Pause during shopping frenzy

to make a lasting gift on #GivingTuesday

Day of giving is here

November 28, 2023

***By Dan Davis //* *President & CEO***

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

This year’s observance of #GivingTuesday has arrived.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County can help you give back, pay it forward or however else you might look at giving to make a difference. And #GivingTuesday 2023 — set for Nov. 28 — just might be a good way to start.

The program aims to raise awareness of the needs of charitable programs at home and around the world during a time when so many of us are focused on spending for wishes and wants rather than the needs of others.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County asks that you consider helping turn that trend around through making a gift on #GivingTuesday. The event, after all, can be – and really should be — about much more than one day each Christmas and holiday season.

Right now, the Foundation has a $2-for-$1 match available for gifts directed to new or existing community (unrestricted) funds.

For information, call Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis, 812-523-4483.

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Dan Davis is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Jackson County. The Foundation offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities and scholarship administration. Our office is at 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274. For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or click the DONATE NOW button here on our website.

How to give on #GivingTuesday

You can make a donation to the Foundation by writing a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County. In the memo line, note the fund to which you are directing your gift. Right now, gifts to community or unrestricted funds can earn a $2-for-1 match. Right. If you donate $500, it will be matched with an additional $1,000.
Checks may be mailed to the Foundation at P.O. Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or dropped off at the our office, 107 Community Drive in Seymour.
Online gifts may be made through our website. Click on the “Donate Now” button or hit this link: https://www.cfjacksoncounty.org/donate-now/.

Celebrating community work, support

National Community Foundations Week

November 13, 2023

By Dan Davis // President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Four years ago, Child Care Network and the Community Foundation of Jackson County joined forces and commitment to create a 100-plus seat child-care center in Jackson County, part of efforts to obtain funding through the Lilly Endowment Inc. GIFT VII program.

Just in time for Christmas in 2020, we received word from Lilly Endowment that it had approved a $1.8 million grant for the Foundation to help finance the Child Care Network project.

Speed on through the following two years and the bumps of a continuing COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting higher costs for construction materials, furnishings, kitchen appliances and other items associated with a construction remodel, and you arrive at January 2023.

That is when Child Care Network really did it. They opened the 100-plus seat child-care center in the former Seymour Christian Church at Fifth and Chestnut streets downtown.

Now, parents with newborns and youngsters as old as five have a new, wonderful place to receive high-quality child care. Families struggling financially can receive a stipend to help cover the fees, a stipend also funded through that Lilly grant.

Stories like this are among the many reasons why the Community Foundation of Jackson County joins more than 900 other community foundations across America to mark Community Foundation Week, set this year for Nov. 12-18.

The Foundation serves all of Jackson County, from Reddington to Crothersville to Medora to Freetown to Seymour and all points in between, including Brownstown. A check of our grant and scholarship recipients easily illustrates that point.

Launched Nov. 12, 1989, through a proclamation by former President George H.W. Bush, the first Community Foundation Week included a congressional briefing about the work of community foundations throughout the nation and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address community challenges. The first community foundation was established in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Community foundations in Indiana alone made more than $194 million in grants in 2020 and held more than $4.3 billion in assets. Your Community Foundation of Jackson County manages more than $16 million in assets. Last year, it awarded $899,595 in grants and scholarships.

Former Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson once described the role of community foundations this way: “Community foundations in Indiana play a key role in identifying and solving problems across our state. Each foundation has an in-depth knowledge of local concerns which enables them to effectively address the root of many issues. They are the drivers of community enhancements and push our state forward.”

The Community Foundation of Jackson County tries to live up to that description through our prudent stewardship of gifts, our annual grant-making cycles, our Impact Grants, our scholarship program and our involvement in the community, including our support in the creation and construction of the Jackson County Learning Center, our work with the Jackson County Education Coalition and our grant dollars to help others.

Since its founding in 1992, the Community Foundation of Jackson County has awarded more than $12 million in grants to local organizations and scholarships to hundreds of students to help them pursue their educational dreams. As of October 31, we had awarded more than $894,000 in grants and scholarships so far this year.

The Foundation is an advocate for local philanthropy, providing opportunities for donors to make a difference in their own unique ways through charitable giving. Gifts that can keep on giving, perpetually. The Foundation celebrates the rich past of Jackson County and looks to a bright future. And as our motto says: “Together, we grow tomorrows.”

Our staff and Board of Directors, made up of 20 individuals from throughout Jackson County, invite you to explore our website, www.cfjacksoncounty.org. You’ll access a wealth of information about our organization, our current funds, our grant cycles and how you, too, can become a donor and help make a difference. If you would like, please call to make an appointment to visit with us at our offices.

Our work – funded through the gifts of people like you – help make a difference in the lives of countless people across Jackson County, people like Brooke and her three children.

As we enter the giving season, millions of people from every background will be looking to give back to the communities that have supported them. They’ll also look to ensure that their heartfelt giving — however they choose to give — will have the most impact. And a lasting impact. That’s why so many of them will choose to give to a community foundation.

A gift to your local community foundation is an investment in the future of your community. We like to say that community foundations are “here for good.” At the Community Foundation of Jackson County, we don’t think about the next election or business cycle, we think about the next generation and the next after that.

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Child Care Network cuts the ribbon for its new child-care center in downtown Seymour this past January in the photo above. Below, residents tour the play area in the child-care center. The area once served as the sanctuary for Seymour Christian Church.

20230113st-child-care-network-PLAY AREA-ZS

About us

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992.
It awarded its first grants in 1994.
Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $12 million in grants and scholarships.
The Foundation administers more than 250 funds.
Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts

Did you know?

The first community foundation was created in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio, and operates now as the Cleveland Foundation.
Community foundations play a key role in identifying and solving community problems. Currently, more than 900 community foundations operate in urban and rural areas in every state in the United States.
Every continent but Antarctica has a community foundation. It’s estimated that there are at least 1,200 community foundations outside of the United States and Canada.
According to the National Philanthropic Trust’s 2022 Donor-Advised Fund Report, grantmaking from DAFs to qualified charities totaled more than $45.74 billion in 2021, and the DAF grant payout rate was the highest on record (27.3%) in 2021.

How to help

To make a donation to the Brownstown Pickleball Construction Fund, checks may be written to the Community Foundation of Jackson County with Brownstown Pickleball in the memo line and mailed to the Foundation at P.O. Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or dropped off at the our office, 107 Community Drive in Seymour. Online gifts may be made through our website. Click on the “Donate Now” button or hit this link: https://www.cfjacksoncounty.org/donate-now/.

For information, call Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis, 812-523-4483.

New fund targets pickelball

Raising funds for pickleball courts in Brownstown

October 25, 2023

By Dan Davis // President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

BROWNSTOWN — The Community Foundation of Jackson County recently joined with the Town of Brownstown to establish the Brownstown Pickleball Construction Fund.

Its goal is pretty straight forward – to collect gifts toward building pickleball courts at the town park near the Brownstown Central High School campus.

On a recent Monday evening, Brownstown Town Council signed off on a fund agreement, acting as what the Foundation calls a fiscal agent or sponsor for the Brownstown Pickleball Association, a group of Brownstown residents who really seem to love the game of pickleball.

Led by Nancy and Dennis Sterling of Brownstown, no strangers to the Foundation as they have established two funds here, the Brownstown Pickleball Association is a 10-member group that plans to build four pickleball courts on a piece of land recently added to the park at 905 W. Bridge St. Mike Tormoehlen donated the ground to the town in 2022.

The association, Nancy said, has developed a five-year plan for constructing four pickleball courts, a restroom and a shelter house at the park.

For the uninitiated (like me, I must admit), pickleball is a paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis and tennis. Two or four players use solid paddles to hit a ball, much like a Wiffle ball, over a net.

How can you help? That’s simple. And easy. Checks and cash donations can be written to the Community Foundation of Jackson County in support of the Brownstown Pickleball Construction Fund and dropped off or mailed to the Foundation. You might write “Brownstown pickleball” in the memo line of your check.

This new fund is quite similar to the fund created several years ago that helped raise money to build the new county dog shelter in Brownstown. In that case, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners signed on as the fiscal sponsor for a grassroots group of local residents and established the Jackson County Canine Shelter Fund.

Response to the shelter fund was astounding as gifts large, small and in between came into the Foundation, all adding up to a huge impact on the community. The Foundation, and the Brownstown Pickleball Association, hope to see a similar, wide, grassroots support for the construction of pickleball courts, too.

As gifts to the new fund come in once construction starts, the Foundation will pay out recommended grants following a procedure that includes both the Town Council and the Pickleball Association. The Foundation will then pay grants to the town so that construction bills can be paid.

The cost of building four pickleball courts is estimated at $120,000. That is the first step in the association’s plans. Adding a restroom facility and shelterhouse for the pickleball courts would be next.

Dennis said a pickleball court is 20-by-44-foot and four would fit inside a regular tennis court footprint.

Nancy said local pickleballers have been playing at night at the high school tennis courts and during the winter after basketball, they have been playing at the middle school.

The Brownstown Pickleball Association is asking for your help through your financial support of this project, and the group also plans to seek grants to help with the construction costs.

During and after construction, the association plans to hold tournaments twice a year and provide up to 20 hours of clinics and use the fees from those activities to do any maintenance, upkeep and repairs on the venue, Nancy said.

Interest in pickleball is growing. Seymour presently has two courts at Gaiser Park and is in the process of adding two more. Bedford has six pickleball courts, nearby Salem has two and there are eight courts in Daviess County.

“So small communities are making this happen to get people off the couch and out into the fresh air doing more,” Nancy said.

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The Community Foundation of Jackson County offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities and scholarship administration. Our office is at 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274. For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or click the DONATE NOW button here on our website.

2023 OCT pickleball tree work Mike Tormoehlen and Nancy Sterling

Mike Tormoehlen and Nancy Sterling, above, were among volunteers cutting down trees this week on property where the Brownstown Pickleball Association plans to build four pickleball courts in Brownstown.

mature-adult-male-playing-pickle-ball-photo-series-royalty-free-image-1668030300

On Facebook

The Brownstown Pickleball Association has launched a Facebook page, where residents can follow its progress.

How to help

To make a donation to the Brownstown Pickleball Construction Fund, checks may be written to the Community Foundation of Jackson County with Brownstown Pickleball in the memo line and mailed to the Foundation at P.O. Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or dropped off at the our office, 107 Community Drive in Seymour. Online gifts may be made through our website. Click on the “Donate Now” button or hit this link: https://www.cfjacksoncounty.org/donate-now/.
For information, call Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis, 812-523-4483.

Gifts to the Gift of Grain program reaps benefits for Jackson County community

Cast your vote in Green vs. Red competition

October 16, 2023

A message to our friends down on the farm: If you are looking at moving grain to make room for this year’s harvest, now might be a good time to consider making that first gift – or your next gift – to the Gift of Grain program at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

It’s easy to do, just as many of you are already giving such gifts to your church. Gifts of Grain can be made through local grain elevators include Premier Ag in Cortland, Bundy Brothers at Medora, Rose Acre Farms and Benson Hill at Cortland and Tampico Grain near Crothersville.

Your Gift of Grain could support any of the funds at the Foundation, quite possibly one for your church (we have several funds that pay annual grants to local churches), to scholarship funds, to community funds and specific agency funds.You many even consider starting your own fund as a family legacy.

And your gifts can count as vote in our friendly Head to Head: Green vs. Red competition.

For information about the program, or its companion program, Giving a Gift of Livestock, contact the Community Foundation of Jackson County at 812-523-4483, or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org. We’ll be happy to work with you as you harvest your crops and sow the seeds to help us grow better tomorrows.

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Bequest boosts classroom education grant program in Jackson County

Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Endowment

September 11, 2023

Simple but poignant conversations among siblings led to the creation of a new fund, a larger, more impactful grant amount and a new name for the classroom education grant program at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Don Klaes more than once told his sister, Julie Bradley of Brownstown, that he always wanted to help, somehow, with the education of others. When Don, a Seymour resident, died in December 2020 at age 62, Bradley and her siblings established the Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Endowment in his honor.

“My brother Don was committed to education,” Julie said. “He was a graduate of Indiana University, and throughout his life he continued his musical education well beyond his degree. During our conversations, he expressed an interest in helping today’s students with their education. By establishing this fund for classroom grants, it is our hope that each grant awarded will be used to enhance the curriculum, benefiting many students at once.

“For example,” she added, “classroom teachers could request grants to provide additional resources for books, materials, equipment, programs or activities to provide a richer student experience in the classroom.”

Effective this year, the fund, through a bequest from Don’s estate, will finance the Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Grant Program. The program will make grants of up to $400 available to classroom teachers across Jackson County in a competitive application program, an increase from a maximum of $250 in the past.

“The fund should be able to pay out perhaps 13 or 14 grants in this first year of the newly renamed program,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said. “We are excited to extend the impact of the classroom education grants and to honor Don Klaes through the generous spirit of his estate and the efforts of his siblings.”

Letters were sent this week to building principals that outline how the grant program works, and teachers may find a link to the application on the Foundation’s website, www.cfjacksoncounty.org. The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 3.

Don was also a graduate of Seymour High School. He served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1985, playing with the U.S. Army Band while stationed in Germany. In addition to his work with local bands and community theater, he had played in the worship band at Seymour Christian Church and The Alley Church. He was an avid chess player and a long-time employee at Mactac in Columbus.

“Don was a gifted keyboard player who was well known for his playing in several groups, churches, and with the Jackson County Community Theatre,” Dr. Chris Klaes said of his younger brother. “His talents were enjoyed by many as a member of the Ang Trio, the Elements of Jazz, and the Sound of Dreams. He also was an actor in multiple plays with JCCT.”

Prior to this year, classroom education grants were funded with earnings from the Jackson County Unrestricted Endowment, administered by the Foundation. That fund was established by the Board of Directors with gifts from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help meet community needs within Jackson County. The program was started in 2001.

“Generally, not all applicants can receive funding,” Davis said. “The Foundation takes a number of factors into consideration when awarding the classroom education grants. We have long wished that we could fund more of the requests and provide larger grants. With this generous endowment from the estate of Don Klaes, we hope to see that come to fruition this year.”

The classroom education grant program was designed to help bring to the classroom bold, creative ideas that will inspire students, Foundation Vice President Sue Smith said.

“These grants are designed to fund highly creative, but low-cost ideas,” she added. “It is our goal to encourage students and teachers to think creatively.”

The Foundation of Jackson County has established education as one of its primary areas of emphasis. The Foundation encourages teachers and their students to question, explore and find new answers to age-old questions.

“This means helping students to engage in learning in new ways and helping teachers to explore new ideas,” Davis said. “Teachers who want to explore new means, methods and bold initiatives will be in the forefront of this grant opportunity.”e all of Seymour and really all of Jackson County.

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Donald J. Klaes

How to help

You, too, can help provide grant dollars to the Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Grant Program by making a gift to the Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Grant Endowment.

Your gifts, large and small, can help grow the grant amount available.

For information or to make a donation, call the Foundation at 812-523-4483. Gifts may also be made online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org by clicking on DONATE NOW.

Gifts may also be mailed to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274.

About the Foundation

The Community Foundation of Jackson County offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities, and scholarship administration.
It was created in 1992 and made its first grants in 1994.
Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $11 million in grants and scholarships across Jackson County.
The charitable nonprofit administers more than 200 funds with assets of more than $17 million.
For information about making a donation or starting a fund, call Dan Davis at 812-523-4483.

Seymour rolls out Brookings-LISC study

Report spotlights potential projects

September 11, 2023

Developing new neighborhoods. Preparing workers for new and better jobs. Creating an immigrant welcome and resource center. Building an indoor recreation center.

Those and other projects large and small make up the Burkart Opportunity Zone agenda, unveiled this week as the Seymour Brookings Institution-LISC Study team wrapped up more than 10 months of convening, planning and mapping out community needs.

The Inclusive Economic Development Agenda for Seymour offers a road map aimed at turning many of those plans into a reality over the next three years.

Seymour joined Warsaw and Michigan City at the invitation of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in working with Brookings and the Local Initiatives Support Corp. to develop place-based strategies to span gaps in health, wealth and opportunity.

The Seymour team, comprised of a broad range of people across the community, developed a game plan for improvements in what is called the Burkart Opportunity Zone, an area running along Burkart Boulevard and encompassing the East Side Industrial Park on the northeast side to Freeman Municipal Airport to the southwest and spaces in between.

Proposals include training the local workforce and adding workforce housing; connecting people to work and play; improving affordable housing options and expanding housing options for a growing population; and creating new places and spaces for recreation and socializing.

Among those projects is a proposed welcome and resource center for new arrivals to the community and a proposal to improve multi-lingual communications. They help tackle a primary aim of the study to better connect Seymour’s growing immigrant population – from Mexico, Central America and elsewhere – to the overall community, thereby moving the entire community forward economically. The city’s population grew from 17,503 in the 2010 census to 21,569 in the 2020 census, due largely to an increase in the Latino/Hispanic population.

“We think these community-based efforts offer wonderful opportunities to bring our growing immigrant community closer to our community overall,” said Ashley Caceres, executive director of Su Casa. Caceres is teaming with Jackson County United Way Executive Maci Baurle to lead efforts on developing a resource center, reducing language barriers and creating a new community space in the Opportunity Zone.

Representatives of the City of Seymour, Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and the Community Foundation of Jackson County served as the core team working with Brookings, LISC and its consultants, Anderson+Bohlander LLC, bringing more than 20 other community members together over five months of meeting, talking and planning.

The work also included gathering several focus groups, such as employees of Pet Supplies Plus and Aisin USA, the Mayor’s Youth Council and JAG students, a pastors’ roundtable, Seymour Young Professionals, 4-H Juntos members and their families and Margaret R. Brown School Elementary School leaders.

“Bringing in those community members, especially through those focus groups, was important to ensuring that we heard from a broad range of people,” said Jackie Hill, director of the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. Workforce Partnership program. “We wanted to make sure that their voices were heard and reflected.”

Mayor Matt Nicholson is excited for the city to have been included in the process and looks forward to the work that lies ahead.

“Being selected by the State of Indiana for this project has presented us a tremendous opportunity to not only bring many residents to the table to discuss the future of Seymour but also to put plans together to work toward making these changes a reality,” he said.

Forward momentum

Moving from planning to starting and completing projects is important, JCIDC Executive Director Jim Plump added.

“No one wants to be handed another report to toss onto the shelf behind them,” Plump said. “This agenda will be put into play over the next several years, and we hope this will be a springboard for projects when we work on the state’s READI 2.0 project next year.”

Helping ensure that work happens, individuals and entities are stepping up to serve as cheerleaders and project pushers, heading up efforts to keep the momentum moving toward completing the proposed projects, finding funding and checking off the projects as completed.

The core team will continue to meet quarterly and receive updates from project leaders, helping monitor progress and keeping the momentum moving forward.

“Now is a great time for those already involved – and those who have yet to be involved but want to be – to step up, engage in the work and help improve our overall community,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said, adding that while the Brookings-LISC Study narrowed the focus to one primary area of Seymour, the core leadership team and others involved in the process are confident the work so far and the project work to come will help improve all of Seymour and really all of Jackson County.

The overall plans for Seymour, Warsaw and Michigan City are based on the principles of what Brookings and LISC call Community-Centered Economic Inclusion, which builds community wealth within underinvested places by directly engaging with residents; breaking down barriers related to race, income and geography; and connecting to broader economic growth in the region.

The inclusion work has been successfully piloted and expanded in 12 large cities over the past few years — showing progress where some other community investment programs have fallen short. It is now being adapted to small cities, offering a model for data-informed local planning and mobilization that connects places like Michigan City, Seymour and Warsaw and promotes growth within their own counties and neighboring counties.

“It is clear from both data and experience that equity-focused community investment plans can produce sustainable gains that have a positive ripple effect beyond any one project or neighborhood,” said William Taft, Senior Vice President of Economic Development with LISC and an Indiana native. “For these three cities, these goals are achievable. They have committed local champions behind them, and they offer great opportunities for investors to empower real community-driven transformation.”

