The Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation awarded $7,500 in scholarships to ten Willard High School Seniors at the May 8, 2012 award ceremony.  The recipients of the WCCF scholarships are:

• Jessica Walker, $1,000 – Bill Gould Scholarship
• Amanda McKiernan, $1,000 – WCCF Scholarship
• Kim Pearl, $1,000 – WCCF Scholarship
• Christina Todea, $1,000 – WCCF Scholarship
• Rhianna Larson, $1,000 – WCCF Scholarship
• Charlie Bird, $500 – Dr. Mildred Fortner Scholarship
• Ryan Stewart, $500 – John Oscar Farmer Scholarship
• Jennifer Williams, $500 – Jim Staley Scholarship
• Tyler Hampton, $500 – Missouri Association of School Administrators in appreciation for Dr. Medlin
• Michael Burgess, $500 – WHS Alumni in memory of Joe Cosby

Members of the WCCF Scholarship Committee are Dr. Medlin, Chair; J.M. Crighton; Deloris Demore; and Rick Stenberg.

The Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation is ending its seventh year of activity serving the children of the Willard School District.  The mission of the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation is to raise, manage, and distribute private investment to benefit the children and the future generations of the Willard Community.

Through the generosity of the employees of the Willard Schools, local business leaders, and individuals in our community, funds have been collected and disbursed for life changing experiences of our Willard children.

The Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation is in its infancy. It is growing and developing through community involvement.  Your help with funding and identifying children in need in our community is the recipe to the Foundation’s success.  If you would like to help with a contribution or know of a child in need you can contact Danette Proctor, President and Trustee at 742-3500 or Jerome Rader, Trustee at 742-2157.

Services that help seniors stay in their homes were the main theme of the projects awarded funding during the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Greene County Senior Services Fund Board’s first Senior Issues grant ceremony.

Six agencies shared $108,491 awarded Monday, May 14, at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

This Senior Issues grant cycle was the first of a new partnership between the CFO and the Greene County Senior Services Fund Board. Grant monies were intended for projects or programs that will improve the health, nutrition and quality of life for Greene County residents ages 60 and above.

“Our seniors are defined especially by one thing: willing sacrifice. Sacrifice to raise a family, to build their companies and especially to build our nation,” said CFO President Brian Fogle at Monday’s presentation. “They shouldn’t have to sacrifice more at this point in their lives.”

To that end, the grant round was centered on projects that increased well-being for seniors in their home. One funded project is the Cox Health Foundation’s initiative to give more than $5,000 in free cooling fans to seniors who are deemed at risk during the summer months.

“What could be worse than when you hear stories of seniors who died in their homes because they don’t have air conditioning or they can’t afford to run it?” said Lisa Alexander, president of the Cox Health Foundation. She says on hot summer days an uncooled home can heat to 120 degrees in just a few hours, and that there were 600-800 requests for fans or cooling assistance last year in Greene County. “Our hope, with this grant, is that every senior application gets filled this year.”

In addition, the Cox Health Foundation received a second grant to help Oxford Healthcare provide Auto Alert services for 30 Medicaid-eligible residents, to enable them to stay in their homes longer.

Other projects that received funding included help for a variety of programs run by the Council of churches; costs associated with medical and at-home needs through OACAC; and more.

The Senior Issues grants were awarded to:

• Ozarks Area Community Action Corps (OACAC): $40,500 to support services in health care, including medical, dental and visual needs; home care, including repairs, rent, mortgage and insurance costs; and operational support for the agency.

• Cox Health Foundation: $5,010 to allow Oxford Healthcare to purchase equipment required for cooling fans for medical purposes for financially challenged seniors living in our region.

• Cox Health Foundation: $14,040 to allow Oxford Healthcare to provide monthly “Auto Alert” service monitoring to 30 Greene County Medicaid-eligible residents with high needs for round-the-clock care.

• ARC of the Ozarks: $12,500 to assist individuals with disabilities with services and programs to improve their quality of life, allow them access to community events and assist with medical and dental needs.

• Rogersville Area Senior Center, Inc.: $12,391 to support facility improvement funds, including the safety improvements of re-paving of parking lots and sidewalk repairs.

• Ash Grove Food Pantry: $2,000 for the purchase of food storage equipment and food distribution services.

• Council of Churches: $22,050 to support the Connections Handyman Service, Long-Term Care Ombudsman and RSVP Reading Buddy Programs.

The members of the Seniors Services Fund Board, which reviewed the proposals, include: Thelma Neff, chair; Denny Pilant, vice-chair; Krissy Sinor, secretary; Ed Smith, treasurer; Jay Rippee; Carl Keiser; and Mary Fry.

