, and our fantastic community for your remarkable support in the establishment of this new $33,000 endowed fund to support the children of our community,” WCCF President Danette Proctor said.

The $5,000 Cooper Challenge Grant for West Plains, along with $10,000 raised by the West Plains R-7 Educational Foundation, will go into the endowment fund and board members are still determining their distribution plans.

“We certainly appreciate the Cooper family for this match,” said John Richards, president of the West Plains R-7 Educational Foundation. “The school has a lot of needs and we’re going to use it to the best of our ability to help as many students as possible.”

A total of 26 southern Missouri rural schools participated in the year-long challenge grant opportunity, which raised nearly $1 million from generous donors and the Harry Cooper Supply Company to build long-term sustainability for these districts. The districts are: Alton, Aurora, Ava, Bolivar, Bradleyville, Cassville, Dallas County, Dora, Eminence, Fair Grove, Fairview, Gainesville, Hermann, Hollister, Houston, Lockwood, Logan-Rogersville, Monett, Nixa, Reeds Spring, Seymour, Valle, Warsaw, Weaubleau, Willard and West Plains.

A casual supper, tempting desserts, a large donation, a patriotic performance, and a moving presentation created all the ingredients for a successful 2010 Fall Harvest Festival for the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation.

The WCCF held its annual festival Saturday evening at Willard High School where board members served up a hamburger and hot dog dinner to supporters and community members. Saving dessert for last with a live auction of tables full of donated cakes, pies, caramel apples and other treats, WCCF President Danette Proctor first accepted a check for $3,500 from Connie Gould, in memory of her husband, Bill, who died on Aug. 5. Well known and much admired, Bill Gould taught world history and civics at Willard High School for more than 25 years; he also coached boys’ basketball and boys’ baseball along with both boys’ and girls’ golf at various times.

The check was designated for Willard’s efforts to raise $20,000 for its educational endowment fund to receive a $10,000 match from the CFO’s Harry Cooper Supply Company Campaign for the Ozarks Phase II initiative. In appreciation for Mrs. Gould’s contribution, the WCCF has established a $1,000 William Gould Memorial Scholarship to be given annually.

After the Willard Intermediate Choir performed selections from its recent Veteran’s Day program, the group learned about the Transition House under construction next to the school. The ADA-accessible house of nearly 3,000 square feet will be used to teach life skills like cooking, laundry and budgeting to developmentally disabled students in the district. Teacher Steve Vaughn and the high school construction class are leading the effort, which is supported by numerous donations of supplies and other support from the community. This project received a $20,000 Coover place-based education grant from the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership last spring through the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program.

In addition to a range of delicious desserts, the live auction also included donations of a wooden wishing well built by the construction class, a picnic table from Guy Morelock, and a tractor planter from Travis Duncan (its $130 winning bid will be used to buy pots and pans for the Transition House). Overall, the auction raised more than $3,000 to add to Willard’s Cooper Phase II effort.

Springfield public radio station, KSMU, aired a June 14 report on the program, which is made possible through the CFO’s Ozark Plateau Initiative to bring visiting artists to rural communities.

Shell Knob hosted a performance by Jim and Kim Lansford Saturday, June 12, to accompany the exhibition “This Contest is for Real Hands: Rodeo Photographs of the 1930s,” which continues at the Old Church Gallery through June 15.

Mountain Grove also hosted an “Opry-style” performance Saturday, June 12, by Les Gillham, to go with the “The Grand Ole Opry” exhibit, which continues through June 15 at the Mountain Grove Senior Center. The local history and Arts Councils developed this project to coincide with Mountain Grove’s community fair.

Willard’s exhibition – “Apron Strings: Ties to the Past” – continues at Rocco’s Italian Restaurant through June 15. Colleen Mallette performed there to accompany the exhibit.

Eldon also chose “The Grand Ole Opry” as its exhibition, which will run from June 21-25 at the Senior Center of Eldon. Jim and Kim Lansford will perform on June 25 at the Senior Center.

Houston selected the “Apron Strings” exhibition, which will run from June 23-July 7 in conjunction with Licking’s summer Rodeo, along with a performance to be announced.

The Ozark Plateau Initiative, created in 2005 through leadership provided by Springfield philanthropist Sally Baird, undertook this project with the Mid-America Arts Alliance to serve CFO’s regional affiliate communities. Since its inception, programs have taken place in Salem, Seymour, West Plains, Cuba, Stockton, Forsyth, Gainesville, Poplar Bluff, Carthage, Clinton, Hermitage, Mt. Vernon, Marshfield and Ozark. The Missouri Arts Council has joined the partnership by providing resources to continue the program for more communities in the future.

The 37 affiliates involved in the Cooper Campaign have raised more than $600,000 toward the $1 million challenge. Eight affiliates have met their goal and others are just inches away. The Harry Cooper Supply Company Campaign for the Ozarks, designed to build and strengthen the community-based philanthropy efforts of affiliate community foundations. CFO has made available a matching grant made possible by the generosity of the Harry Cooper Supply Company. Each affiliate set its own target, with fundraising goals ranging from $10,000 to $30,300. Catch the latest news on the Coooper Campaign here.

“Our firm has truly enjoyed working in these communities. We appreciate the opportunity to do business in the region, and the Cooper challenge program is a great way for Hood-Rich to give back to each community,” said Mr. Hood. Hood-Rich, Inc. has been providing architectural, engineering, surveying, and interior design services to the Missouri Ozarks since 1961.

Businesses of all sizes have worked with Community Foundation of the Ozarks or one of the 40 regional affiliate foundations to give something back to their community. Because donations to unrestricted grantmaking funds and operational endowments are being matched through the Harry Cooper Supply Company Campaign for the Ozarks through the end of the year, it’s a great time for Ozarks business to get involved.

The donations from Hood and the $1 million commitment from the Harry Cooper Supply Company came through donor advised funds. These types of funds offer businesses of any size or individuals an effective way to create and administer a grantmaking program that meets their charitable objectives. Corporate charitable funds provide businesses another route for charitable giving.

Some of the key benefits of creating a corporate charitable fund with CFO include: sound charitable fund management, access to foundation resources, and participation in important foundation initiatives, such as the Harry Cooper Supply Company Campaign for the Ozarks.

Click on the following links for more information about the types of funds available to businesses and individuals and ways of giving.