About the study

The project involving Seymour, Warsaw and Michigan City was aimed at exploring how the state can better help smaller communities grow and be more inclusive in economic development.

“Oftentimes, small cities don’t have access to the kind of community development
infrastructure that large municipalities do when working to build economic opportunity and align with regional economies,” according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, which is supporting the three-city effort. “It makes it more difficult to attract the capital and expertise needed to fuel revitalization and growth, and it impacts the well-being of tens of thousands of Indiana families. These three plans directly address those challenges in ways that will have a lasting impact.”

Each community tailored its strategy to its local assets, needs and opportunities.

Together their plans shared many common goals — such as expanding career pathways to high-quality jobs, building and preserving affordable housing and transforming distressed or underutilized land into vibrant commercial facilities and public space for arts and recreation.

“The well-being of our cities and our nation depends on creating equitable landscapes of opportunity where more people, small businesses, and places can thrive,” said Hanna Love, a senior research associate at Brookings. “CCEI provides local leaders with the tools to lay the groundwork for a strong and healthy future, and to do so in a way that is accountable to communities that have for too long been denied the chance to thrive.”

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Agenda action tasks

Enhance career pathways and build small businesses: Train existing workers for advancement and encourage small business growth through entrepreneur support.
Welcome new immigrants: Develop an immigrant welcome or resource center, strengthen multi-lingual communications and create a community space on the south side.
Connect people to work and play: Fill in the gaps and expand the city’s trail system and create a new master plan for parks.
Improve affordable living options: Improve residential and apartment conditions and develop new, affordable train-side communities.
Expand housing options for a growing population: Create what is tentatively called Freeman Village, a new neighborhood, and support first-time home buyers.
Create new places for recreation and socializing: Build a new indoor recreation facility and cultivate third-places through creative place making.

Overheard

“Now is a great time for those already involved – and those who have yet to be involved but want to be – to step up, engage in the work and help improve our overall community,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said. Although the Brookings Institution-LISC Study narrowed the focus to one primary area of Seymour, the core leadership team and others involved in the process are confident the work so far and the project work to come will help improve all of Seymour and really all of Jackson County, Davis added.

“This agenda will be put into play over the next several years, and we hope this will be a springboard for projects when we work on the state’s READI 2.0 project next year,” said Jim Plump, Executive Director of the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.

Watch Video

To watch a video at the Seymour Brookings Institution-LISC Study, please click below

Teachers give back to community

Stuckwisch Educational Scholarship Fund

September 4, 2023

By Dan Davis // President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Giving back and helping ensure young people interested in being teachers have an opportunity to attend college explain why Joyce and John Stuckwisch created the Stuckwisch Educational Scholarship Fund in April 2006.

The fund, one of 67 scholarship funds administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County, has a primary goal of providing scholarships to graduating seniors of Brownstown Central High School who are interested in pursuing a career in education. Both Joyce and John retired from Brownstown Central.

Since the fund’s inception, the couple has made a gift to the fund that matches what is paid out in scholarships each year, ensuring that the fund has grown over the years. Since John’s death in January 2022, Joyce has continued that practice. They incorporated the use of their IRA distributions to power the fund’s growth and impact.

The Stuckwisches illustrate great dedication to the community work they started and follow some best practices such as annual giving and giving to match the annual payout. Directing qualified charitable deductions from retirement funds is a great means of helping donors make a difference in our community. It is becoming a more common gift to the Foundation.

Both John and Joyce taught at Brownstown Central High School. He taught math for 36 years, and she taught Spanish there for 28 years after first teaching for six years in Decatur County. Joyce is a graduate of Greensburg High School, and John graduated from what was then known as Brownstown High School.

“With the two of us, we saved our money wisely and we both grew up in families that struggled financially at times,” Joyce said. “We felt we could help some people get out of life what they wanted by helping them go to college and also help out our schools.”

The love of their careers also helped lead them to create the scholarship fund.

“We both enjoyed teaching so much, we wanted to see that the students in Brownstown who were interested in teaching had the opportunity to go to college if they wanted to,” Joyce added about their decision.

Her advice for others considering how to help make a difference through their giving?

“Consider what you have and how you can help others,” Joyce said. “Grow it little by little.”

She’s right. That steady growth, collectively, adds up and makes a huge impact.

Whether you are interested in starting a scholarship fund, like John and Joyce, or perhaps a designated fund that might help a nonprofit organization that you support, or maybe a community fund where the grant options are wide open, give us a call at the Foundation.

We would be happy to arrange a time to talk, to learn more about how you want to help and the options available to help you do that wisely. Giving through your retirement distributions can be part of that conversation.

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5-Key-Challenges-Facing-Higher-Education-in-the-U

About the Foundation

The Community Foundation of Jackson County administers 67 scholarship funds and more than 250 funds overall.
The Foundation was established in 1992.
It paid its first grants in 1994.
Grants and scholarships paid since then total more than $11 million.
Current assets total more than $17 million.
The Foundation’s staff includes three full-time and one part-time.
Our Board of Directors consists of 20 individuals from all across Jackson County.

Local giving bucks national trend

Overall: American giving down in 2022

August 4, 2023

By Dan Davis

President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Jackson County residents and institutions rose above a national trend in giving during 2022, or at least in their giving to the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Nationally, Americans continued to give generously during this past year, although overall giving declined after two years of record generosity.

That news comes from the recently published Giving USA 2023: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022 as it shows that individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations awarded an estimated $499.33 billion to U.S. charities.

Stock market losses and economic uncertainty, including high inflation, emerged as chief suspects in the dampening of giving, the report concludes. Total giving declined 3.4 percent in current dollars – down 10.5 percent after adjusting for inflation – from a revised total of $516.65 billion in 2021, the report states.

Here at home, the Community Foundation of Jackson County received $932,676.71 in new gifts during 2022, up from $845,134.34 in 2021 — much appreciated giving to help fund important work and scholarships. During the same time, the Foundation awarded $899,595.32 in overall grants and scholarships during 2022.

Those grants funded good work throughout the community, including:

Support for opening the new Child Care Network child-care center.
Creative Classroom Education Grants.
A record $103,000 in Fall Grant awards to help feed the hungry, house the homeless, fight fires, educate children, support our immigrant population, preserve history and support the Community Agency Building.

Overall, giving to foundations is estimated to have increased by 10.1 percent in 2022, to $56.84 billion, according to the report. As noted earlier, giving to the Community Foundation of Jackson County totaled $932,676.71 or 10.2 percent. Adjusted for inflation, overall giving to foundations grew by 1.9 percent, about the same here to the Community Foundation.

The Giving USA report, the longest-running report on the sources and uses of charitable giving in America, is published by the Giving USA Foundation, a public service initiative of The Giving Institute. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. It reports giving had been strong in 2020 and 2021 – which held true here at the Foundation as well – with donors responding to growing need in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation saw record giving of $1.17 million in 2020.

Total charitable giving has fallen only three other times in the last 40 years in current dollars: in 1987, 2008 and 2009, the report states.

The bottom line here is that decreases in giving can negatively affect the ability of local nonprofits to meet the real-life needs of the people they serve, reducing their impact and reach on helping those among us who most need a hand up.

“Drops in the stock market and high inflation caused many households to make tough decisions about their charitable giving for the year,” said Josh Birkholz, chair of the Giving USA Foundation. “But despite uncertain economic times, Americans demonstrated how essential they view the nonprofit sector and its ability to solve big problems — by still giving nearly half a trillion dollars in 2022.”

Amir Pasic, the dean of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, agreed.

“Declines in giving like those we saw in 2022 have a tangible impact on nonprofit organizations, especially those that rely on charitable dollars to support their daily work,” Pasic said. “… However, Giving USA’s historical data also provide a case for hope: we have seen charitable giving rebound from each decline.”

The Community Foundation of Jackson County’s Board of Directors and staff hope that proves true again. Though sometimes on a rollercoaster ride, our investment returns are up so far this year and new giving to the Foundation totaled $438,940.45 through July 31. That’s a good pace should the trend continue through the end of the year.

The report showed growth in three of the four sources of giving in 2022 in current dollars, but all four sources declined when adjusted for inflation. Giving by foundations and corporations posted positive two-year growth, even when adjusting for inflation.

Measured in current dollars, giving grew in five of the nine categories of nonprofits that receive charitable contributions, although this growth largely did not keep pace with the 8% inflation rate. In inflation-adjusted terms, seven of these nine subsectors experienced a decline. Giving to foundations and giving to international affairs both grew in inflation-adjusted terms, at 1.9% and 2.7% respectively.

As noted earlier, giving to the Community Foundation of Jackson County was strong again in 2022 with gifts totaling more than $930,000.

Local giving, we believe, is a result of our community stepping up in a time of need and a recognition of the work that the Foundation and our many community partners do, playing a vital role in collaborating with other nonprofits performing important work across our community. We value, understand and appreciate the giving of our donors.

Without the generosity of those individuals, organizations and businesses, our work could not take place.

Thank you for giving. Thank you for supporting our community. Thank you for supporting the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

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Charitable giving by source

Giving by individuals totaled an estimated $319.04 billion, declining 6.4 percent in 2022 (a decline of 13.4 percent, adjusted for inflation).
Giving by foundations grew 2.5 percent, to an estimated $105.21 billion in 2022 (a decline of 5.0 percent).
Giving by bequest totaled an estimated $45.60 billion in 2022, growing by 2.3 percent over 2021 (a decline of 5.3 percent).
Giving by corporations is estimated to have increased by 3.4 percent in 2022, totaling $29.48 billion (a decline of 4.2 percent).

— SOURCE: Giving USA 2023

Charitable giving to recipients

Giving to religion grew by 5.2 percent between 2021 and 2022, with an estimated $143.57 billion in contributions. Inflation-adjusted giving to the religion subsector declined by 2.6 percent.
Giving to human services reached $71.98 billion, and declined by 0.6% in current dollars, staying relatively flat with 2021. Adjusted for inflation, giving to human services organizations declined by -8.0 percent.
Giving to education is estimated to have declined 3.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, to $70.07 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to education organizations declined 10.7 percent.
Giving to foundations is estimated to have increased by 10.1 percent in 2022, to $56.84 billion. As noted earlier, giving to the Community Foundation of Jackson County totaled $932,676.71 or 10.2 percent. Adjusted for inflation, overall giving to foundations grew by 1.9 percent.
Giving to health is estimated to have grown by 5.1 percent between 2021 and 2022 (a decline of 2.6 percent), to $51.08 billion.
Giving to public-society benefit organizations decreased an estimated 8.4 percent between 2021 and 2022, to $46.86 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to public-society benefit organizations declined by 15.2 percent.
Giving to arts, culture, and humanities is estimated to have increased 2.9 percent between 2021 and 2022, to $24.67 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to the arts, culture, and humanities subsector declined by 8.9 percent.
Giving to environmental and animal organizations is estimated to have decreased 1.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, to $16.10 billion. Adjusted for inflation, donations to the environment/animals subsector declined by 8.9 percent.

— SOURCE: Giving USA 2023.

Fall Grants power community work

Deadline to apply is July 31

June 19, 2023

By Dan Davis

President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County encourages giving and provides grants to help programs and the people they serve throughout our community.

The Foundation staff and our 20-member Board of Directors, with help from other community volunteers, do our best to wisely administer more than $16 million in assets to generate earnings that fund scholarships, classroom education grants, community impact grants and our Fall Grant cycle.

Those grants make an impact across Jackson County. Last year, for instance, we awarded 16 Fall Grants and helped people and programs in Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora, Seymour and places in between.

They totaled $103,677, the most ever funded through the Fall Grant cycle, and included two grants that will help fight food insecurity across Jackson County, two others that will help local fire departments, and five others that will help address educational and public safety issues.

Work on this year’s Fall Grant Cycle is under way with a July 31 application deadline. Over the next several weeks, Foundation Vice President Sue Smith and I will answer questions, review drafts and accept applications. Forms are available now online. Click on GRANTS on the toolbar at the top of this page.

Once the deadline passes and Sue reviews them for compliance (all applications must involve 501(c)3 organizations or qualifying governmental units), our grant committee will conduct site visits to investigate the requests and their needs.

Two factors can play a great role in determining grants: whether a nonprofit’s board is engaged financially and whether other funding sources are being pursued for the project. We like to see board members with skin in the game (our board members certainly are), and we support the practice of bringing funding partners together to deal with community issues and needs. Examples include how the Foundation worked with Jackson County United Way to meet the needs of nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic and is working with Child Care Network and other community partners to leverage support and assets for the opening of a community child-care center.

Once the site visits are completed, the Foundation staff and grant committee convene to determine which applications will be recommended for grants. This will take place in October, and our Board will consider the recommendations later that month. While we’d like to say every organization that applies receives funding, we can’t. Applications often total more than is available for granting. Tough decisions are made.

In 2014, the Foundation approved $32,536 in Fall Grants. That number was $38,195 just five years ago, and this past year we hit $103,000 – the first time to surpass $100,000. That growth has come through conversations with potential donors and long-time donors, explaining the importance, value and versatility of community funds, enabling the Foundation to respond to emerging needs.

The number of endowed community funds has increased, a result of the Foundation deciding in 2015 to focus on such funds. Then, we had 13 community funds. At the end of 2022, the number had grown to 29. Those 16 newest community funds alone had a total balance of $1,094,289 on Dec. 31, 2022. Community funds now make up 12 percent of our funds and account for 20 percent of our fund assets.

Your new gifts, of course, can help make those grant dollars grow in the future as well. If you would like to donate to any of the Foundation’s endowed funds or to create your own endowed fund, call me at 812-523-4483 to set up an appointment. We can discuss your interest in helping others in the community and how to make your assistance a reality.

Your endowed gifts can, through prudent investment, generate earnings for scholarships, classroom education grants, fall grants, agency grants and community impact grants to help people across Jackson County. Over and over, year after year. Forever.

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How to help

You can make gifts to the community funds and field of interest funds administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County. For information about how you can make a donation to any of the funds administered by the Foundation or how you might start a new fund, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to Dan Davis at president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

How to apply

The deadline to apply for a Fall Grant at the Community Foundation of Jackson County is July 31. Applications are online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Members of Seymour Fire Department demonstrate communication gear that a 2022 Fall Grant funded. The equipment provides for better communication en route to and on the scene of emergency situations faced by firefighters. The deadline to apply for the 2023 Fall Grant cycle is approaching. The deadline is July 31.

Scholarship honors Coach Sullivan

Trinity, Seymour students eligible for scholarship

June 14, 2023

By Dan Davis

President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Former players, their parents, fellow coaches, friends and others can still make gifts to the Coach Donna Sullivan Title IX Legacy Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Jill Glover, who played basketball for Sullivan as a Seymour Owl, lifted up the fund during Saturday’s Donna Sullivan Legacy Celebration at Seymour Middle School.

The scholarship will be awarded to a young woman graduating from Seymour High School or Trinity Lutheran High School who is active in athletics and committed to education. The scholarship will provide assistance for post-secondary education. Candidates will possess a strong desire and willingness to further Sullivan’s work in advancing opportunities for women in education, administration and athletics.

Sullivan’s former athletes, students, friends and family have established a goal of $50,000, representing the more than 50 years she has continued to persevere in her pursuit of excellence.

“When I started teaching and coaching, one of my goals was to give these girls an opportunity to compete that I never had,” Sullivan said Saturday. “I think I’ve been able to do that the past 53 years, and it’s been fun doing it.”

Fifty years ago, Congress adopted what became known as Title IX legislation, leveling the field and court of play for girls in public schools across America. Sullivan, 75, competed in sports at Indiana University between 1966 and 1970 and was the first Owls coach at Seymour after the passage of Title IX. Sullivan still serves as an assistant coach at Trinity.

Teri Moren, the head women’s coach at Indiana University and a former Seymour Owl, introduced Sullivan at Saturday’s event.

“It meant everything to play for Coach and all the life lessons she instilled in all of us,” Moren said. “Yes, of course, we wanted to win, but it was more about being a good person, being a good teammate, and being good to your parents and just being kind, and so many other things that she taught us, me personally about leadership.”

The idea of honoring Sullivan stemmed from talks that 1972 Owl teammates Alice Laskowski and Jean Laupus shared about possibly holding a reunion to honor their coach. They began talking to others, Laskowski said, and the idea exploded and came to include establishing the Coach Donna Sullivan Title IX Legacy Scholarship.

“Sull has spent 50 years promoting girls and women in sports,” Laskowski said. Honoring those efforts was just the right thing to do, she added.

To make a gift to the Sullivan scholarship fund, you may do so via our website by clicking on Donate Now. If you choose to make an online donation, please be sure to follow up with an email to: info@cfjacksoncounty.org noting that your donation is for the “Sullivan Fund.” If you choose to pay by check, please write your check to Community Foundation of Jackson County and include “Sullivan Fund” in your memo line. Checks may be left at the Foundation’s office, 107 Community Drive in Seymour (across from Seymour High School), or you may mail them to Community Foundation of Jackson County, PO Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274.

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Jill Glover talks about her time playing for Coach Donna Sullivan as a Seymour Owl. Glover, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, also shared information about how to donate to the Coach Donna Sullivan Title IX Legacy Scholarship Fund.

Donna Sullivan

2024 scholarship applications online

Deadline to file is Aug. 22

May 17, 2023

By Dan Davis

President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Hey high school juniors. This is for you and your parents, grandparents, guardians or foster parents.

Yes, this school year is quickly winding down. Yes, you’re eager for summer vacation to start. And yes, you’re excited, maybe a little apprehensive, about becoming seniors.

But if you are a junior planning to attend college or trade school after graduation in the spring of 2024, the Community Foundation of Jackson County needs to share some information with you as you consider all of the steps that will take you to campus.

And we encourage this year’s high school juniors – and their parents and guardians – to become familiar with the deadline and requirements for applying for the 67 scholarships administered by the Foundation.

By the way, our donors understand that a four-year college education isn’t for everyone.

Five of our scholarships aim to help graduating seniors further their education through vocational and technical education programs. These funds have been established to help area residents continue their education with the understanding that doing so doesn’t always mean attending a four-year college and earning a bachelor’s degree. They can help a graduating senior reach their occupational goal.

That means today’s high school juniors who don’t have their eyes set on earning a bachelor’s degree still should consider applying for a scholarship through the Foundation.

Our common scholarship application form must be completed and submitted by Aug. 22 this summer, just a matter of days after the start of your senior year. Applications are now available on the Foundation’s website. No reason to wait. You can start now. You can click on “Scholarships” on the top tool bar.

Foundation Vice President Sue Smith, who does much of the heavy lifting on our scholarship process, can answer questions about the application. She urges juniors to consider contacting teachers and others today – yes, this semester — about letters of recommendation. They are a requirement of the application process.

Two letters of recommendation are required. Only one may come from a teacher. The other may come from anyone who knows you well – perhaps a pastor, your employer, a supervisor where you volunteer or maybe a family friend. Gathering those letters of recommendation now rather than when school starts in early August would surely save some time and stress later.

The Foundation Board of Directors, staff and donors behind our scholarship funds hope to raise the level of educational attainment in our community and increase awareness of the opportunities to improve the quality of life in Jackson County. Increasing educational attainment among Jackson County residents is an important part of the Foundation’s mission to help grow better tomorrows.

Concern about the education levels here was a key factor when the Foundation brought together other partners from the community such as the Jackson County Chamber and the City of Seymour to build the Jackson County Learning Center, which now also benefits from the financial support of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, the Jackson County Council and the Seymour Redevelopment Commission.

The Foundation’s efforts to improve educational opportunities extend beyond programs focused on college, however. They support the Jackson County Education Coalition’s On My Way Pre-K program for 4-year-olds and the encouragement of workforce development in partnership with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and others.

Some of that work includes the creation of Owl Manufacturing at Seymour High School, the JAG program at Brownstown Central High School and pre-K programs at Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour elementary schools.