This inaugural grant cycle was open to agencies with 501(c)3 or equivalent non-profit status, such as faith-based or government organizations. Applications may be made for any amount up to the full amount of the grant pool.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks includes 44 affiliate community foundations; more than 400 non-profit and school partners; more than 2,000 funds; and assets of $177 million as of Dec. 31, 2011.

The Bucket Foundation – Matt and Ashley O’Reilly established this fund to assist with their personal charitable giving.

Galena Vision of Hope Fund – This fund will support community betterment in Galena through the work of the Vision of Hope committee. This is a component fund of the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation.

MACF Capacity to Share Fund – This fund gives the Marshfield Area Community Foundation a more flexible place to place monies donated for immediate community needs.

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors join Dr. Kelley Still, executive director of Drury's Edward D. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship, to cut the ribbon at Drury on C-Street.

Drury University celebrated its new Drury on C-Street center with a Thursday morning ribbon cutting and an evening event to show the fiber arts and architecture learning and exhibit space to its Board of Trustees.

Drury on C-Street, at 233 E. Commercial St., offers space for the looms for its fiber-arts  programs, studio work tables  for architecture students and a gallery being run by Arts Administration students. It also includes the C-Street Business Resource Center where students will consult with local business owners in areas such as website design and marketing.

The CFO’s Mission-Related Investment Initiative, which offers below-market loans as gap financing for eligible non-profit uses, helped jumpstart the building renovations. Drury has since raised enough private pledges to both repay the loan within the five-year timeframe and help with operational expenses.

The reception allowed for connection between the donors and recipients: For example, the recipient of the Neal and Betty Grubaugh Scholarship for History Majors, Bailey Jester. Her father had Neal Grubaugh–the donor who passed away last winter–as a principal in Springfield in the ’70s.

The Finley River Community Foundation was established in 2002 and now has assets of more than $1.15 million in 54 funds. The FRCF has distributed more than $580,000 back into area communities since its inception. Learn more about the FRCF here.

The Community Foundation of the Lake on Tuesday evening announced more than $10,000 in grants benefiting eight Lake of the Ozarks-area organizationsas part of the Lake Area Chamber’s monthly social, hosted at Edgewater Estates in Lake Ozark. over the last two years, the Community Foundation of the Lake has granted more than $35,000 back into Lake of the Ozarks-area communities.

The CF of the Lake’s 2012 grant recipients were:

Woman 2 Woman to assist with transportation and job skill training.

Lake Area Big Brothers & Big Sisters to help expand in-school mentoring program.

Medical Missions for Christ Community Health Center to support health and dental care program.

Golden Age Center to help repair water-damaged senior facility.

Freedom Through Christ-Lighthouse Mission to assist with operational expenses for men’s transitional housing program and services.

Share the Harvest Food Pantry to provide supplies for local families.

Westlake Aquatic Center to help fund memberships for people with disabilities.

Symphony of the Lake to help support local academy.

The Community Foundation of the Lake was formed in 2008, one of 44 affiliates of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, which was ranked 79^th among more than 700 community foundations in the United States in 2010.  The Community Foundation of the Lake was established by community leaders to help in building the educational, cultural, health and economic development of the Lake area. It currently has more than $460,000 in assets, in 18 funds.

The Foundation is a growing resource to receive and grant local community funds donated by families, individuals and corporations. Donations can be in any amount, unrestricted to benefit any community need or restricted by donor designation and used for a specific program or purpose as the donor identifies.  All funds stay in the lake area where they benefit many organizations meeting a broad range of local community needs.

Groups, Individuals and businesses can participate in the Community Foundation of the Lake by contacting President, Trenny Garrett at (573) 302-2474, or by mailing requests or contributions to Community Foundation of the Lake, PO Box 1413, Lake Ozark, MO, 65049.

For more information on the Community Foundation of the Lake go to: www.communityfoundationofthelake.org

The nine students, representing four Ozarks universities and eight different rural home towns, will receive $4,000 for each of their final two years in college in exchange for a promise to teach at least three years after graduation in a rural school district.

The nine new members–who join a group of seniors entering their second year in the Ozarks Teacher Corps–include:

Jessica Bruce, Missouri State University, from Bolivar

Lillard (Del) Davis, Missouri State University-West Plains, from Mountain Grove

Amy Ginnings, Missouri State University, from Pleasant Hope

Deidre Quackenbush, Missouri State University, from Ava

Patricia Rodriguez, Missouri State University-West Plains, from West Plains

ReBena Sigman, Missouri State University-West Plains, from Cabool

Morgan Spencer, Evangel University, from Stark City

Ashley Tucker, Drury University, from Fair Grove

Myra Yost, Missouri State University-West Plains, from West Plains

The Ozarks Teacher Corps scholarships are made possible by the Chesley and Flora Lee Wallis Scholarship Fund, created by generous donors committed to ensuring advanced education for Ozarks students. The fund supports students involved in the Rural Schools Partnership, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks dedicated to strengthening rural schools as anchors of their communities.