It may seem a little out of whack, working with high school juniors and counselors now about spring 2024 scholarships when we’re in the middle of distributing this year’s scholarship awards for the Class of 2023, but it’s important that we make our juniors aware now of this opportunity that can help them and their parents finance their college educations.

Remember, the deadline is Aug. 22. This summer. Don’t forget. Again, you can start now.

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New fund targets airfield museum

Endowment will yield annual operating grant

April 4, 2023

A new fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County aims to protect the history and legacy of the Freeman Army Airfield at the Seymour Municipal Airport.

Annual grants from the Freeman Army Air Field Museum Endowment will help finance the museum’s ongoing operating costs. The fund, established last fall by museum curator and volunteer Larry Bothe of Seymour, will pay its first grant in spring 2024.

“I’m creating this fund because I have concerns that at some point in the future the museum will have difficulty meeting its day-to-day operating expenses,” Bothe, a licensed pilot, said. “Right now, the museum does just fine in that regard, with assistance from the Seymour Municipal Airport Authority.”

Grants from the Freeman Army Air Field Museum Endowment will help the museum pull its weight in its future operations – and possible expansion.

“The museum is about out of space in the two buildings it presently occupies, both of which belong to the City of Seymour,” Bothe added. “The museum is going to need to acquire a third building in the not-too-distant future, and the museum will likely have to shoulder the full operating cost. While it is relatively easy to obtain grants for the purpose of acquiring or renovating a building, I am not aware of any charitable source that will fund regular operating expenses. The purpose of my endowment fund is to help fill the future operating expense needs of the museum.”

Bothe is passionate in his work for the museum and its mission, as well as for the airport’s history.

“It is important that the history of Freeman Army Air Field survives for future generations,” he said. “Seymour residents need to know about the effort that was made here for a few short years in the early 1940s (training multi-engine pilots during World War II). The only way that will happen is if the museum continues to preserve and display the artifacts and records from that period.”

The airport and the museum have received grants from the Foundation over the years, including Fall Grants to help preserve the history of the Freeman Field Mutiny that many consider instrumental in desegregating the U.S. military after the arrests of 103 black officers attempting to use the officers club at Freeman Field. The Foundation has been happy to help projects at the museum and is excited for the museum as a result of Bothe’s generosity and foresight in planning to help fund its future operating costs with this new fund.

This is not the first fund established to provide grants to Freeman Field. The Foundation established the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment in December 2021 to benefit the upkeep of the memorial statues installed at the airport in October 2022 and to help fund an ongoing educational program revolving around the Freeman Field mutiny and the civil rights movement.

Individuals and organizations are welcome to contribute to either or both of these two funds. The more gifts that go into the Freeman Army Air Field Museum Endowment and Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment, the larger the annual spring grants will grow. You, too, can help pay it forward with a gift to the fund through our web page, www.cfjacksoncounty.org. Click on “Donate Now” and let us know to which fund you’re donating. Or you may send a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County remains committed to helping our donors and nonprofits meet the challenges that face our community as, together, we build stronger, better tomorrows.

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How to help

Individuals and organizations may contribute to the Freeman Army Air Field Museum Endowment and Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment. The more gifts that go into the funds, the larger the annual spring grants will grow. You, too, can help pay it forward with a gift to the fund through our web page, www.cfjacksoncounty.org. Click on “Donate Now” and let us know to which fund you’re donating. Or you may send a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. Gifts may also be dropped off at the Foundation’s office, 107 Community Drive in Seymour.

Foundation approves grant rate

Board authorizes 5 percent grant rate for 2023

March 2, 2023

The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Jackson County approved a 5 percent grant rate for endowed funds it administers when meeting February 22.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Board has approved the maximum allowed by regulations and the organization’s spending policy.

“Our investment performance over the last three years and our community needs merit the full 5 percent again this year, despite a less-than-stellar performance in investment returns during 2022,” President & CEO Dan Davis said. “Part of that need is a realization that while the Foundation did have another blessed year in terms of gifts during 2022, many nonprofits in our community and elsewhere did not as the lingering COVID-19 pandemic did make some donors hesitant to give at a time when the need for services from those nonprofits increased.”

Earnings for the Foundation’s investment portfolio over the past four years include a 7-percent drop last year and gains of 19.3 percent in 2021, of 11.2 percent in 2020 and of 21.2 percent in 2019, for an average of 11.17 percent.

The grant rate is anticipated to result in nearly $760,000 in overall granting dollars, up from $700,000 last year and $589,767 in 2021. That includes more than $315,000 in grants to be paid later this month to recipients of designated funds and just more than $126,000 in unrestricted and field of interest dollars for the Fall Grant cycle.

“That increase is a clear sign of our increasing assets, both as a result of increased giving and of good investment performance over time,” Board Chair Bruce Wynn said.

Trish Butt, chair of the Foundation’s Grant Committee, said the increase in grant dollars through the Fall Grant process shows the efforts of the Foundation’s focus in recent years on building endowments aimed at community funds.

Community funds, also known as unrestricted funds, provide grant money for a myriad of needs across Jackson County. Last year, the Foundation approved 16 grants totaling more than $103,000 through the Fall Grant cycle.

Recipients of those grants include organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, Girls Inc. of Jackson County, the Jackson County History Center, Driftwood Township Volunteer Fire Department and other organizations.

Ryon Wheeler with the Boys & Girls Club was pleased to hear the grant rate was again approved at the maximum 5 percent.

“With our partnership with the Foundation, we always budget below the 5 percent and are quite happy when the Foundation can come in at that 5 percent max,” Wheeler said. “It provides a buffer for when something comes up. If the last few years has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be prepared for anything.”

The Boys & Girls Club benefits from annual grants paid by four funds each spring. Those checks and others paid to local agencies through agency and designated funds will be paid out later this month.

Foundation Treasurer Mike Fleetwood said he is convinced that the increase in giving to the Foundation in recent years is a reflection of the community responding to the good work being funded through the Foundation.

That was seen in the giving to the Foundation in 2020, again in 2021 and again in 2022. In a year that brought uncertainty because of inflation and waning yet still evident fallout from the pandemic, our donors responded, making more than $930,000 in gifts during 2022, more than $800,000 in 2021 and more than $1.1 million in 2020.

Gifts to the Foundation totaled $932,676.71 last year, up from $849,113.94 in 2021. Individual gifts during 2022 totaled 600, up from 553 the year before and up from the 384 posted in 2020.

Eleven new funds were started in 2022, including one new community fund that will help finance the Fall Grant cycle. That’s great news for the community, generating more Fall Grant dollars moving forward.

We appreciate our donors and their generosity. We also appreciate our community partners – those agencies that benefit from the grant dollars funded through those gifts.

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The 2023 grant rate of 5 percent is expected to yield:

Nearly $760,000 in overall granting dollars
More than $315,000 in spring grants to designated agencies
And more than $126,000 in unrestricted and field of interest grant dollars

Philanthropy meets with lawmakers

IPA Day at the Statehouse fosters communication, collaboration

February 2, 2023

Leaders of community foundations and other philanthropic organizations convened February 2 at the Indiana Statehouse to meet with state senators, representatives and other elected officials to discuss topics of interest under consideration by the Indiana General Assembly.

Community Foundation of Jackson County President & CEO Dan Davis joined colleagues from around the state in the South Atrium to share a cup of coffee with state lawmakers as part of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance Day at the Statehouse.

Among topics of discussion were support for early childhood learning, access to public health across the Hoosier state and the protection of donor privacy and protection of water sheds and supplies.

Davis and others in the region also spoke with District 62 State Rep. Dave Hall of Norman about bills aimed at protecting watersheds and water supplies such as Lake Monroe. Northwest Jackson County makes up 21 percent of the Lake Monroe watershed. Davis is a member of the Lake Monroe Water Fund Board of Directors.

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In this photo, Community Foundation of Jackson County President & CEO Dan Davis, right, along with Tina Peterson and Meagan Niese of Community Foundation of Bloomington-Monroe County and Maddison Miller of Brown County Community Foundation speak with District 62 State Rep. Dave Hall of Norman during Indiana Philanthropy Alliance Day at the Statehouse on Thursday.

Child Care Network dedicates

child-care center in Seymour

$1.8 million Lilly Endowment Inc. GIFT VII grant played role in project

January 12, 2023

Child Care Network conducted a ribbon cutting at its new child-care center at Chestnut and Fifth streets in downtown Seymour on Wednesday, January 11.

Garrity thanked her staff and board members along with primary contractor, Royalty Companies, the City of Seymour, the Community Foundation, Holding the ribbon are Mayor Matt Nicholson, left, and Community Foundation of Jackson County and others involved in the project.

President & CEO Dan Davis also thanked the community partners that helped land a $1.8 million GIFT VII Large-Scale Opportunity grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. by signing on as financial and in-kind supporters:

• Child Care Network.
• The City of Seymour and Seymour Redevelopment.
• The Jackson County United Way Board of Directors.
• Kocolene Development Corp.
• Royalty Companies.
• The Schneck Foundation.
• Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
• And the Foundation Board of Directors through Impact Grants beyond the GIFT VII grant.

“This community support was essential to the success of our application to Lilly Endowment and illustrates how important and successful and necessary collaboration is in our community,” Davis said. “On behalf of the Foundation staff and board, thank you, Kate and your staff and board, and thank you Andy Royalty and Royalty Companies for your work on the project. The Foundation is excited to see the center ready to open to serve children and families throughout Jackson County. Congratulations.”

The center will welcome children into the center with classes starting on Monday, January 16.

Garrity said the center will open with three classrooms and grow from there as children and their families sign up. The center currently has a capacity of 100 children, infant through age 5.

“This is a step toward addressing what the state of Indiana defines as a child-care desert,” Garrity said.

A child-care desert is described as a community where the number of children in need of child care out-numbers the available seats at 3-to-1 ratio. Jackson County’s ratio at the time Child Care Network tackled this problem was 7-to-1.

The $1.8 million Lilly grant included $1 million toward converting and furnishing the building, $530,000 as funding for low-income stipends and $270,000 that was endowed as an operating fund to benefit operating costs of the center in perpetuity. Individuals, businesses and organizations may contribute to the Child Care Network Child-Care Center Endowment, and thereby grow the annual grant to Child Care Network.

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In this photo, Executive Director Kate Garrity of Child Care Network cuts the ribbon at the opening of its new child-care center at Chestnut and Fifth streets in downtown Seymour. Holding the ribbon are Mayor Matt Nicholson, left, and Community Foundation of Jackson County President & CEO Dan Davis.

In this photo above, families check out the play space in the former sanctuary of the child-care center.

How to help

What: Making a tax-deductible donation to the Child Care Network Child-Care Center Endowment

How: Write a check to the Foundation with Child-Care Center Endowment in the memo and send to P.O. Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or drop it by our office, 107 Community Drive, Seymour.

Online option: You may also donate through our website. Click on the DONATE NOW button.

About the Foundation

The Community Foundation of Jackson County offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities and scholarship administration. Its assets total more than $18 million. The Foundation administers more than 250 funds.

For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Its office is at 107 Community Drive in Seymour.

The Foundation was established in 1992. It awarded its first grants in 1994. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $11 million in grants and scholarships.

Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts.

20th annual Farmers Breakfast set

Register to attend on Feb. 1 at Pewter Hall

January 10, 2023

The Community Foundation of Jackson County and Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service will serve up an economic forecast at the 20th annual Farmers Breakfast.

The event is set for 7:30 a.m. Feb. 1 at Pewter Hall in Brownstown. Doors open at 7 a.m. Admission is free. To attend, call us at 812-523-4483.

Michael Langmeier of Purdue University returns as the keynote speaker, and Susan Bevers of Lorenzo, Bevers, Braman and Connell will present a brief program about the Foundation’s work and its relationship to estate planning.

Langmeier is a professor and extension economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics and serves as associate director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture.

He joined Purdue University in July 2012. His Extension and research interests include cropping systems, benchmarking, strategic management, cost of production and technical and economic efficiency.

Most of his research has focused on the efficiency of farms and ranches, and crop and livestock enterprise production costs and efficiency. He has also conducted research related to tillage systems, biomass crops and the tradeoff between crop rotation profitability and water quality.

Before arriving at Purdue, Langmeier worked 22 years in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.

Langmeier has conducted workshops and given presentations in Australia, China, Ecuador, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and Tanzania. He is currently involved in agribenchmark, an international benchmarking group centered in Germany.

He received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his doctorate is from Purdue University. His family operates farms in eastern Nebraska.

The Farmers Breakfast program is free of charge and reservations may be made by contacting the Foundation by calling 812-523-4483 or by emailing development@cfjacksoncounty.org.

The farm sector is an important part of the Jackson County community, and the Foundation supports those involved with farming through funds such as the Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship Fund and the C.B. Hess 4-H Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Foundation also offers farmers an opportunity to donate to those and other funds that benefit the community through the annual Giving the Gift of Grain program and the annual Giving the Gift of Livestock program. We also conduct a light-hearted fundraising competition, the Head to Head: Green vs. Red contest.

Currently, the Red Team is in the lead with 67 percent of the vote. Votes may still be cast through cash donations or gifts of corn or soybeans. The deadline is January 26.

Joining the Foundation and Purdue Extension Jackson County as sponsors of the Farmers Breakfast this year are a number of area businesses and service providers involved with the farming community. They include Premier Ag and Rose Acre Farms, which underwrite the cost of the buffet meal, allowing farmers to enjoy the breakfast at no cost.

Other sponsors include The Andersons, Aquatic Control, B&W Agri-Products, Beacon Ag, Beatty Insurance, Blue & Co., Bob Poynter GMC, Brownstown Veterinary Clinic, Darlage Custom Meats, Donaldson Capital Management, Edward Jones, First Financial Bank, German American Bank, Grindlay & Grindlay, Hackman Show Feeds and Dave Hall Crop Insurance.

Also serving as sponsors are Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the Ivy Tech Foundation, JCBank, Jackson County Co-Op Credit Union, Jackson County Insurance Agency, Jackson County REMC, Jackson County Tire, Kova Farm Supply, Lorenzo, Bevers, Braman and Connell, Montgomery Elsner & Pardieck, Old National Bank, The Peoples Bank, Paul Nay & Associates and Royalty Companies.

Other sponsors are Rumpke of Indiana, Schafstall Inc., Schneck Medical Center, Seymour Animal Hospital, State Bank of Medora, Surface Insurance, Tampico Grain, The Tribune and Wischmeier Trucking.

The Foundation appreciates our sponsors’ support of the local farming community, which provides valuable jobs and income to area residents, as well as the support that they offer to the Foundation and our community.

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Michael Langmeier

Susan Bevers

If you go

What: Farmers Breakfast presented by Community Foundation of Jackson County and Purdue Extension Cooperative Service

When: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1 (doors open at 7 a.m.)

Where: Pewter Hall, 850 W. Sweet St., Brownstown

To register: Call the Foundation office at 812-523-4483 or send an email to development@cfjacksoncounty.org.

About the Foundation

For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Its office is at 107 Community Drive in Seymour.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992.

It awarded its first grants in 1994.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $11 million in grants and scholarships.

Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts.

Ag scholarship application available

January 10, 2023

The 2023 Premier Companies/Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship application is now available on the Community Foundation of Jackson County’s website. Click on Scholarships and then click on Scholarship Forms.

The Myers scholarship is for college juniors and seniors who are enrolled in an agriculture school pursing a degree in agriculture.

Myers was an ag teacher and FFA sponsor at Brownstown Central High School.

The scholarship is one of more than 50 endowed scholarship funds administered by the Foundation.

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Foundation presents 2023 Lilly Scholar award to Seymour High School student

December 6, 2022

The Community Foundation of Jackson County is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Jackson County – Ekaterina Cox, a current senior at Seymour High School.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership.

There were 123 Jackson County applicants this year for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. They were narrowed to nine finalists, and Cox was then selected as the nominee, Foundation Vice President Sue Smith said.

“Ekaterina was selected from a group of outstanding applicants from all six high schools in Jackson County,” Smith added.

With the selection of Cox, there are now 42 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars from Jackson County, with the first recipient selected in 1998. During the 2023-2024 academic year, there will be four Jackson County Lilly Scholars on college campuses throughout the state of Indiana.

She is the daughter of Natalia and David Cox of Seymour.

Cox is in the process of determining where she will attend college next year. She plans to major in engineering.

“I am interested in mechanical and aerospace engineering,” she said Monday.

“As a child she wanted to be an astronaut,” her mother added.

Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a stipend of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network, which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and network are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana.

In nominating Jackson County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, consideration was given to academic achievement, advanced curriculum, school and community activities, a required essay and financial need by the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee.

After the field of applicants was narrowed, the nominee was submitted to the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, Independent Colleges of Indiana, for the selection of scholarship recipients.

“We have so many high-caliber applicants that it always seems to be such a daunting task to decide on our finalists, but with our thorough application process, the field just seems to automatically narrow down to the best of the best,” said Sue Nehrt, chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee.

Lilly Endowment Inc. created the program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported it every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since its inception.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are:

To help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana.
To increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities.
And to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.

Increasing educational attainment among Jackson County residents is an important part of the Foundation’s mission to help grow better tomorrows, said Dan Davis, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

“Concern about the education levels here was a key factor when the Foundation brought other partners from across the county together to establish the Jackson County Learning Center, and we remain committed to that goal,” Davis said. “It is certainly part of our guiding efforts in administering scholarship funds entrusted to the Foundation.”

The Foundation’s efforts to improve educational opportunities extends beyond programs focused on college, including support of the Jackson County Education Coalition’s On My Way Pre-K pilot program for 4-year-olds and the encouragement of workforce development in partnership with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and others.

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Ekaterina Cox: A senior at Seymour High School

Selected as the 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient for Jackson County

About the Foundation

For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Its office is at 107 Community Drive in Seymour.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992.

It awarded its first grants in 1994.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants and scholarships.

Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts.

SHS Class of 1972 gives back

November 28, 2022

Alice Laskowski and fellow members of the Seymour High School Class of 1972 present a grant check of $40,000 to Seymour Community Schools Superintendent Brandon Harpe before the start of Saturday’s basketball game. The SHS Class of ’72 Fund at the Foundation raised $40,000 for the purchase of an animated sign at Seymour High School and more than $22,000 to endow a renewable scholarship fund at the Foundation. Mayor Matt Nicholson read a proclamation honoring the SHS Class of 1972, which marked its 50th anniversary this year. If you would like to make a gift to the new scholarship fund, go to the DONATE NOW button or send a check made out to the Foundation with SHS 1972 Fund in the memo line and mail it to the Foundation, Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. Checks may also be dropped off at our office, 107 Community Drive, Seymour, just across the street from Seymour High School.

#GivingTuesday aids community

November 22, 2022

By DAN DAVIS / President & CEO

The holiday season brings shopping, Thanksgiving, shopping, Christmas and yet more shopping.

There’s Black Friday, although many big retailers seem to have been pushing holiday sales since before Halloween. There’s also Shop Small Saturday. And Cyber Monday.

Amid all those shopping plans is #GivingTuesday, set this year for Nov. 29. The Community Foundation of Jackson County asks that you consider giving to local charities, including, perhaps, to one of the more than 250 funds we administer. You can find them listed on our website at www.cfjacksoncounty.org or in our annual gift guide, which should be delivered to your home the week of Thanksgiving.

Want to help the Big Brothers-Big Sisters? We have a fund for that. Girls Inc. or the Boys & Girls Club? Ditto. The United Way, Jackson County Public Library, the Conner Antique Print Shop & Museum or maybe the Jackson County canine shelter? Of course we do. And others. Many others.

#GivingTuesday is an effort to raise awareness of the needs of charitable programs at home and around the world during a time when so many seem more focused on spending for wishes and wants rather than the needs of others. Many nonprofits are reporting that they are struggling economically – again – this year. The economy is blamed for much of that slowdown, which of course is coming on the heels of a slowdown for many in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Circumstances and uncertainty appear to be keeping many checkbooks closed and pocketbooks snapped shut. It’s an understandable reaction, but one with consequences for those in need.

The Foundation asks that you consider helping turn that trend around through making a gift on #GivingTuesday. The event, after all, can be – and really should be — about much more than one day each Christmas and holiday season. We also ask that you consider pledging to do more next year. Donate your talents, time and treasure. Volunteer for the ARC of Jackson County, the Jackson County History Center or the Hornets Nest.

You could make a gift to the Foundation’s community funds. The earnings from those help finance our Fall Grant cycle, when charitable organizations across our community apply for grants to help with important programming needs that touch the lives of people of all ages in all corners of the county. Last month, the Foundation awarded 16 Fall Grants totaling more than $103,000.

I’d be happy to speak with you about donating to one of the funds or perhaps starting your own. Either way, your gifts to endowed funds can benefit others in perpetuity, a gift that keeps on giving, making a difference forever.

You can donate through our web page, www.cfjacksoncounty.org. Click on “Donate Now” and let us know to which fund you’re donating. Or you may send a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274.

Thank you, and on behalf of the Foundation staff and our Board of Directors, we wish you a happy holiday season and a merry Christmas this winter.

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About us

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992.

It awarded its first grants in 1994.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants and scholarships.

The Foundation administers more than 250 funds.

Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts.

Celebrating community support, work

November 15, 2022

By DAN DAVIS / President & CEO

Five years ago, Brooke, a Jackson County mother of three struggling to make ends meet, turned to the Coaching for Success program at Human Services Inc., a program supported with Impact Grant and Lilly Endowment Inc. grant dollars from the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Since then, the program helped Brooke find a stable job in manufacturing, learn new skills and gain confidence.

“Now, I have permanent housing, I’m financially stable and I have resources in the community if I should need it,” Brooke said. “Without the financial support from the Coaching for Success program, I don’t think I would have been as successful taking that bridge from poverty to financial stability.”

Stories like Brooke’s are among the many reasons why the Community Foundation of Jackson County joins more than 1,000 other community foundations across America to mark Community Foundation Week, set this year for Nov. 12-18.

Our goal in participating is to raise awareness about the role of philanthropy and to foster local collaborations and innovations to address persistent civic and economic challenges – including poverty and the lack of child care — in our community. The Foundation, for instance, is not alone in helping fund the Coaching for Success program. Jackson County United Way is a supporting organization as well.

Community foundations in Indiana alone made more than $194 million in grants in 2020 and held more than $4.3 billion in assets. Your Community Foundation of Jackson County manages more than $15 million in assets. Last year, it awarded $1.57 million in grants and scholarships.

Since its founding in 1992, the Community Foundation of Jackson County has awarded more than $10 million in grants to local organizations and scholarships to hundreds of students to help them pursue their educational dreams. As of October 31, we had awarded more than $700,000 in grants and scholarships so far this year.

Our staff and Board of Directors, made up of 20 individuals from throughout Jackson County, invite you to explore our website. You’ll access a wealth of information about our organization, our current funds, our grant cycles and how you, too, can become a donor and help make a difference. If you would like, please call to make an appointment to visit with us at our offices.

Our work – funded through the gifts of people like you – help make a difference in the lives of countless people across Jackson County, people like Brooke and her three children.

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About us

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992.

It awarded its first grants in 1994.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants and scholarships.

The Foundation administers more than 250 funds.

Online: www.cfjacksoncounty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFJacksonCounty/?fref=ts.

Program dedicates Tuskegee Airmen statues as Freeman memorial expands

October 10, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

In this Tribune photo top right, Bryan Patrick Avery, grandson of Harold Beaulieu, tells how his grandfather hid a camera in a shoe box to make sure there was photographic evidence of the 1945 Freeman Field Mutiny, how it changed history and how it can serve as an example to do what is right during the Tuskegee Airmen statues dedication ceremony Saturday at Freeman Field.

The Foundation is pleased to have helped support the Tuskegee Airmen memorial expansion and is excited about the future educational programming to be funded through the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment.

“We feel it is living our motto of building tomorrows, in this case remembering our history and building better tomorrows,” President & CEO Dan Davis said.

Tax-deductible donations to the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment can be made by sending a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County, Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or by donating online at the Foundation’s website, cfjacksoncounty.org.

Last winter, the Foundation’s Board of Directors provided a grant to create a fund — the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment — that will support maintenance of the new statues but also provide grants to fund an ongoing educational program aimed at sharing the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and their role in the U.S. civil rights movement. The Jackson County Visitor Center Board joined the Foundation in that effort, providing an $8,000 matching grant for the fund, and several individuals have since made gifts to the fund. For information about how you can make a gift to the fund, call Dan Davis at 812-523-4483.

Remembering our history and building better tomorrows.

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Above, MSgt. Harold Beaulieu snapped with a hidden camera this photo of Tuskegee Airmen officers charged in the Freeman Field Mutiny in 21945. Below, one of two statues depicting the Tuskegee Airmen that will be dedicated during a ceremony on Saturday.

Tuskegee Airmen reception thanks memorial expansion project donors

October 4, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was among donors recognized during a Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Expansion Project reception Monday night at Freeman Field.

Tim Molinari thanked donors before two Rise Above documentaries were shown. Afterward, Dan Kiel welcomed donors at the Freeman Army Airfield Museum and presented a video on the airport’s history.

More than 300 area school children watched the videos and toured the museum on Monday. Another thousand or so are expected to do the same throughout this week.

The Foundation joined others, including the Jackson County Visitor Center, Tom Lantz, Bonnie and Arv Koontz, Ann and David Windley, Julie and Joe Bradley, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, among others, in contributing to the project.

Last winter, the Foundation’s Board of Directors provided a grant to create a fund — the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment — that will support maintenance of the new statues but also provide grants to fund an ongoing educational program aimed at sharing the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and their role in the U.S. civil rights movement. The Jackson County Visitor Center Board joined the Foundation in that effort, providing an $8,000 matching grant for the fund. For information about how you can make a gift to the fund, call Dan Davis at 812-523-4483.

Remembering our history and building better tomorrows.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

In the photo above, Tim Molinari thanks donors to the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Expansion Project during a reception at Freeman Field. Below, one of two statues depicting the Tuskegee Airmen that will be dedicated during a ceremony on Saturday.

Owen-Carr Fund approves grants

July 14, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Owen-Carr Township Community Fund Committee recently approved three grants from the fund.

Those grants include:

$8,000 for a shelter house at the historic Carr High School west of Medora
$5,000 to repair leaks in the pond and repair the performance stage at the Norman Station Conservation Club in Owen Township.
And $1,975 for the purchase of a vitals-thermometer device for the Carr Township Volunteer Fire Department.

The vital statistics reader and companion thermometer will help improve delivery of emergency medical services to residents in western Jackson County, Joe Barnes of the fire department said in his grant proposal.

The department plans to place the device in its vehicle that makes most of its emergency medical runs. The device will allow firefighters responding to medical emergencies to better assess the health of patients and share those vital statistics with Jackson County EMS crews enroute to the scene of wrecks and other medical emergencies, Barnes said.

The readings should provide firefighters with better information when making triage decisions and better prepare EMS crews on how to respond once they arrive, he added.

A tree falls

Plans for the shelter house arose this spring after a storm knocked down a 200-year-old beech tree on the Carr High School grounds along County Road 250 South west of Medora. Over the years, the shady beech served as a gathering area for various family and community events, including an annual bean supper that raises money for the preservation of the old school building and the adjacent Weddleville Cemetery.

The school was built 164 years ago and is the last standing pre-Civil War high school in Indiana, Chuck Darkis of the Weddleville Cemetery Association said. The school operated from 1857 to 1934. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The tree was a central gathering place for the historic building,” Darkis added. “The shelter house will provide a new gathering place for the activities held there such as picnics, memorial services, weddings and the annual Old Settlers-style bean dinner held in August.”

Repairs needed

Reva Atkins of the Norman Station Conservation Club reported that a leaking pond and a collapsing performance stage are threatening the organization’s future funding. The Owen-Carr grant will provide funds for materials to repair the leaking pond and improve the performance stage.

The stage is where the club presents bluegrass concerts that help raise money for operating the conversation club. The pond is also important to help attract campers, another source of income for the organization, Atkins said.

Volunteer labor will help keep the costs down and provide the club’s input toward the repairs, she added.

Trash to grants

The Owen-Carr Township Community Fund and the Owen-Carr Township Community Endowment are funded with quarterly donations from Rumpke Consolidated Services, which operates the Medora Landfill in the two townships in western Jackson County. The donation is based on the tonnage of trash taken to the landfill.

Anyone can donate to the Owen-Carr Township Community Endowment, which can accept gifts of cash, stock, real estate and other real property. All gifts are used to benefit the communities in Owen and Carr townships.

In addition, Rumpke has committed to making a donation to the fund for each ton of material accepted at the Medora Landfill.

The decision by Rumpke was simple, local Landfill Manager Brad Marlow said: “We see this as another way to be a good neighbor and give back to the community.”

The fund is administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County, and a local committee of Owen and Carr Township residents reviews all requests for funds.

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The Community Foundation of Jackson County offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities and scholarship administration. Our office is at 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274. Our assets total more than $18 million and we administer more than 250 funds.

For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

2022 July Owen-Carr school shelterhouse grant

In the photo above, Nancy Davis and Mike Weir of the Owen-Carr Township Community Fund Committee present an $8,000 grant check to Chuck Darkis, left, of the Weddleville Cemetery Association. The grant will finance construction of a shelter house at the former Carr High School, which was built in 1857. The school is pictured below.

Work progresses at child-care center

Child Care Network hopes to open doors this autumn

July 11, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

Have you noticed?

Workers are painting the exterior at the future Child Care Network child-care center at Chestnut & Fifth streets in downtown Seymour. That’s great news for our community partners at Child Care Network and the community overall as this work and other work moves the center toward opening this fall.

The Community Foundation of Jackson County is pleased to be a funding partner with Lilly Endowment Inc. and others in our community to help bring this project to fruition. Other supporting partners include the City of Seymour, Jackson County United Way, Schneck Foundation, Royalty Companies and Kocolene Development Corp.

Did you know that Child Care Network benefits annually from two funds administered by the Foundation? Your gift to either fund could help grow the annual grants to the agency.

For information about making a gift to either of the funds, contact Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis at 812-523-4483 or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Workers touch up paint on the front of the future child-care center that will be owned and operated by Child Care Network at Chestnut and Fifth streets in downtown Seymour.

Fall Grant deadline looms: Aug. 1

Staff can review applications ahead of submission

June 28, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The deadline to submit applications for the Foundation’s Fall Grants cycle is Aug. 1 since July 31 falls on Sunday. You can find an application online at this website. Click on the “Grants” button on the top toolbar and pull down to “Fall Grants.”

Foundation Vice President Sue Smith and President & CEO Dan Davis can review applications before they are officially submitted. To arrange a review, call 812-523-4483.

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2022 Visitor Center Grant Ann Windley May

$8,000 Visitor Center grant boosts Tuskegee Airmen Memorial fund

Fund supports programming around civil rights

May 19, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was recently awarded an $8,000 spring 2022 developmental grant from the Jackson County Visitor Center.

The grant will be placed into the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment at the Foundation, which will pay a grant annually to help fund educational programming revolving around the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial, which will be unveiled this October at Freeman Field in Seymour.

The educational programming will focus on the Tuskegee Airmen’s treatment here during their World War II training and its impact in integrating the U.S. military and upon the American civil rights movement in general, Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said.

The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial will include two life-sized statues representing the Tuskegee Airmen pilots and support personnel who trained at Freeman Army Airfield during World War II.

Using $8,000 in Fall Grant funds, the Foundation Board of Directors established the Tuskegee Memorial Endowment in December 2021. In addition to helping finance educational programming, the fund will also help provide light maintenance of the memorial.

“We are excited about the educational work that the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment will help fund,” Trish Butt said. She is chair of the Foundation’s Grant Committee. “It will not only focus on what happened with the Tuskegee Airmen at the time they were stationed for training at Freeman Field but can also follow the civil rights movement afterward. This educational piece along with the expanded Airmen memorial should have a strong, positive impact for our community.”

The Freeman Field Mutiny is the term used to describe the events surrounding a group of black officers, part of the 477th Bombardment Group, who protested against the segregated officers clubs at Freeman Field when they arrived for training in 1945.

The Visitor Center grant was among three awarded by the agency during its spring cycle.

“We are excited to award these funds to enhance our community and improve the visitor experience in Jackson County,” said Arann Banks, executive director of the Jackson County Visitor Center. “We hope these projects will help impact our community for years to come.”

The visitor center awards developmental grants in the spring and fall each year. The budget for each grant cycle is $20,000.

Anyone can make a gift to the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment by contacting the Foundation, 812-523-4483. Gifts may also be made online by using the DONATE NOW button on our website.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Jackson County Visitor Center Executive Director Arann Banks, left, presents a grant check to Ann Windley, vice chair of the Community Foundation of Jackson County Board of Directors.

Arrested African-American officers of the 477th Bombardment Group at Freeman Army Airfield await transportation to Godman Field in Kentucky in April 1945.

Seymour students earn scholarships

May 31, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented scholarships to 26 Seymour High School students during the school’s honors day program this spring.

The Jay C Food Stores Scholarship is a $2,000 award. This year’s recipient is Daniela Paris Olmedo.

The Ruby & Floyd W. Martin Scholarship a $2,500 scholarship that is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient is Grace Schrader.

This is the first time for the Louis and Judy Bobb Scholarship to be awarded, having been established in 2021. This is a $2,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. The recipient is Audrey Wiggam.

The Kenneth N. & Helen Warbritton Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient is Valeria Ramirez.

This is also the first year to present the Ken A. Miller Memorial Scholarship. This is a $1,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. The recipient is Alexis Turner.

The Charles Frederick Wolter Memorial Scholarship is a $500 scholarship. The recipient this year is Kaylee Waskom.

The Marcella Trumbo Seymour Alumni Scholarship is a $1,400 scholarship. The recipient is Madalyn Baurle.

The E. Morton and Julia R. Lester Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Alexus Morris.

The Walter & Cora Schlehuser-Clark & Ruth Thompson Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship that is renewable for up to two years of study. There are two recipients this year: Todd Fee and Luke Lanam.

The St. Andrew United Methodist Church Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. The recipient this year is Hiley Obermeyer.

The Bateman Engineering Scholarship is a $500 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Clayton Greenawalt.

The Seymour American Legion Post 89 Achievement Scholarship is a $500 scholarship. The recipient this year is Millicent Hays

The Dr. Charles Trumbo Scholarship is a $2,000 award. The recipient is Katie Deppen.

The J. David Vandivier/Dicksons Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. The recipient this year is Mary Higdon.

The Marilyn Mellencamp Scholarship for the Arts is a $1,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Stevie Sedam.

The John E. and Ruth A. Reedy Scholarship is a $3,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of studies. The recipient is Eliana Baker.

The Duane Martin Vocational Scholarship is a $1,000 award. The recipient is Xavier Williams.

The Tri Kappa Scholarship is a $2,000 award renewable for up to two years of studies. The recipient is Eli Wood.

The Gary E. Plumer Memorial Agricultural Scholarshis a $1,000 award. The recipient is Zoie Hoene.

The Marc Owen Chandler Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 award. The recipient is Lillian Kelly.

The Laura Culp Memorial Scholarship is a $500 award. The recipient is Alisha Busby.

The Seymour Firefighters Local 577 Scholarship is a $1,000 award. Recipients are Alisha Busby, Angelina Ruvira Corya, Bailey Engel and Lillie Wessel.

Since being established in 1992, the Foundation has granted more than $10 million in scholarships and grants. It serves as a leader in the community in philanthropic issues and offers a range of services.

The Foundation now administers 63 scholarship funds. During the 2021-2022 school year, 71 Community Foundation scholarship recipients were on college and university campuses across the state of Indiana and around the nation.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Brownstown students earn scholarships

May 31, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented 16 scholarships to Brownstown Central High School students during the school’s honors day program this spring.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship pays for full tuition, fees and books. This year’s recipient is Grant Elliott.

The James Ralph Thompson Memorial Scholarship is a $6,000 annual scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient is Taylor Loudermilk.

The Jay C Food Stores Scholarship is a $2,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Kirsten Raisor.

The Omer and Jean Terkhorn Scholarship is a $4,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Andrea Bair.

The Stuckwisch Educational Scholarship is a $2,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Peyton Brock.

The Orville and Laura Lubker/Purdue University Scholarship is a $4,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Morgan Branaman.

The Gina Shepard Ballard Scholarship is a $500 scholarship. The recipient this year is Emily Singleton.

The Jackson County Community Scholarship is a $900 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Chelsea Luedeman.

The William B. Sharp Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Kelsey Wischmeier.

The Connie Bowling Hehman Teacher Scholarship is a $1,200 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Payton Ault.

The Seymour Kiwanis Club Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. The recipient was Addison Shelton.

The Madge and Jack Fountain Scholarship is $1,500 scholarship. The recipient is Emily Mann.

The Seymour Firefighters Local 577 Scholarship is a $1,000 award. The recipient is Jake Pauley.

The Foundation was also asked to present three $1,000 scholarships on behalf of the Jackson County Sertoma Club. These are renewable for up to three years of undergraduate studies. The recipients are Addison Shelton, Emily Singleton and Kelsey Wischmeier.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Trinity students earn scholarships

May 26, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented seven scholarships to Trinity Lutheran High School students during the school’s honors day program this spring.

The James Ralph Thompson Memorial Scholarship is a $6,000 scholarship that is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient is Hannah Kerkhof.

The Dr. & Mrs. R. Todd Bergman Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Kayla Goecker.

The Seymour American Legion Post 89 Achievement Scholarship is a $500 scholarship. This year’s recipient is Kaitlynn Rowe.

The Royalty Scholarship is presented to Trinity Lutheran High School students, providing a $500 scholarship toward their tuition. The recipients this year are Luke Coomler, Siddha Hall and Olivia Schwipps.

The Ann Windley Leadership Jackson County Scholarship is a $900 award. This year’s recipient is Addison Bumbleburg.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Medora student receives scholarship

May 26, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented a scholarship to a Medora High School student during the school’s honors day program this spring.

The recipient this year’s Medora High School/Gossman Scholarship is Victoria Murphin. This $1,000 scholarship is renewable for a second year of undergraduate studies.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

East student receives scholarship

May 19, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented a scholarship to a Columbus East High School student during the school’s honors day program this spring.

The Kenneth S. Warbritton Scholarship was established by Kenneth Warbritton, a retired Columbus East High School teacher and a native of Seymour, Indiana. This $1,000 scholarship is renewable for a total of four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient was Zoe Barnsfather.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Austin students receive scholarships

May 17, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented two scholarships to Austin High School students this spring at the annual honors day program.

The Immanuel United Church of Christ Scholarship is $4,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient was Blake Smith.

The Foundation was also asked to present a scholarship on behalf of the Jackson County Sertoma Club. This $1,000 scholarship is renewable for up to three years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient was Erin Lee.

Since being established in 1992, we have granted more than $10 million in scholarships and grants. It serves as a leader in the community in philanthropic issues and offers a range of services.

The Immanuel United Church of Christ Scholarship is a $4,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. This year’s recipient was Blake Smith.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Crothersville students earn scholarships from Foundation

Presented to 6 graduating seniors at honors day program

April 30, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented six scholarships to Crothersville High School students this spring at the annual honors day program.

The recipient this year of the Jay C Foods Store Scholarship was Karley Gillis.

Receiving the James Temple Thompson Memorial Scholarship was Kennadi Lakins.

The recipient of the Kenneth N. & Helen Warbritton Memorial Scholarship was Ella Plasse.

Two students received the Elmer and Ida Lacey Scholarship, which is a two-year scholarship: Kiarra Lakins and Kaylyn Holman.

And the recipient of the Crothersville Community Scholarship was Haley Williams.