The Ozarks Teacher Corps was inaugurated in 2010 with its first group of recipients; since then, most of the program’s members have graduated and accepted positions teaching in rural Ozarks school districts, or are on the path to doing so. The OTC students meet as a group four times a year for field experiences and training opportunities.

In addition to the scholarships, each student will receive a free membership to the Rural Schools Innovation Network, a training and networking program of the Rural School and Community Trust.

Mark Fockler Visual Arts Scholarship Fund – Mrs. Rodney Fockler established this scholarship in memory of her son, Mark. It will be awarded to a Houston High School students pursuing a major in non-education visual arts. This is a component of both the Houston Community Foundation and the Houston R-1 Education Foundation.

Elizabeth A. Hutcherson United Methodist Endowment Fund – Elizabeth A. Hutcherson established this fund to support the United Methodist Church of Clinton for  maintenance of its church property in Clinton. This is a component of the Truman Lake Community Foundation.

Earl N. Hutcherson Expo Center Memorial Fund – Elizabeth A. Hutcherson established this fund for the maintenance, repair and operation of the Benson Convention and Expo Center in Clinton. This is a component of the Truman Lake Community Foundation.

Elizabeth A. Hutcherson Scholarship Fund – This scholarship fund established by Elizabeth A. Hutcherson will support Clinton high school graduates in the top 20 percent of their class, attending Missouri colleges, and who have financial need. This is a component of the Truman Lake Community Foundation.

Kaiser Family Foundation - Mark Kaiser established this fund to assist with his family’s charitable giving. This is a component of the Monett Area Community Foundation.

Charlotte Lowry Foundation – Lisa Riesenmy established this fund in memory of her mother. It will support respite care, homemaker services, and basic personal care for families in need. This is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri.

Lindsay Austin Smith Community Crisis Fund – Todd and Tracey Smith established this fund in memory of their daughter Lindsay. It will support unmet emergency needs resulting from health/medical emergencies, employment emergencies, natural disasters, and/or fire. This fund will award with preference to assist those in the Fair Grove, Buffalo, Strafford, Pleasant Hope and northern Greene county areas.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Commerce Trust Company awarded $100,500 in Coover grants for school-based projects including local ecology studies, visiting artists, history preservation, energy efficiency, and an on-campus store to teach job skills to special-needs students.

The grants from the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership were awarded at the recent Rural Schools Rendezvous at the Thomasville Community Center. They are funded through a long-standing partnership with the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program of Commerce Trust Company.

The Coover Place-Based Education grantmaking program is made possible by the generosity of the late Mrs. Coover, a longtime Commerce Bank employee, who established the Foundation in honor of her husband. Since its inception in 1992, the Coover Charitable Grantmaking program has awarded about $3.3 million to communities and schools across central and southern Missouri.

“If Mrs. Coover could only see the impact her generosity is having on our region, she would be amazed,” said Jill Reynolds, vice president at Commerce Trust Company and incoming president of the CFO Board of Directors.

The grants were awarded to the following schools during the RSP’s annual Rural Schools Rendezvous in Thomasville, Mo., on April 26.

• Placeworks Art Initiative: $20,000 to allow teaching artists to visit regional schools to create art projects that complement other curriculum areas.
• GLADE Mentor Development Program: $15,000 to use its existing field research class at Logan-Rogersville to create a framework to mentor environmental educators at other schools for student conservation projects.
• Nixa-Summit Intermediate: $7,100 for the Gardening’s Rich Opportunities (GRO) program where students in gardening, science and recycling clubs will transform a patch of land into a productive garden.
• Lockwood:  $15,000 to create an outdoor classroom at the South Park to study the ecology and preservation of local prairieland.
• Eminence: $15,000 for digital storytelling program to archive local history and recount historical events in the Shannon County area.
• Dallas County R-1: $15,000 to create the “Bison Bistro,” an on-campus store that will offer job-training skills for special-needs students.
• Aurora Youth Empowerment Project: $3,400 for students to research well-known local history characters to create live storytelling projects and develop a fall fundraiser for the youth philanthropy group’s grantmaking fund.
• Purdy: $11,000 for Purdy Recycling Club to install a 3.5KW solar power panel on the recycling center’s roof to zero out monthly utility costs.

In addition, five schools – Bakersfield, Thayer, Ava, Dora and Hartville – were awarded $5,000 Coover grants to participate in the Place-Based Institute hosted by the RSP and the Rural School and Community Trust in late May at the Rural Education Center on the MSU-West Plains campus.

Six projects shared $50,000 in grants for projects that take innovative approaches to community issues. Several of the awards focused on building kids’ social and emotional competencies through anger-management counseling, civility training, self-control techniques and family resiliency.