The Foundation congratulates the students on their accomplishments and offers its best wishes to graduates of the Crothersville High School Class of 2022.

Since being established in 1992, we have granted more than $10 million in scholarships and grants. It serves as a leader in the community in philanthropic issues and offers a range of services.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

New SHS Class of 1972 Fund targets animated sign for Seymour High School

Gift will mark 50th anniversary of graduation

April 29, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

A new fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County aims to shine a spotlight on Seymour High School. An animated spotlight at that.

Members of the Seymour High School Class of 1972 – quickly closing in on their 50th anniversary this summer – recently established the SHS Class of 1972 Fund to accept donations from fellow classmates and graduates.

“As we will always remember those who have gone before us, this year’s Golden Anniversary will be a special time to rekindle old friendships and remembrances of coming of age in the official ‘Small Town’ and get together with friends who maybe haven’t seen each other in person for a while because of the pandemic,” said Class of ’72 member Alice Scott Laskowski, who now calls Bloomington home.

“As teachers, doctors, lawyers, business owners and more, the SHS Class of 1972 has made a positive impact to our nation and community,” added Laskowski, who, along with her husband John, recently opened a Culver’s restaurant in Seymour. “As a class, we would like to give back to the school that helped establish a base for the success that we have enjoyed in our lives.”

She and fellow classmates Mary Thoele Winburn, Cindy Voss Ruddick, Mary Abel Sullivan, Terry Sweasy, Mike Thias, Jan Daulton Carl and Joe Roberts are encouraging members of the Class of 1972 to give back to the school through a class donation.

They are working with Principal Greg Prange (SHS Class of 1979) and Superintendent Brandon Harpe to determine a need that classmates’ donations might fund. They are focused on an animated, electronic sign to be erected on the campus at Second Street and Community Drive. Any donations beyond meeting that cost may be distributed to the school’s existing endowments at the Foundation or to perhaps used to create a scholarship fund, Laskowski said.

The goal is to raise $50,000. Classmates – and their teachers — interested in participating may do so in one of two ways.

They can write a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County and include “SHS Class of 1972 Fund” in the memo. Mail it to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or drop it by the Foundation office at 107 Community Drive, right across from Seymour High School.

Or they can go online to the Foundation’s website at www.cfjacksoncounty.org. Hit the Donate Now tab. Enter your donation amount and follow the credit card instructions or the PayPal instructions if you have a PayPal account and wish to use it. Donors are asked to send a follow-up email to info@cfjacksoncounty.org stating your name and informing us that your contribution is to be credited to the SHS Class of 1972 Fund.

Donors can also make a gift of stock by contacting the Foundation.

Laskowski is urging classmates to participate, setting up levels of participation and recognition.

“We want everyone in our class to say they were part of this gift, no matter what level they give, Class of 1972 member Mary Thoele Winburn added.

Gifts of $19.72 and greater puts donors into the 1972 Club. Cumulative giving of $197.20 makes you a member of the Owl Club. Cumulative giving of $972 earns Go BIG Purple recognition, and giving of up to $1,972 or more earns The Last Exit level, Laskowski said. The Last Exit is the theme of the class’ 50th reunion.

The SHS Class of 1972 Fund is one of more than 200 funds administered by the Foundation. They include community funds that benefit our Fall Grant cycle and Impact Grants, designated funds that benefit an array of charitable organizations, scholarship funds and donor-advised funds. If you would like to discuss starting your own fund or making a gift to the SHS Class of 1972 Fund or any of the funds making a difference in Jackson County, give us a call or stop in for a visit.

The staff can help you determine how your gifts can best meet your giving goals and your desire to give back to the community.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Alice Laskowski prepares to sign a document establishing the SHS Class of 1972 Fund at the Foundation. With her are classmates, from left, Jan Daulton Carl, Mary Abel Sullivan, Mary Thoele Winburn, Terry Sweasy and Cindy Voss Ruddick

Grant finances Tuskegee Airmen, civil rights education program

Library, airfield museum partnering on project

March 7, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The struggle for equal treatment of black cadets revolving around the segregated officers clubs at Freeman Army Airfield during World War II provided the impetus for a new fund created at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment was created with an $8,000 grant, one of 19 approved during the Foundation’s annual competitive grant program.

The new fund will help provide grants for an educational program centered on the Tuskegee Airmen and the civil rights movement as well as provide grants for maintenance of the Tuskegee Airmen memorial now being planned at Freeman Municipal Airport at Seymour.

“We are excited about the educational work that the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment will help fund,” Trish Butt of Brownstown said. Butt is chair of the Foundation’s Grant Committee. “It will not only focus on what happened with the Tuskegee Airmen at the time they were stationed for training at Freeman Field but can also follow the civil rights movement afterward. This educational piece along with the expanded Airmen memorial should have a strong, positive impact for our community.”

According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, on April 5, 1945, the African American officers began a display of resistance.

“In small groups of just a few officers at a time, they began entering the white ‘instructor’ club, 36 of them getting arrested in the process. The next night the same tactic played out again, with another 25 arrested,” according to the Smithsonian. The club was then closed, with more than 100 officers writing to the Army Inspector General seeking an investigation into their arrests.

“The complaint specifically noted the inherent hypocrisy of U.S. racial policies in the context of the struggles of World War II, stating: ‘The continuance of this policy can hardly be reconciled with the world wide struggle for freedom for which we are asked, and are willing, to lay down our lives,’” according to the Smithsonian.

Eventually, 101 officers who were arrested in the aftermath were ordered released by President Harry S Truman. Three faced a courts martial.

The Freeman Field Mutiny led to drastic change for the time, including the eventual integration of airbase facilities and the integration of the entire U.S. military. In 1995, the U.S. Air Force exonerated those who had been arrested, finally removing reprimand letters from the records of those charged and expunging the one conviction that resulted from the incident.

Community partners in the educational programming revolving around the Tuskegee Airmen memorial include the Freeman Army Airfield Museum and the Jackson County Public Library.

“This seed money and other donations it might help attract can create opportunities for better understanding of the Freeman Field Mutiny as well as interesting related topics,” Tim Molinari of Seymour said. Molinari is spearheading the campaign to erect two statues representing the Tuskegee Airmen who trained at Freeman Army Airfield during World War II.

One statue will be of a Tuskegee Airman dressed in flight gear to represent their contribution to the national defense during World War II at a time when the U.S. military, like much of the nation, was segregated. The other statue will be of a Tuskegee Airman in an officer’s uniform representing the discrimination that they faced here. The memorial will also include an Indiana State Historical Marker describing the Freeman Field Mutiny.

The project doesn’t end there, however.

“Periodically, notable speakers, movies and authors can be brought to our community to present compelling topics and presentations for not only our young people but for the older population too,” Molinari said of the educational program. “We believe that these talks and presentations would be well received. This would become a natural progression from awareness — the memorial — to greater enlightenment.”

The Freeman Field Mutiny is considered by some historians of the civil rights movement as a model for later efforts to integrate public facilities through civil disobedience, Molinari said.

Organizers expect to unveil the statues and expanded memorial in October 2022. As part of that dedication, Molinari is working to bring the Rise Above traveling program to the airport as well.

The Rise Above exhibit is a mobile theater that focuses on the short film “Rise Above,” which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and obstacles they overcame as black pilots to train, fly and fight for their country. Organizers hope to see 1,000 area children and thousands of others flow through the exhibit when it spends a week at Freeman Field this fall.

Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said the promise of the educational project appealed to the organization’s Grant Committee and Board of Directors.

“We support the goal of informing and reminding people that progress in overcoming racism – here and elsewhere – doesn’t just happen,” Davis said. “Overcoming those circumstances is made by people with strong convictions, an abundance of courage and the willingness to stand up to wrong, just as the Tuskegee Airmen who stood up to the segregation they encountered did while fighting for our country’s freedom. Their voices – their actions – still need to be heard and celebrated.”

This grant is not the first grant provided by the Foundation toward the current Tuskegee Airmen memorial project. The Foundation approved a $5,000 grant in the 2019 Fall Grant cycle toward the memorial’s cost. It also provided a grant of $1,000 in 2014 to help fund creation of the initial Tuskegee Airmen memorial, which now sits next to the main terminal building at Freeman Municipal Airport.

Grants from the Jackson County Unrestricted Endowment and the John and Kay Beatty Community Endowment funded creation of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment.

Donations to the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Endowment can be made by sending a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County or by donating online by clicking here: DONATE NOW.

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Investment gains propel grant rate

Board approves 5% payout from endowed funds

February 28, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Jackson County approved a 5 percent grant rate for endowed funds administered by the Foundation on February 23.

Approval followed a proposal by President & CEO Dan Davis and a recommendation by the Foundation’s Finance & Investment Committee, which convened in January.

This is the third year in a row that the Foundation Board of Directors has approved a 5 percent grant rate, the maximum allowed by the Internal Revenue Service and the Foundation’s spending policy.

“Our investment performance over the last three years and our community needs merit the full 5 percent again this year,” Davis said. “Part of that need is a realization that while the Foundation did have another blessed year in 2021, many nonprofits in our community and elsewhere did not as the lingering COVID-19 pandemic did make some givers hesitant to give at a time when the need for services from those nonprofits increased because of the pandemic.”

Earnings over the past years include 19.3 percent last year, 11.2 percent in 2020 and 21.2 percent in 2019 for an average of 17.2 percent.

The grant rate is anticipated to result in nearly $700,000 in overall granting dollars, up from $589,767 in 2021. That includes just shy of $100,000 in unrestricted dollars for the Fall Grant cycle.

“That increase is a clear sign of our increasing assets, both as a result of increased giving and of good investment performance,” Davis said.

Trish Butt, chair of the Foundation’s Grant Committee, said the increase in grant dollars through the Fall Grant process show the efforts of the Foundation’s focus in recent years on building endowments aimed at community funds.

Community funds, also known as unrestricted dollars, provide grant money for a myriad of needs across Jackson County. Last year, the Foundation approved 19 grants totaling more than $93,000 through the Fall Grant cycle.

Recipients of those grants include organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, Girls Inc. of Jackson County, the Jackson County History Center, Jackson County Public Library, a number of area churches and schools and other organizations.

Ryon Wheeler with the Boys & Girls Club was pleased to hear the grant rate was again approved at the maximum 5 percent.

“With our partnership with the Foundation, we always budget below the 5 percent and a are quite happy when the Foundation can come in at that 5 percent max,” Wheeler said. “It provides a buffer for when something comes up. If the last two years has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be prepared for anything.”

“I think that was seen in the giving to the Foundation in 2020 and again in 2021,” Davis added. “In a year that brought great uncertainty because of the pandemic and a turbulent national mood, our donors responded, making more than $800,000 in new gifts to the Foundation in 2021 and more than $1.1 million in 2020.”

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For information or to make a gift, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Donors, markets deliver good year

January 24, 2022

From The FOUNDATION

Despite a slow start, 2021 investment earnings closed strong to benefit the work of the Community Foundation of Jackson County. Coupled with strong giving from donors, it was a successful year.

The organization’s investment portfolio closed the year at $17,699,304.71, reflecting a 19.3 percent gain for the year, Donaldson Capital Management reported. The fourth-quarter produced a gain of 10.3 percent, powered in part by a December gain of 5.4 percent.

That was the first reporting period where the Foundation’s portfolio topped $17 million after toying with it in October and November, President & CEO Dan Davis said.

Gifts to the Foundation totaled $849,113.94 in 2021. Individual gifts during 2021 totaled 553, up from the 384 posted in 2020 and coming more in line with recent non-pandemic years.

Thirteen new funds were started in 2021, including six new community funds that help finance the Fall Grant cycle.

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For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Brownstown Central student receives 2022 Lilly Community Scholarship

December 13, 2021

From The FOUNDATION

The Community Foundation of Jackson County is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Jackson County – Grant Elliott, a current senior at Brownstown Central High School.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership.

There were 99 Jackson County applicants this year for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. They were narrowed to 14 finalists, and Grant was then selected as the nominee, Foundation Vice President Sue Smith said.

“Grant was selected from a group of outstanding applicants from all six high schools in Jackson County,” Smith added.

With the selection of Elliott, there are now 41 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars from Jackson County, with the first recipient selected in 1998. During the 2022-2023 academic year, there will be four Jackson County Lilly Scholars on college campuses throughout the state of Indiana.

Elliott is in the process of determining where he will attend college next year. He plans to major in secondary education.

“I am interested in becoming a teacher because of the impact that teachers make on the lives of their students, going even beyond what they do in their classrooms to helping shape the people you become,” he said Monday.

Teachers in his own life have inspired that path of studies, and several reached out to him via social media when learning of his selection.

Elliott is the son of Autumn Hackney of Brownstown and Bruce Elliott of Brownstown.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network, which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and network are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Independent Colleges of Indiana.

“We have so many high-caliber applicants that it always seems to be such a daunting task to decide on our finalists, but with our thorough application process, the field just seems to automatically narrow down to the best of the best,” said Sue Nehrt, chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee.

Lilly Endowment created the program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported it every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since its inception.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are:

To help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana.
To increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities.
And to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.

“Concern about the education levels here was a key factor when the Foundation brought other partners from across the county together to establish the Jackson County Learning Center, and we remain committed to that goal,” Davis said. “It is certainly part of our guiding efforts in administering scholarship funds entrusted to the Foundation.”

The Foundation’s efforts to improve educational opportunities extends beyond programs focused on college, including support of the Jackson County Education Coalition’s On My Way Pre-K pilot program for 4-year-olds and the encouragement of workforce development in partnership with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and others.

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For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483, or go online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

#GivingTuesday assists community

November 23, 2021

By DAN DAVIS // President & CEO

The holiday season brings shopping, Thanksgiving, shopping, Christmas and yet more shopping.

There’s Black Friday, although we’ll have to see if the logistics condundrum puts a dent in that occasion. There’s also shop Small Saturday. And Cyber Monday.

Amid all those shopping plans is #GivingTuesday, set this year for Nov. 30. The Community Foundation of Jackson County asks that you consider giving to local charities, including, perhaps, to one of the 252 funds we administer. You can find them listed on our website at www.cfjacksoncounty.org or in our annual gift guide which should be delivered to your home the week of Thanksgiving.

#GivingTuesday is an effort to raise awareness of the needs of charitable programs at home and around the world during a time when so many seem more focused on spending for wishes and wants rather than the needs of others. This year, most likely because of the pandemic, giving to charities is down. Circumstances and uncertainty appear to be keeping many checkbooks closed and pocketbooks snapped shut. It’s an understandable reaction, but one with consequences for those in need.

Thank you, and on behalf of the Foundation staff and our Board of Directors, we wish you a happy holiday season this winter.

Green Team leads Red in competition as Gift of Grain program gets rolls onward

November 19, 2021

The Green Team forged ahead of the Red Team with recent donations to the Gift of Grain program at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

The Red Team started this year’s Head to Head: Green vs. Red contest with a lead this fall, but four donations of corn and a donation of soybeans spurred the Green Team into the lead.

T he Green Team through Nov. 18 had 96 percent the vote in the annual contest staged in good fun to show support of farmers’ favorite equipment lines.

Area farmers are invited to participate in the annual Giving a Gift of Grain program. Their donations support the Community Foundation of Jackson County and the overall community.

Farmers can contribute their gifts of grain to benefit the area’s agricultural community through the Premier Companies/Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship, the C.B. Hess 4-H Memorial Scholarship and the Jackson County Veterinary Scholarship.

Or they can donate to the Foundation’s community endowments, which benefit the Fall Grant cycle, Foundation President and CEO Dan Davis said.

Tractor enthusiasts who don’t have grain to donate to the program can also cast a ballot in the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red competition. A $25 donation to the Jackson County Community Endowment, for instance, entitles the donor to cast one vote for their favorite equipment line. A $100 donation entitles the donor to five votes.

Another option available to donors is to create a new unrestricted endowment in the name of themselves, their family or their farm that would also provide income for future grants.

D&B Pfaffenberger & Sons Grain of Seymour plans to make a gift again this year to the program. The donation is meeting a family obligation, Mike Pfaffenberger said.

“Our family is committed to giving back,” he said. “We’re blessed, good years or bad, and we feel the need to give back and help others. Good or bad, we all need to give something.”

The Pfaffenberger gift last year was directed to the Jackson County Community Endowment. In terms of Green vs. Red, the family generally supports the Red team.

Hamilton Township farmer Donald Schnitker gave a gift of grain last year and has done so again this fall.

“I think it’s a unique way for a farmer to give to the Foundation,” Schnitker said. “Instead of just giving money, I’m giving part of what I do.” Schnitker’s vote will back the Green Team.

The Gift of Grain process is simple. Farmers can tell their grain elevator that a particular load of grain is being donated to the Foundation. The elevator in turn sells the grain for the Foundation. Donors to the Giving a Gift of Grain program can benefit by avoiding the sale of the donated grain in their farm income, which can provide a savings in their federal and state income tax bills.

Participating grain elevators include Bundy Brothers in Medora, Premier Companies in Brownstown and Cortland, Tampico Grain near Crothersville and Rose Acre Farms west of Cortland.

For information about the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red program, the Giving a Gift of Grain program, or its companion program, Giving a Gift of Livestock, contact Davis at the Community Foundation of Jackson County, 812-523-4483, or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

2021 Sept Gift of Grain Adam Myers beans 2

Grain Pfaffenberger 2 RESIZED NOV 2020(2)

Mark your calendar: Farmers Breakfast set for February 9th at Pewter Hall

October 11, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Community Foundation of Jackson County to cancel the Farmers Breakfast this past spring, but we can announce the date, location and speaker for the 2022 edition: February 9 at Pewter Hall in Brownstown with ag economist Michael Langmeier of Purdue University as the guest speaker.

The Foundation and Purdue Extension Jackson County partner each winter to present the Farmers Breakfast and farm forecast with the help of other community partners including Premier Companies, which funds the breakfast, and Rose Acre Farms, which supplies the liquid eggs prepared for the breakfast. Their sponsorships means we can offer the breakfast and timely information at no cost to local farmers in attendance.

Richard Beckort with Purdue Extension has arranged for Langmeier to present a down-on-the-farm economic forecast.

“We are delighted to be able to bring the Farmers Breakfast back onto our menu of programs,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said. “The farm economy is an important part of Jackson County and an important player in the success of the work done by the Foundation.”

We will have more information later about registering to attend the breakfast.

Scholarship application deadline looms

August 9, 2021

The clock is ticking on Jackson County high school seniors planning to file a scholarship application with the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

School has started across our communities. You’re likely feeling a bit excited and a little apprehensive. The end of high school is growing near.

If you plan attending college or trade school after graduation in the spring of 2022, the Foundation reminds you that the deadline to file your scholarship application is Aug. 19. Applications remain available on our website, www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

By the way, our donors understand that a four-year college education isn’t for everyone.

Four of our scholarships aim to help graduating seniors further their education through vocational and technical education programs. These funds have been established to help area residents continue their education with the understanding that doing so doesn’t always mean attending a four-year college and earning a bachelor’s degree. They can help a graduating senior reach their occupational goal.

That means today’s students who don’t have their eyes set on earning a bachelor’s degree still should consider applying for a scholarship through the Foundation.

Foundation Vice President Sue Smith, who does much of the heavy lifting on our scholarship process, can answer questions about the application.

In addition to submitting the application, students must submit two letters of recommendation. One of those may be from a teacher. The other may come from anyone who knows you well – perhaps a pastor, your employer, a supervisor where you volunteer or maybe a family friend.

Increasing educational attainment among Jackson County residents is an important part of the Foundation’s mission to help grow better tomorrows.

Concern about the education levels here was a key factor when the Foundation brought together other partners from the community such as the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce and the city of Seymour to build the Jackson County Learning Center, which now also benefits from the financial support of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, the Jackson County Council and the Seymour Redevelopment Commission.

The Foundation’s efforts to improve educational opportunities extend beyond programs focused on college, however. They support the Jackson County Education Coalition’s On My Way Pre-K pilot program for 4-year-olds and the encouragement of workforce development in partnership with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and others.

Some of that work includes the creation of Owl Manufacturing at Seymour High School, the JAG program at Brownstown Central High School and pre-K programs at Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour elementary schools.

The answer of whether you will receive a scholarship from us is a guaranteed “no” if you don’t apply. Remember, the deadline is Aug. 19. Next week. Don’t forget.

Share your voice: Talent Region seeks public input in $50 million grant quest

July 22, 2021

The Community Foundation of Jackson County is joining community partners throughout Jackson County as well as Bartholomew and Jennings counties as part of the South Central Indiana Talent Region. Our communities are seeking up to $50 million in grants through the state’s READI program. You can learn more about it — and share your views — by connecting with the region’s website, viewing its video and taking a survey to help guide our efforts. We invite you to check it out: www.southcentralreadi.com.

Here is a link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/READIJJB (also available on the website by clicking the “Get Involved” box at the top). And here is a video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht2fIEYTIRc (also available on the website home page).

Foundation’s unrestricted Fall Grant application deadline nears — July 31

July 14, 2021
Nonprofits face a July 31 deadline to submit Fall Grant applications to the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Each year, the Foundation accepts grant proposals for projects and needs of Jackson County nonprofits, President & CEO Dan Davis said. Grants are funded through unrestricted and field of interest endowments administered by the Foundation.

Grant guidelines and proposal forms are available online at the Foundation’s website. Click on Grants and then Fall Grants.

Foundation Vice President Sue Smith is available to review grant proposals before submission. She may be reached at 812-523-4483 or by e-mail at vicepresident@cfjacksoncounty.org.

Applications will be reviewed by the Foundation’s Grant Committee and organizations will be notified following approval after the October meeting of the Board of Directors.

The Foundation funds the Fall Grant cycle with earnings from more than 30 endowed community funds and field of interest funds.

“All of these endowments have been created through the generosity of businesses and individuals who care passionately about Jackson County and the people who live and work here,” Davis said.

Last year, the Foundation approved 18 grants totaling $54,924 through the Fall Grant cycle.

The Foundation offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities, and scholarship administration. The Foundation was created in 1992 and made its first grants in 1994.

Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships across Jackson County. The charitable nonprofit administers more than 200 funds with assets of more than $16 million.

For information about how you can make a donation to any of the funds administered by the Foundation or how you might start a new fund, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to Davis at president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

Community Funds

The Community Foundation of Jackson County has 28 endowed community funds: The Jackson County Unrestricted Endowment, the Jackson County Community Endowment, the Aisin U.S.A. Mfg. Inc. Endowment, the Donn Bishop Memorial Endowment, the Don Bollinger Memorial Fund, the Bob & Kate Hall Endowment, The Thomas J. Lantz/Montgomery Elsner & Pardieck Community Endowment, the Psi Iota Xi Sorority Alpha Beta Chapter Endowment, the Potts Family Endowment, the SIHO Insurance Services Community Endowment, the Virginia G. Otto Endowment Fund, the Irwin Union Bank & Trust Co. Fund, the Michael & Ardith Fleetwood Unrestricted Endowment, the Larry & Joanne Sunbury Community Endowment, The Nehrt Family Community Endowment, The Mary Evelyn Mellencamp Memorial Fund, the Mark & Sue Smith Community Endowment, the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 655 Community Fund, the Seymour Oktoberfest Community Endowment, the Schneider Nursery Community Endowment, the John & Kay Beatty Community Endowment, the Sarah M. Waldkoetter Community Fund, the Jackson Lodge #146 F&AM Endowment, the Helen & Bill Swain Community Endowment, the J.B. & Carrie Hackman Community Fund, the Bob Poynter GM Community Fund, the Donald J. Klaes Community Endowment, and the Cathy & Grant Schneider Community Endowment.

Field of Interest Funds

The following field of interest endowments also help fund the Fall Grant cycle: The Cartwright Endowment for the Arts (performing arts); Granger H. and Ruth M. Smith Drug Abuse Prevention Fund; Carl Hemmer Memorial Fund (performing arts); Tri Kappa Endowment (charity, culture and education); The Shelter Fund (homelessness); and the Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Charitable Endowment for Education.

SHS Class of 1970 Fund targets needs for school’s Agri Science & Research Farm

June 3, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year amid plans for the Seymour High School Class of 1970’s 50th reunion, plans screeched to a halt.

Now, the SHS Class of 1970 is moving forward with plans for a 50+1 reunion set for July 30-31 in Seymour.

Part of those plans include continuing to raise money with gifts going to the SHS Class of 1970 Fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County. Those gifts aim to tackle a need at Seymour High School – boosting the new Ag Science & Research Farm at Freeman Field.

Working with SHS Principal Greg Prange, Class of 1970 President Dan Deputy and his classmates have targeted purchasing needed equipment to outfit the new facility.

“He confirmed that if the program can be strengthened, other county high schools will begin sending their ag students to the center, too,” Deputy said. “The school has also partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to offer an associate’s degree in agriculture for night school students. To date, we have collected more than $8,400 from 20 donors, including 5 ‘Go Big Purple’ members, 4 ‘Owl’ members and 3 ‘1970’ members. As you make your yearly charitable donation decisions, please keep our class fund in mind. We have big plans to make our donation the largest ever given by a graduating class but we need your help.”

Deputy said his only regret is that the Class of 1970 should have partnered with the Foundation years ago. “We’ve found it’s a great opportunity to encourage classmates to give back with collective gifts through the Foundation to benefit Seymour High School,” he said. “We hope to keep this fund going and would encourage or challenge other classes to do something similar.”

Deputy hopes to see all of the fund’s donors who are available attend at halftime of the 2021 homecoming football game to present the check to the school.

“As we will always remember those who have gone before us, this year’s Golden Anniversary or 50+1 reunion will be a special time to rekindle old friendships and remembrances of coming of age in the official ‘Small Town, USA,’” said Deputy, who now calls Virginia home.

“Mothers, fathers, doctors, lawyers, tradesmen, military, entrepreneurs — and even a pretty good Rock ’n Roll singer — the SHS Class of 1970 has made a positive impact to our nation and community’s growth, safety and well-being,” he added.

Deputy and fellow classmates such as Chuck Brackemyre, Gary Myers, Jane Nowling, Jana Plump, Gerri Nicholson Smith, Debbi Comstock, Margaret Nierman, Teresa Thias and Nancy Terkhorn are encouraging members of the Class of 1970 to give back to the school that helped shape and prepare them for life as an adult.

Classmates interested in participating may do so in one of two ways.

They can write a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County and include “Class of 1970 Fund” in the memo. Mail it to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or drop it by the Foundation office at 107 Community

HOW TO DONATE

Members of the SHS Class of 1970 can write a check to the Community Foundation of Jackson County and include “Class of 1970 Fund” in the memo. Mail it to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or drop it by the Foundation office at 107 Community Drive, right across from SHS.

ONLINE DONATIONS

Brownstown Central students earn scholarships through Foundation

May 29, 2021

BROWNSTOWN – The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented scholarships to graduating seniors during the Brownstown Central High School honors day program May 28.

President & CEO Dan Davis presented the Brian T. Rudolph Memorial Nursing Scholarship to Avery Koch. This scholarship is renewable for total of four years of undergraduate studies.

The George Gossman Family Scholarship was presented to Sydney Kellermeier. This scholarship is renewable for up to five years of undergraduate studies.

The recipient of the Jay C Food Stores Scholarship was Paige Hawes.

Receiving the Omer and Jean Terkhorn Scholarship this year was Abigail Stuckwisch.

This year’s recipient of the Stuckwisch Educational Scholarship was Meghan Turner.

Receiving the Orville and Laura Lubker/Purdue University Scholarship was Chelsey Peters.

The recipient of the Gina Shepard Ballard Scholarship was Jamie Quade.

Receiving the Bateman Engineering Scholarship was Andrew Wheeles.

The recipient this year of the William B. Sharp Scholarship was Lela Hendley.

The recipient of the Walter & Cora Schlehuser-Clark & Ruth Thompson Scholarship was Morgan Jones. This scholarship is renewable for up to two years of studies.

Receiving the Connie Bowling Hehman Teacher Scholarship was Kennedy Street.

Also, Wayne Brooks presented the Seymour Kiwanis Club Scholarship to Katherine Benter.

And Andy Fountain presented the Madge and Jack Fountain Scholarship to Aaliyah Briner.

Dan also presented three scholarships on behalf of the Jackson County Sertoma Club: Sydney Kellermeir, Ashley Teipen and Macie Brock. The Sertoma scholarship is renewable for up to three years of undergraduate studies.

Dan encouraged current high school juniors attending the program to check out the application form online for 2022 scholarship awards. Applications are now available at the Foundation’s website. Applications are due by Aug. 19, 2021, this summer.

The Foundation administers 60 scholarship funds. During the 2020-2021 school year, 73 Community Foundation scholarship recipients were on college and university campuses across the state of Indiana and around the nation.

The Foundation was established in 1992 and made its first grants and scholarship awards in 1994. Since then, the Foundation was funded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships.

Sertoma assists hearing aid fund

May 27, 2021

SEYMOUR — In the photo at right, Jackson County Sertoma President Ryan Begley, left, presents a check to Jay Cherry, a $1,000 gift to the Jackson County Hearing Aid Fund for School Age Children. The fund is administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County to buy hearing aids for school-aged children throughout the community.

May is Speech and Hearing Month, and just as eyesight is the international focus of Lions clubs, speech and hearing is the siren call of Sertoma International. The Jackson County Sertoma Club has long supported those efforts of helping people with speech and hearing needs across the county.

The Jackson County Hearing Aid Fund for School Age Children was created in February 2006 by three Seymour High School students, Ashley Smoljo Beavers, Amanda Boger Smith and Josh Self. Its goal was to help provide hearing aids to area children and has since provided the devices for 25 students, Cherry said.

In addition to supporting the fund that Cherry oversees as an advisor, the local Sertoma Club also supports a fund it created at the Foundation, the Jackson County Sertoma Club Hearing Aid Endowment. It pays a grant each March into the Jackson County Hearing Aid Fund for School Age Children.

Cherry is a retired teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing who served area school districts over the years. A committee of residents and educators from Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour help make the fund work.

Anyone can make a donation to either of the hearing aid funds or any of the other more than 200 funds administered by the Foundation. To make a donation, call Dan Davis at 812-523-4483 or stop by our office at 107 Community Drive in Seymour. Donations may also be mailed to the Foundation, Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or through our website. Click on the Donate Now button.

SERTOMA HEARING AIDS FOR KIDS CHECK MAY 2021

Medora students earn scholarships

May 27, 2021

MEDORA — The Community Foundation of Jackson County presented three scholarships to two students during the Medora High School honors day program Thursday.

President & CEO Dan Davis presented the Medora High School/Gossman Scholarship to Savanna Wineinger. This is renewable for up to two years of undergraduate studies.

She also received the Harold “Teep” and Oguerita McKinley Scholarship. This is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies.

The Foundation was also asked to present a scholarship on behalf of the Jackson County Sertoma Club. This scholarship was presented to Keyla Newby and is renewable for up to three years of undergraduate studies.

Sandy Creek Christian Academy students earn scholarships

May 26, 2021

SEYMOUR — The Community Foundation of Jackson County awarded two scholarships at Tuesday’s honors day program for Sandy Creek Christian Academy.

President & CEO Dan Davis recognized Isaiah Hernandez as the recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. R. Todd Bergman Scholarship.

He also presented the Seymour American Legion Post 89 Achievement Scholarship to Savannah Bokelman.

The Foundation administers nearly 60 scholarship funds. During the 2020-2021 school year, 73 Community Foundation scholarship recipients were on college and university campuses across the state of Indiana and around the nation.

The Foundation was established in 1992 and made its first grants and scholarship awards in 1994. Since then, the Foundation was funded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships.

Foundation awards scholarships at Seymour High School honors day

May 20, 2021

SEYMOUR — The Community Foundation of Jackson County awarded 17 scholarships to 19 students at Friday’s honors day program at Seymour High School.

President & CEO Dan Davis recognized Ellie Cornn as the recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, which covers full tuition, fees and books for four years of undergraduate studies.

He also presented:

The Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Scholarship to Cameron Cox. This is a renewable scholarship for up to four years of undergraduate studies.
The Ruby & Floyd W. Martin Scholarship to Mallory Moore. This is a renewable scholarship for up to four years of undergraduate studies.
The Charles Frederick Wolter Memorial Scholarship to Jepsa Vasquez.
The Marcella Trumbo Seymour Alumni Scholarship to Allie Goble.
The E. Morton and Julia R. Lester Memorial Scholarship to Alyssa Perry.
The St. Andrew United Methodist Church Scholarship to Connor Harriss.
The Duane Martin Vocational Scholarship to Ryan Brown.
The Jasper N. Thompson Memorial Scholarship to Zachary Storey. This is a renewable scholarship for up to two years of undergraduate studies.
The Jackson County Community Scholarship to Olivia Abel.
The Dr. Charles Trumbo Scholarship to Stephanni Kleber.
The J. David Vandivier/Dicksons Scholarship to Zachary Thompson.
And the Marilyn Mellencamp Scholarship for the Arts to John Ortman.

On behalf of the Foundation:

Sam Plumer, Laney Reinhart, Todd Plumer presented the Gary E. Plumer Memorial Agricultural Scholarship to Kourtney Otte.
Carol, Addison and Liam Chandler presented the Marc Owen Chandler Memorial Scholarship to Sarah Kaufman and Grace Skaggs.
Jeff Culp presented the Laura Culp Memorial Scholarship to Lauren Knieriem.
And Matt Stuckwisch presented the Seymour Firefighters Local 577 Scholarship to Maggie Connell and Andrew Vehslage.

The Foundation was established in 1992 and made its first grants and scholarship awards in 1994. Since then, the Foundation was funded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships.

Applications for scholarships to be presented next spring to members of the Class of 2022 are online now. The deadline to complete them is Aug. 19, 2021.

Trinity students receive scholarships

May 20, 2021

SEYMOUR — The Community Foundation of Jackson County awarded six scholarships at Wednesday’s honors day program at Trinity Lutheran High School.

President & CEO Dan Davis presented the Seymour American Legion Post 89 Achievement Scholarship to Annette Foster.

The Royalty Scholarship was presented to students: Evan Hunt, Riley Lawles and Sadie Nay. The scholarship is presented to Trinity students continuing their studies at the high school.

Davis was also asked to present a scholarship from the Jackson County Sertoma Club. The recipient of this scholarship was Bailey Cain.

Presenting the Ann Windley Leadership Jackson County Scholarship on behalf of the Foundation were Ann and David Windley. The recipient was Luke Pollert.

And presenting the Tri Kappa Scholarship for the Foundation was Julie Lemming. The recipient was Jack Marksberry.

The Foundation was established in 1992 and made its first grants and scholarship awards in 1994. Since then, the Foundation was funded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships.

Crothersville High School students earn scholarships from Foundation

May 12, 2021

CROTHERSVILLE — The Community Foundation of Jackson County recently presented three scholarships from two funds during the Crothersville High School honors program.

Two students received the Elmer and Ida Lacey Scholarship, which is a two-year scholarship. They are Kathleen Frazier and David Rose.

The recipient this year of the Crothersville Community Scholarship was Olivia Robinson.

The Foundation also presented a scholarship on behalf of the Jackson County Sertoma Club. The recipient was Madison Hunnicutt.

“The Foundation congratulates all graduating seniors from the Class of 2021 and offers best wishes for their future,” President & CEO Dan Davis said.

Since being established in 1992, the Foundation has granted more than $7 million in scholarships and grants. It serves as a leader in the community in philanthropic issues and offers a range of services. It administers 60 scholarship funds.

Applications for scholarships to be presented next spring to members of the Class of 2022 are online now. The deadline to complete them is Aug. 19, 2021.

Drummer’s beat plays it forward

New fund honors musician, aids high school band kids

April 7, 2021

During his lifetime, Larry McDonald brought music to life for countless people. As a musician. As a music store owner. As a teacher. As a friend.

Now, following his death in February at age 68, Larry will continue to bring music to life forever through a new fund established by his family. The Larry McDonald Band Fund will pay a grant each spring to the Seymour High School band department to help provide musical instruments to band students in need.

“We want to honor Dad, and he really liked helping kids get into music,” his son, Matt McDonald, said of the family’s decision to establish the fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Kevin Cottrill, director of bands at Seymour High School, appreciates the thought behind the new fund.

“We are deeply honored, thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to help band students and families in our community with the Larry McDonald Band Fund,” Kevin said when told of the fund and its purpose. “The generosity of the McDonald family is greatly appreciated because it will help aspiring musicians in need of financial assistance. May Larry’s infectious positive attitude and love for music and people live on for many years to come with this new fund.”

The Larry McDonald Band Fund is much like the Les Gilkey Music Fund, which was established in 2012 to benefit music students at Seymour Middle School. Gilkey was a retired music teacher who volunteered with the middle school band for nearly 30 years. He died in June 2017 at age 102.

Larry owned and operated This Old Guitar Music Store in downtown Seymour, and he managed and performed in the TOG Band and others. Larry was a drummer. He delighted in entertaining people with the talents of his music and of the countless other musicians with whom he performed over the years, including fellow SHS Class of 1970 classmate John Mellencamp.

Larry also created opportunities for his students and young people to test the waters of live performance, Jordan Richart wrote recently in The Tribune. He always invited several students to perform at Scoop the Loop, the annual Fourth of July celebration at Shields Park, his concerts at This Old Guitar during Oktoberfest and recitals at his store.

Music – and sharing music — was his passion, Jordan said.

While Larry’s family, fellow musicians and former students mourn his death, his legacy lives on not only through the beat of the drum or the strumming of a guitar of one of his students, it also continues by helping future SHS band students who will benefit from the fund. Forever.

You, too, can help pay it forward with a gift to the Larry McDonald Band Fund, or any other funds at the Foundation, through our web page. Click on “Donate Now” and let us know to which fund you’re donating. Or you may send a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274.

Foundation lobby to open doors for business; Conference Center still closed for meetings

UPDATED April 5, 2021

The Community Foundation of Jackson County continues to operate with its front doors open for business. Our Conference Center, however, will remain closed to the public as a result of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Out of concern for our donors, grantees, directors and staff, anyone entering our building is asked to wear a protective mask. We want to stay open, which your cooperation helps ensure.

For now, no meetings in the conference center will be scheduled through May 30, 2021, and we will re-evaluate the situation to determine if further closings will be required. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

The Foundation is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Meanwhile, our work continues. The office may be reached by phone at 812-523-4483. Please leave a message if we’re unable to answer.

Gifts to the Foundation may be made by sending a check to Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. Or you may donate online here at our website by clicking here: DONATE NOW.

Farmers breakfast shifts to summer, but keep eye out for Purdue forecast online

February 11, 2021 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County and Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service will again team to provide an economic forecast and the 19th annual Farmers Breakfast. They’ll just come at different times – and in different formats.

Richard Beckort with Purdue Extension Jackson County is working to arrange a virtual economic forecast this month from a Purdue expert. That information available online as soon as it’s available at www.cfjacksoncounty.org.

Meanwhile, the Foundation will delay the annual Farmers Breakfast, where an ag economist normally delivers that report, until sometime this summer. Those details are still being worked out but it will include a harvest forecast.

Uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the delay of the breakfast from February to summer (most likely in late June). At the time a decision had to be made, the Jackson County Health Department could not guarantee that the event could take place. Cases of COVID were spiking, and, according to state guidelines, inside gatherings at the time were limited to no more than 25 people with proper social distancing.

So Beckort and Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis got together recently and came up with what they think is a good plan. The agencies will still partner to present a down-on-the-farm economic forecast from Purdue University this month when the information remains timely for farmers and their planting decisions, and they will shift the breakfast to mid-summer and combine it with a report taking a look at harvest projections and how those expectations might affect crop prices and marketing decisions.

The Foundation also offers farmers an opportunity to donate to those and other funds that benefit the community through the annual Giving the Gift of Grain and Giving the Gift of Livestock programs.

The Foundation also conducts a light-hearted fundraising competition, the Head to Head: Green vs. Red contest. By the way, right now the Green Team is in the lead. Votes may still be cast through the end of February – either through cash donations or gifts of grain or livestock.

Joining the Foundation and Purdue Extension Jackson County as sponsors of the Farmers Breakfast this year will be a number of area businesses and service providers involved with the farming community.

They include Premier Ag and Rose Acre Farms, which underwrite the cost of the buffet meal, allowing farmers to enjoy the breakfast at no cost. We also have a number of other sponsors each year who help underwrite the cost of other materials handed out at the Farmers Breakfast. We’ll be making those calls for sponsorships soon.

In this file photo, Redding Township farmer Mike Pfaffenberger harvests soybeans from a field along the East Fork White River. Farmers can donate grain through the Giving the Gift of Grain program and benefit the community. This year’s Farmers Breakfast has been postponed until sometime this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmers can donate grain — corn, soybeans, wheat or whatever — through the Giving the Gift of Grain program and benefit the community. Call the Foundation at 812-523-4483 for more information.

Community Foundation awards 2021

Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

Seymour High School students receives honor

December 14, 2020

From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

A Jackson County student has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

Ellie Cornn, a senior at Seymour High School, was awarded the scholarship. She is the daughter of Holly and Bret Cornn of Seymour. Ellie’s career interests include health science, with an interest in pediatrics, physical therapy and nursing.

This scholarship, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and administered locally by the Community Foundation of Jackson County, provides full tuition, required fees and a book stipend of up to $900 per year for up to four years of undergraduate study at any Indiana public or private college or university.

“Ellie was selected from a group of outstanding applicants from all six high schools in Jackson County,” Foundation Vice President Sue Smith said.

With the selection of Cornn, there are now 40 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars from Jackson County, with the first recipient selected in 1998. During the 2021-2022 academic year, there will be four Jackson County Lilly Scholars on college campuses throughout the state of Indiana.

Cornn was among 119 seniors from Jackson County high schools to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship this year. Criteria for selection included academic achievement, school and community activities showing depth of involvement and leadership, and employment showing time management and a desire to help oneself.

Additional criteria included advanced placement and honors classes taken in high school, a required essay and some evidence of financial need.

After the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee narrowed the field, finalists’ names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc., the statewide administrator of the scholarship program, for the final selection of the recipient. Independent Colleges of Indiana is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

Lilly Endowment Inc. has provided more than $424 million in grant support for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program since its inception in 1998.

Administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc. with local support from Indiana community foundations, 4,912 Indiana high school students have been awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

“The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Indiana students reach higher levels of education” Smith said. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are to:

Help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana.
Increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities.
Encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.

Increasing educational attainment among Jackson County residents is an important part of the Foundation’s mission to help grow better tomorrows, said Dan Davis, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

The Foundation’s efforts to improve educational opportunities extends beyond programs focused on college, including support of the Jackson County Education Coalition’s On My Way Pre-K pilot program for 4-year-olds and the encouragement of workforce development in partnership with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. and others.

The Foundation offers endowment services, gift planning, charitable gift annuities and scholarship administration. For information or to make a donation, call 812-523-4483.

Ellie Cornn — a senior at Seymour High School — is the 2021 recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of Lilly Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location.

In keeping with the founders’ wishes, Lilly Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. It funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

About the Community Foundation of Jackson Couunty

The Community Foundation of Jackson County was established in 1992. It made its first grants in 1994 and has since funded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships. The Foundation administers 217 funds and oversees more than $15 million in assets. For information about how to make a gift to the Foundation or to start a fund, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org. The Foundation’s office is at 107 Community Drive, Seymour. Donations may be mailed to Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274, or made online at our website. Click on the DONATE NOW button.

Lilly Endowment Inc. awards $1.8 million grant to Foundation for child-care project

Child Care Network plans 120-seat center in Seymour

December 4, 2020

From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County received a boost on #GivingTuesday with news it was awarded a $1.8 million Large-Scale Community Leadership Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The grant, funded through the seventh phase of Lilly Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow initiative, will help Child Care Network develop and operate a 120-seat community child-care center. The facility is expected to open next spring following a remodeling of a former church building at Chestnut and Fifth streets in downtown Seymour.

The center will be open to children from throughout Jackson County.

“It is exciting for our community and our children and their families who are in need of quality child-care options and addresses Jackson County’s designation as a child-care desert,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said.

The need for a community child-care center in Jackson County has been a long-simmering issue, Davis added, one that Child Care Network aims to address.

“Child Care Network is so excited to hear that the Community Foundation has been approved for the large-scale grant from Lilly Endowment,” agency Executive Director Kate Garrity said. “Child care has been a great need in Jackson County for many years. This funding will make it possible to meet that need for so many families. We look forward to working with the Community Foundation and so many others throughout Jackson County to make this project a reality.

The Foundation is one of 11 in Indiana to receive a Large-Scale Leadership Grant as part of a competitive component of the GIFT VII initiative. Lilly Endowment encouraged Indiana’s community foundations to deepen their understanding of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing their local communities, rank them and develop plans to address those challenges and opportunities.

The Large-Scale Leadership Grants are in addition to non-competitive GIFT VII Community Leadership Grants that Lilly Endowment made earlier this year to 87 of Indiana’s community foundations. The Community Foundation of Jackson County received a $100,000 leadership grant earlier this fall.

Funds from the $1.8 million Large-Scale grant targets three areas:

It will provide $1 million for the remodeling and furnishing of the child-care center.
It will provide $530,000 spread over five years to help provide tuition for low-income families.
And it will provide $270,000 in an endowment fund that will generate an annual grant for ongoing operating costs.

Without the Large-Scale grant, getting the new center remodeled and up to full capacity could be delayed by at least two to three years, Garrity said.

Architectural plans for the remodel are under way with hopes of work getting under way soon, she added.

Over the last several years, the Foundation partnered with Jackson County United Way and others to conduct community conversations and a series of Poverty Simulations to help determine important, basic needs in the community. The need for quality child-care and the issue of poverty bubbled to the top in those conversations.

Currently, there are only five licensed child-care centers located in the county, with one being Head Start and the other four being the preschool classrooms operated by Child Care Network. Otherwise, there are 15 child-care homes and six ministries located within Jackson County.

Working with data from the 2019 Indiana Kids Count Data for Jackson County, Child Care Network calculates the county has 7.9 children per child-care seat, more than double the 3.0 children-per-seat ratio that earns the child-care desert designation in Indiana.

The agency receives three to five phone calls daily from parents seeking child care. The majority of them voice frustration with the lack of available care, Garrity said.

Addressing the need for quality child care is an example of what the Lilly Endowment initiative hoped to tackle around the state.

“The 11 grants Lilly Endowment is funding through the highly-competitive component of GIFT VII hold great promise of helping community foundations strengthen the leadership roles they play in improving the quality of life for their communities’ residents” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “We are truly impressed by the collaborative projects these community foundations have developed to address the compelling needs they have prioritized and look forward to seeing the impact of their efforts in the years to come.”

The project has strong community support.

“The Foundation is pleased to have helped bring together many community partners in addressing Jackson County’s designation as a child-care desert and help Child Care Network with this project,” Davis said.

Those partners committing funds and resources to the ongoing project include Seymour Redevelopment Commission, the Jackson County United Way, Royalty Companies, Child Care Network, the Schneck Foundation, Turning Point Domestic Violence Services and Kocolene Development Corp. The Community Foundation of Jackson County will also provide Impact Grants over the next three years.

Providing letters of support for the grant were Aisin Holdings of America Inc., Cummins Inc. and Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.

Kocolene President Doug Prather said the lack of child-care seats stresses both workers and their employers. He was excited about the grant being awarded.

“I see firsthand every day the challenges people in our businesses and community have with affordable, safe child care,” Prather said. “As an employer and as a volunteer, we are challenged every day with child-care issues. Having a center in Seymour run by Child Care Network would be very beneficial to businesses and their employees and a Godsend to some.”

Prather also serves a chair of the Jackson County Education Coalition Board of Directors. The coalition is a supporting organization of the Foundation.

Child Care Network Inc. has purchase this former church at Chestnut and Fifth streets in downtown Seymour to house its offices and a future community child-care center. The church is the former home of Seymour Harvest Church and Central Christian Church.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

About the Community Foundation of Jackson Couunty

Child Care Network Inc. is reviewing architectural plans for the remodel of this downtown space into a 120-seat child-care center. The center should be ready to open in Spring 2021.

Fall Grants deliver impact across all of the Jackson County community

November 23, 2020

By DAN DAVIS // The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in many of the applications for the 2020 Fall Grant Cycle at the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

One of those will help fight suicide, promote self-esteem and offer mental health materials at area middle and high schools across Jackson County.

Another Fall Grant will help victims of domestic violence.

Yet another will help feed children enrolled in Jackson County schools.

They are among 18 grants recently awarded through the Foundation’s Fall Grant program. The grants totaled $84,676. Last year, the Foundation approved 18 such grants totaling $54,924.

The Foundation approved a grant of $7,563 for Mental Health America of Jackson County. The grant will help fund several mental health programs in the community, including:

Suicide prevention awareness.
A pre-school self-esteem program.
Mental health materials to middle and high schools.
Mental health provider referrals and online screenings.
And social events for people with a mental health diagnosis.

“We believe our work has and will continue to have a positive impact on our community,” Executive Director Melanie O’Neal said of the grant. “Individuals with mental health diagnosis need and deserve to obtain appropriate mental health treatment. We believe, with our continued efforts, that the stigma associated with mental health diagnosis will be reduced and appropriate treatment options will be obtainable by community members.

“Our goal is improved mental health while reducing suicide rates in Jackson County,” O’Neal added.

She and others in the community have been concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic is aggravating the problem of mental health issues. They are not alone.

“The pandemic combined with social distancing does appear to create a very stressful situation, and a fairly high number of people are exhibiting mental health symptoms such as depression or anxiety,” said Zoe Peterson, a professor in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Indiana University. Her comments and findings were reported in a June 29, 2020, report from the university.

Increased stresses from the pandemic were also cited in a grant request from Turning Point Domestic Violence Services. The agency received a $1,500 grant to help provide for client financial assistance.

“COVID-19 has severely impacted many clients with elimination of jobs, reduction of hours and furloughs, Julie Orben of Turning Point said. “Many clients and their families have been struggling to meet household budgets especially for items such as food and gas.”

Increasing access to client financial assistance is an important part of the long-term stability of Turning Point’s direct service to clients, Orben added. Client financial assistance is defined as support provided to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to help with whatever hurdles need to be cleared between the survivors and safe, stable housing.

The Foundation approved a $7,500 grant to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana to help fund its School-Based Pantry program to help students and their families struggling with the issue of food insecurity. This is a switch from Gleaners’ BackSacks Weekend Food for Kids program at schools, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Haley Nagila of Gleaners.

Feeding America’s 2020 Map of the Meal Gap shows that 17.4 percent of Jackson County children face food insecurity, meaning they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from or when, according to the Gleaners grant application.

“Due to layoffs and school closures as a result of the statewide COVID-19 pandemic response, we expect this number to increase over the next several months,” Naglia added.

Gleaners has established school-based pantries at Brownstown Central High School, Seymour High School and Medora Junior-Senior High School. The Brownstown and Seymour pantries are open to the public.

The agency expects that during the 2020-2021 school year the program will:

Serve at least 130 duplicated households each month of operation.
Distribute 18,000 meals to the food insecure in Jackson County.
And provide 3,000 pounds of produce to the food insecure.

These three grants along with the 15 others provide a wide swath of impact across Jackson County. The Foundation’s Grant Committee, Board of Directors and staff work hard to ensure that our unrestricted and field of interest earnings provide as large an impact as possible throughout Jackson County.

The Grant Committee strives to ensure grant dollars see a wide distribution and impact, said Priscilla Wischmeier, chair of the Foundation’s Grant Committee.

“This year we’ve approved grants that will assist projects and programs in Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour and places in between,” Wischmeier said.

Earnings from community and field of interest funds generated through prudent investment of the endowed gifts from individuals and businesses fund the Fall Grant cycle.

A portion of the earnings from those investments remain in the endowed funds to protect against inflation while other earnings become grant dollars that are awarded through Impact Grants, President’s Grants and Classroom Education Grants.

Unrestricted funds

The Community Foundation of Jackson County administers the following unrestricted endowed funds that help finance the Fall Grant cycle: Aisin U.S.A. Mfg., Inc. Endowment; The Donn Bishop Memorial Endowment; The Don Bollinger Memorial Fund; Jackson County Community Endowment; Jackson County Unrestricted Endowment; Bob and Kate Hall Endowment; Thomas J. Lantz/Montgomery, Elsner & Pardieck Community Endowment; Psi Iota Xi Sorority, Alpha Beta Chapter Endowment; Potts Family Endowment; SIHO Insurance Services Community Endowment; Virginia G. Otto Endowment Fund; Irwin Union Bank & Trust Co. Fund; the Larry and Joanne Sunbury Community Endowment; the Michael and Ardith Fleetwood Unrestricted Endowment; the Nehrt Family Community Endowment; the Mary Evelyn Mellencamp Memorial Fund; the Mark & Sue Smith Community Endowment; the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 655 Community Fund; the John and Kay Beatty Community Endowment; the Seymour Oktoberfest Community Endowment; the Sarah M. Waldkoetter Community Fund; and the Schneider Nursery Community Endowment.

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Dan Davis is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Jackson County, 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274. For information about donating to the Foundation, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

2020 FALL Grants Medora food pantry GLEANERS

Volunteers, from left, Kathy Morris, Bonnie Hunsucker, Ruth Beesley and Shannon Hunsucker distribute items during a recent Medora Community Schools food pantry event. A Fall Grant will help fund Gleaners school-base food pantries in Brownstown, Medora and Seymour next year. Tribune photo by Zach Spicer.

Approved 2020 Fall Grants

The following Fall Grants were approved by the Community Foundation of Jackson County:

— Actors Community Theater of Seymour, $1,575 for video equipment.

— Anchor House, $2,600 for a technology upgrade.

— ARC of Jackson County, $5,000 for handicap accessible playground equipment and flooring at Gaiser Park in Seymour.

— Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, $5,196 for junior staff and building workforce readiness.

— Brownstown Christian Church, $6,425 for a fixed structure in the child-care playground area.

— Developmental Services, $7,800 for technology equipment for group homes and day services.

— Girls Inc. of Jackson County. $1,000, for the Friendly PEERsuasion program.

— Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc., $7,500, for the School-Based Pantry program for Jackson County schools.

— Jackson County History Center, $6,725 to help repair a concrete floor in the Livery Barn.

— Jackson County United Way, $5,000 for the Covering Kids & Families program.

— Medora Brick Plant and Historical Sites, $7,800, to replace roofing on the brick plant barn and shower house.

— Mental Health America of Jackson Co., $7,563 for mental health initiatives in Jackson County.

— Riverview Cemetery, $4,000 for removal of ash and other old trees.

— St. Peter’s Child Care Ministry, $3,992 for furniture and educational materials.

— Seymour Christian Church, $3,000 for a handicap accessible electronic door opener.

— Seymour Fire Department, $3,000 for paint and a railing at a new fire training facility under construction at Freeman Field.

— Southern Indiana Center for the Arts, $5,000 for classroom-gallery space and art supplies.

— Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, $1,500, for Client Services Financial Assistance program.

Field of interest funds

The Community Foundation of Jackson County administers the following field of interest funds that also help finance Fall Grants: The Cartwright Endowment for the Arts (performing arts); Granger H. and Ruth M. Smith Drug Abuse Prevention Fund; Carl Hemmer Memorial Fund (performing arts); Tri Kappa Endowment (charity, culture and education); The Shelter Fund (homelessness); Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Charitable Endowment for Education; and the Jackson County Youth Foundation.

Donor-advised fund

One other fund administered by the Foundation contributed earnings for the 2020 Fall Grant cycle — the Orville and Mary Schnitker Memorial Endowment.

Kayla White, left, and Melanie O’Neal, executive director of The Arc of Jackson County, play on the new Sway Fun inclusive playground equipment recently at Gaiser Park in Seymour. A 2019 Fall Grant from the Foundation helped finance this equipment, and a 2020 Fall Grant will help expand the playground. Tribune photo by January Rutherford.

Celebrating the work and support of community foundations in America

November 12, 2020

By DAN DAVIS // The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Three years ago, Brooke, a Jackson County mother of three struggling to make ends meet, turned to the Coaching for Success initiative at Human Services Inc., a program supported with Impact Grant dollars from the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

Since then, the program helped Brooke find a stable job in manufacturing, learn new skills and gain confidence.

Stories like Brooke’s are among the many reasons why the Community Foundation of Jackson County joins more than 900 other community foundations across America to mark Community Foundation Week, set this year for Nov. 12-18.

Our goal in participating is to raise awareness about the role of philanthropy and to foster local collaborations and innovations to address persistent civic and economic challenges – including poverty — in our community. The Foundation, for instance, is not alone in helping fund the Coaching for Success program. Jackson County United Way is a supporting organization as well.

The Foundation serves all of Jackson County, from Reddington to Crothersville to Medora to Freetown to Seymour and all points in between. A check of our grant and scholarship recipients easily illustrates that point.

Launched Nov. 12, 1989, through a proclamation by former President George H.W. Bush, the first Community Foundation Week included a congressional briefing about the work of community foundations throughout the nation and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address community challenges. The first community foundation was established in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Community foundations in Indiana alone made more than $192.9 million in grants in 2019 and hold more than $3.96 billion in assets. Your Community Foundation of Jackson County manages more than $14 million in assets. Last year, it awarded $542,925 in grants and scholarships.

Community foundations represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy.

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson once described the role of community foundations this way: “Community foundations in Indiana play a key role in identifying and solving problems across our state. Each foundation has an in-depth knowledge of local concerns which enables them to effectively address the root of many issues. They are the drivers of community enhancements and push our state forward.”

Since its founding in 1992, the Community Foundation of Jackson County has awarded more than $7 million in grants to local organizations and scholarships to hundreds of students to help them pursue their educational dreams. As of Sept. 30, we had awarded more than $479,000 in grants and scholarships so far this year.

Our work – funded through the gifts of people like you – help make a difference in the lives of countless people across Jackson County, people like Brooke and her three children.

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Banner Image - Community Foundation Week

annual report 2020 Brooke COACHING FOR SUCCESS

Brooke, a Jackson County resident who has participated in the Human Services Inc. Coaching for Success program

Harvest benefits our community through annual Giving the Gift of Grain program

September 21, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Jackson County farmers are invited to participate in the annual Giving a Gift of Grain program.

Their donations support the Community Foundation of Jackson County and the overall community.

Farmers can contribute their gifts of grain to benefit the area’s agricultural community through the Premier Companies/Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship, the C.B. Hess 4-H Memorial Scholarship and the Jackson County Veterinary Scholarship.

Or they can donate to the Foundation’s community endowments, which benefit the Fall Grant cycle and the Impact Grant program, Foundation President and CEO Dan Davis said.

Tractor enthusiasts who don’t have grain to donate to the program can also cast a ballot in the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red competition. A $25 donation to the Jackson County Community Endowment, for instance, entitles the donor to cast one vote for their favorite equipment line. A $100 donation entitles the donor to five votes.

Another option available to donors is to create a new unrestricted endowment in the name of themselves, their family or their farm that would also provide income for future grants.

Hamilton Township farmer Donald Schnitker gave a gift of grain last year and intends to participate again this fall.

Participating grain elevators include Bundy Brothers in Medora, Premier Companies in Brownstown and Cortland, Tampico Grain near Crothersville and Rose Acre Farms west of Cortland.

For information about the Head-to-Head Green vs. Red program, the Giving a Gift of Grain program, or its companion program, Giving a Gift of Livestock, contact Davis at the Community Foundation of Jackson County, 812-523-4483, or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

In this photo, Hamilton Township farmer Brian Thompson shells corn in a field southwest of Cortland on Monday, September 21, 2020. Farmers can donate grain through the Giving the Gift of Grain program and benefit the community.

Farmers can donate grain — corn, soybeans, wheat or whatever — through the Giving the Gift of Grain program and benefit the community. Call the Foundation at 812-523-4483 for more information.

The Foundation represents all people

June 5, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County remains committed to helping all people across our community. That’s one reason why it pains us to see such strident division and anger in our country.

It makes no sense.

Racism is simply wrong. It cannot be tolerated. Political sides should be able to work together for the common good of all Americans and of all America, not picking winners and losers, not labeling everyone else the evil “other.”

The Foundation strives to stay above the political fray, preferring to instead focus on the work of making our community a more equitable, better place to live, making a difference, helping lift up the community, our entire community – black, brown, white.

Sometimes, though, circumstances call for standing up. Some situations demand that we take a stand – both verbally and in our actions.

So we stand with those in this great nation who believe that – despite earlier struggles and efforts – a racial divide remains for many among us. That current voices must be heard and acted upon. So we also stand with those who are against rioting and looting. So we also stand with those who are against violence of all sorts – violence in our homes, the workplace and on our streets.

We call for calmer heads. We seek more understanding. We seek a better climate for open and honest discussion and for earnest action to improve our lot.

This stand supports our mission of building visionary partnerships with donors and local service providers, of providing funds to enhance the quality of life across Jackson County and of being a catalyst and leader of change in our community.

We hope that you share our mission and that you share our stand against racism, against violence and against such strident, hateful division. Contending this current situation – only the latest in what seems a never-ending stream of racial assaults — is a Minneapolis problem or a Washington, D.C., problem or simply a problem for others seems a failure to recognize we are all in this world together.

To dismiss the “black lives matter” mantra with the assertion that “all lives matter” seems to miss the point. Until all lives really do matter, no lives matter. Surely we can all do better. Surely we can make life safer, better and more equitable for everyone in our community and across this country.

Scholarships assist adult learners — applications available now

June 4, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Two scholarships offered through funds at the Community Foundation of Jackson County target non-traditional college students, including adults whose college educations were disrupted at some time in the past.

The Foundation often has trouble finding applicants for the scholarships, said Foundation Vice President Sue Smith, who oversees much of the organization’s scholarship work.

“We don’t know if adult learners planning to attend college or vocational and technical training think there are no scholarships to assist them, but there are some funds available to help them finance their educational costs,” she added. “We need students to apply.”

They are the Marvin and Mary Klaes Memorial Adult Scholarship Fund and the Charles and Aileen Roeger Scholarship Fund, which is a new fund offering its first scholarship grant this year.

The purpose of the Roeger scholarship is to provide support to Jackson County adult students for tuition, fees and for the cost of learning materials necessary to resume their interrupted education or vocational training. This scholarship will be automatically renewable for up to one additional year, providing a two-year scholarship opportunity.

The Klaes scholarship also provides educational scholarships for Jackson County residents who have been in the work force for at least one year and who are furthering their education by pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. It also is renewable for a second year.

Information about both adult learner scholarships as well as application forms are available online: cfjacksoncounty.org/scholarships/.

For information, call the Foundation at 812-523-4483 and ask for Sue Smith or send an email to vicepresident@cfjacksoncounty.org.

Foundation awards scholarships to Brownstown Central Class of 2020

May 26, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

Brownstown Central High School officials presented 10 scholarships administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County on May 22 during the annual honor day program for the Class of 2020.

Trey Hackman received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. This scholarship provides for full tuition, fees and books.

Alexandra Williams received the Jay C Food Stores Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 1997 to provide an award to employees and children of employees of the John C. Groub Co., is for $2,000.

Jordan Cobb was awarded the Omer and Jean Terkhorn Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2011 to benefit students graduating from Brownstown Central High School, is for $4,000.

Laney Warren was awarded the Stuckwisch Educational Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2006 to benefit students graduating from Brownstown Central High School, is for $2,000.

Conner McCormick received the Orville and Laura Lubker/Purdue University Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2014 to benefit Brownstown Central High Schools graduates attending Purdue University, is for is $3,700.

Lauren Wood received the Gina Shepard Ballard Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2003 to benefit graduates of Brownstown Central High School, is for $400.

Halle Hehman and Emma Winks were awarded the Seymour American Legion Post 89 Achievement Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2002 to benefit graduating seniors of Jackson County high schools, is for $500.

Kelian East received the William B. Sharp Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2018 for graduating seniors from Brownstown Central High School, is for $900.

Zoe Fountain received the Madge and Jack Fountain Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2018 to aid Brownstown Central High School graduates with preference given to students who are members of Brownstown United Methodist Church, is for $1,500.

Brandon Wilson received the George Schneider Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 1999 to assist Jackson County high school graduates planning to study horticulture, landscape design and/or soil and water conservation, is for $2,500 and is renewable for a total of four years.

The Foundation offers our congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2020 at Brownstown Central High School.

The Foundation administers 57 scholarship funds. During this current school year, 78 recipients of those scholarships were attending classes on college campuses across Indiana and around the nation.

Current high school juniors can now apply for 2021 scholarships offered by the Foundation. The common scholarship application is online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org. The deadline to apply is Aug. 20.

Foundation presents scholarships to Seymour High School Class of 2020

May 14, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County participated in the May 14 Seymour High School Honor Day program, presenting a number of scholarships to members of the Class of 2020.

During this current school year, there were 78 Community Foundation of Jackson County scholarship recipients on college and university campuses across the state and around the nation.

The Foundation administers more than 200 funds, including 57 scholarship funds.

There are two recipients of the Walter & Cora Schlehuser / Clark & Ruth Thompson Scholarship: George Vehslage and Madalyn Bowman. The scholarship award is for $3,000 and renewable for a total of two years of assistance. It provides renewable scholarships to those pursuing a degree in vocational or technical programs. Preference is given to Hamilton Township residents.

The recipient of the Charles Frederick Wolter Memorial Scholarship is Rhea Patel. This is a $500 scholarship. The fund was established in July 2000 by Dr. and Mrs. Charles Wolter in memory of their son. It provides scholarships to SHS graduates.

The recipient of the Marcella Trumbo Seymour Alumni Scholarship is Erin Otte. The scholarship is for $1,400. The fund was established through the Marcella Trumbo Trust and by the Seymour High School Class of 1956 to provide scholarships to Seymour High School graduates.

The recipient of the E. Morton and Julia R. Lester Memorial Scholarship is Jozie Nicholson. It is an award of $1,000. The fund was established in March 2016 through the Julia R. Lester Revocable Trust. It provides scholarships to Seymour High School graduates.

The recipient of the St. Andrew United Methodist Church Scholarship is Owen Chandler. The scholarship is for $1,000. The fund was established in February 2003 by the former members of St. Andrew United Methodist Church. It provides scholarships to Seymour High School graduates.

Receiving the Dr. & Mrs. R. Todd Bergman Scholarship is Aiden Goen. The scholarship is for $1,000. The fund was established in September 2000 by Dr. and Mrs. R. Todd Bergman. It provides scholarships to Jackson County graduating seniors who participated in organized school athletics.

The recipient of the Duane Martin Vocational Scholarship is Takodah Giles. The scholarship is for $1,000. The fund was established by Joellen Martin in 2016 and presents scholarships to Seymour High School students planning to pursue a degree in a vocational related field.

The recipient of the Marilyn Mellencamp Scholarship for the Arts is Justin Jones. It is a $1,000 scholarship. The fund was established by the family of Marilyn Mellencamp in 2012 and presents scholarships to Seymour High School graduates who are pursuing a college degree in arts, theatre, and/or music.

There are two recipients of the Marc Owen Chandler Memorial Scholarship. They are Bryce Hatton and Mia Schrader. The scholarship is for $1,000. The fund was established by Chandler and Brugos families in 1996 and presents scholarships to Seymour High School students with preference to students planning to major in the field of special education.

The recipient of the Ann Windley Leadership Jackson County Scholarship is Braden Handloser. The scholarship is for $900. The fund was established in 2007 by Leadership Jackson County and provides a scholarship to graduating Jackson County high school students who participated in the YoJack youth leadership program.

The recipient of the Laura Culp Memorial Scholarship was Chloe Criswell. The scholarship is for $500. The fund was established in 2002 by Jeff and Martha Culp in memory of their daughter. It provides a scholarship to a female Seymour High School graduate who has participated in high school sports with preference given to someone who has participated in varsity volleyball.

Receiving this year’s Gary E. Plumer Memorial Agricultural Scholarship was Sydney Wiesehan.

It is for $1,000. The fund was established by Matt Plumer, Erin Plumer Reinhart and Chase Plumer in 2014 and presents scholarships to Seymour High School graduates who plan to pursue a degree in an agricultural related field.

The recipient of the Tri Kappa Scholarship is Makenna Sunbury. It is a $2,000 scholarship renewable for two years of assistance. The fund was established in 2013 and provides scholarships to Jackson County residents graduating from Seymour High School and Trinity Lutheran High School.

The recipient of the Dr. Charles Trumbo Scholarship is Chandler Skinner. The scholarship is for $1,800. The fund was established in 2007 and presents scholarships to Seymour High School graduates.

The recipient of this year’s J. David Vandivier/Dicksons Scholarship for $500 is Will Rinehart. The fund was established in 1997 and offers scholarships to employees of Dicksons and to the children of Dicksons employees.

There are four recipients this year of the Seymour Firefighters Local 577 Scholarship. They are Jayden Brown, Cameron Connell, Daniel Kirby and Evan Vehslage. The scholarship is for $1,000. The fund provides scholarships with primary preference given to family members of current or past firefighters or employees of the Seymour Fire Department; secondary preference is given to Jackson County fire or Jackson County EMS personnel.

The Foundation offers our congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2020 at Seymour High School.

For current high school juniors who will be seniors this fall, the deadline to apply for next spring’s scholarships is Aug. 20 – this summer. Those applications are online now at our website: https://www.cfjacksoncounty.org/scholarships/ .

Crothersville High School students earn Foundation scholarships

May 20, 2020

The Community Foundation of Jackson County has awarded four scholarships to graduating seniors from Crothersville High School Class of 2020.

The Elmer and Ida Lacey Scholarship was awarded to Carson Farmer, Makinzee Isley and Camdyn Keasler. The $500 scholarship can be renewed for two years of assistance.

The Crothersville Community Scholarship was presented to Rebekah Cook The scholarship is for $1,600.

The Jackson County Community Scholarship was presented to Aaron Williams. It is for $800.

And the Connie Bowling Hehman Teacher Scholarship was awarded to Isabell Lewis. The scholarship is for $1,200.

The Foundation administers 57 scholarship funds. During this current school year, 78 recipients of those scholarships were attending classes on college campuses across Indiana and around the nation.

Current high school juniors can now apply for 2021 scholarships offered by the Foundation. The common scholarship application is online at www.cfjacksoncounty.org. The deadline to apply is Aug. 20.

Medora student earns scholarship

May 20, 2020

The Community Foundation of Jackson County has awarded the Medora High School/Gossman Scholarship to Kelsey Turner of the Medora High School Class of 2020. The $1,000 scholarship may renewed for two years of financial assistance.

The scholarship fund was established in 2004. It provides scholarships for advanced vocational or technical training to graduating seniors of Medora High School.

Donor-advisor recommends

3 COVID-19 response grants

April 1, 2020 / From The Community Foundation of Jackson County

The Community Foundation of Jackson County paid out three grants today from a donor-advised fund to help area nonprofit agencies stepping up their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fred and Tracie Moritz of Seymour recommended the grants from the Everett V. and Maria Moritz Fund on Tuesday. They include a $1,200 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, $400 to Anchor House Family Assistance Center & Food Pantry and $400 to the Community Provisions food pantry.

In this Tribune photo, Emalie Mitchell prepares food for delivery to Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Food Pantry clients.

“With COVID-19 disrupting so many lives, we have to do something to help any way that we can,” Fred Moritz said of the decision to recommend grants from the fund, which was established in August 1997. It is among more than 200 funds administered by the Foundation.

“We hope this helps the agencies do their work in these challenging times,” he said of the grants. “This is a situation that these agencies could not have budgeted for and the need is great. I hope others see the need and contribute, too. The nonprofits in our community are going to need help.”

Advisors to the Foundation’s 16 donor-advised funds received annual reports in March, outlining the amount of money available for granting this year, President & CEO Dan Davis said.

“Donor-advised funds allow the fund advisor the flexibility to make grants as see he or she sees the need arise,” Davis said. “Fred’s decision to recommend grants this week is a great example of how these funds can provide important support during a time of need.”

The need for assistance through grants provided by the generous gifts to the Foundation can only expect to grow this year, Davis said.

“That seems certain, just as the degree of increased needs remains quite uncertain,” he added. “Like others, including the Jackson County United Way, the Foundation is monitoring the ever-changing situation. After all, we’re all in this together, and together we’ll all get through it.”

To help local charitable agencies deal with the financial challenges of the pandemic, the Foundation Board of Directors created a new fund – the Jackson County COVID-19 Response Fund – and approved a $15,000 Impact Grant to kick start it.

To contribute to the fund, you can mail a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. Or you may go click on the Donate Now button on our website and follow the directions.

Local agencies have been faced with increased demands and even new roles with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, for instance, has expanded club hours to provide services since schools closed down to help fight spread of the virus. The number of children being served is limited, to allow staff and volunteers to provide proper distancing between children.

The grant is greatly appreciated as the club deals with increased costs, Executive Director Ryon Wheeler said upon learning of the Moritz Fund grant.

“We have parents who are scared and don’t know what they will do with their kids,” Wheeler said. “They are worried about just working and paying their bills and don’t know how they will do that if they don’t have a safe place for their kids.

“The Moritz family has been supporting this community for years and it is no surprise they would step up again during these difficult times,” Wheeler added. “On behalf of the kids and families we serve, thank you.”

One of the greatest increases faced by the club is the cost of wages for extra hours resulting from the COVID-19 response.

“We normally plan for four hours a day with kids during the school year,” Wheeler said. “Our extended 11-hour days are reserved for summer and school breaks. These extra seven hours a day and lower ratios, due to CDC guidelines, has increased all of our staff hours.

“Additionally, with eLearning we must have smaller ratios to help kids complete their tasks, and additional cleaning throughout the program day creates the need for extra supplies to keep our kids healthy,” Wheeler said.

The grant to Anchor House will help it meet a growing need for food at the pantry, Executive Director Megan Cherry said.

“We are very thankful and appreciative for this unexpected assistance,” she said. “We have been overwhelmed with the needs of the community in regards to food assistance, and this will greatly help us be able to continue to meet the high demand for feeding those in need in our community.”

The added demand for help from the pantry has outpaced expectations, Cherry said.

“We have seen a significant amount of new clients in need due to this time of crisis and so many being financially impacted by not being able to work,” she said.

The pantry is also seeing an increase in the number of seniors needing assistance as result of the COVID-19 response.

“We expect this trend to continue until we are able to see a decrease in the COVID-19 cases and everyone is able to return to work and resume unrestricted travel,” Cherry said.

Provisions Executive Directors Chuck and Phyllis Seybold are finding much the same increase in demand.

“We find larger families coming in and many first-time clients,” Chuck Seybold said. “Phyllis and I are anticipating higher than average numbers of requests as news indicates we are in for a surge within two weeks.

“Community response is tremendous,” he added. “We are not in this alone, as we wish all other services within the area strength and safety during these trying times.”

The grant from the Moritz Fund did not surprise Seybold, however.

“We’re totally humbled, but definitely not surprised,” he said. “Fred is a prime example of what every good Christian citizen should be.”

A letter to our community and donors

By DAN DAVIS / President & CEO

The Community Foundation of Jackson County remains committed to our community and our donors as we all work our way through these uncertain, trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The need for assistance through grants provided by the generous gifts to the Foundation can only expect to grow this year. That seems certain, just as the degree of increased needs remains quite uncertain.

Like others (after all, we’re all in this together), the Foundation is monitoring the ever-changing situation. But of course we’re in this work of investing in and building better tomorrows for the long haul. So our work goes on.

To our community partner agencies expecting their annual grant checks from funds established to help them do their charitable work, those grants checks are being processed like normal. They will be in the mail today. No, we are not rolling them back. Our Board approved a 5 percent grant rate in February, and that rate remains in force.

To our high school seniors who might be anticipating, hoping that they’ve earned a scholarship to help fund their first year of college this fall, yes, we will still award scholarships this spring. Notification may come in the mail rather than on honor days, but scholarships will be awarded.

We can confidently pay out our grants and scholarships despite the recent downturn in the markets because of our prudent management of our endowments and the generous gifts entrusted to us by our donors. Historically, our long-term investment strategy has enabled the Foundation to weather downturns. We’re confident this will remain true as the COVID-19 pandemic works its way around the world and into the history books.

Also, the Foundation is working with others in the community, such as the Jackson County United Way, to monitor emerging needs arising from the virus and efforts to contain and reduce its impact.

Our Board of Directors created a new fund on Friday, the Jackson County COVID-19 Response Fund, that will eventually be used to fund grants to help with recovery from the pandemic. The Board also approved a $15,000 Impact Grant through our community funds to kick start the effort. We will provide more information later on how local charitable organizations will be able to apply for grants to help fund their response work.

To contribute to the fund, you can mail a check to the Foundation at Post Office Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. You may leave a check at our office as long as we maintain hours at 107 Community Drive. Or you may do so by clicking here and following the directions.

In closing, the Foundation wants to extend our best wishes to our community, that you stay healthy, follow the recommendations to combat COVID-19 and extend a helping – and well-washed – hand when you can to assist others.

Together, we’ll all get through this.

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Dan Davis is President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Jackson County, 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274. For information about donating to the Foundation, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

SHS Class of 1970 targets school need

A new non-permanent fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County aims to tackle a need at Seymour High School.

Members of the Class of 1970 – quickly closing in on their 50th anniversary next summer – recently established the SHS Class of 1970 Fund to accept donations from fellow classmates and graduates.

“As we will always remember those who have gone before us, next year’s Golden Anniversary reunion will be a special time to rekindle old friendships and remembrances of coming of age in the official ‘Small Town, USA,’” said Class President Dan Deputy, who now calls Virginia home.

Deputy and fellow classmates such as Chuck Brackemyre, Gary Myers, Jane Nowling, Jana Plump, Gerri Nicholson Smith and Nancy Terkhorn are encouraging members of the Class of 1970 to give back to the school that helped shape and prepare them for life as an adult.

They’re working with Principal Greg Prange (SHS Class of 1979) to determine a need that classmates’ donations might fund. Any donations beyond meeting that need would be distributed to the school’s existing endowments at the Foundation, Deputy said.

“Our goal in the next 12 months – that’s two tax years for those still on Schedule A — is to fund a class gift to be donated to the school,” he added. “Ideally, all those available to attend would gather at halftime of the 2020 homecoming football game to present the check.”

Classmates interested in participating may do so in one of two ways.

Or they can Donate Now. Enter your donation amount and follow the credit card instructions or the PayPal instructions if you have a PayPal account and wish to use it. Donors are asked to send a follow-up email to info@cfjacksoncounty.org stating your name and informing us that your contribution is to be credited to the SHS Class of 1970 Fund.

Deputy is urging classmates to participate, setting up levels of participation and recognition.

“The Donor Club allows a classmate to take pride in contributing a gift at any amount,” he said. “Cumulative giving of $197 – as in 1970 – makes you a member of the 1970 Club. Cumulative giving of $500 earns Owl Club recognition, and Go Big Purple is for those who can contribute $1,000 of more.”

The SHS Class of 1970 Fund is one of more than 200 funds administered by the Foundation. They include community funds that benefit our Fall Grant cycle and Impact Grants, designated funds that benefit an array of charitable organizations, scholarship funds and donor-advised funds. If you would like to discuss starting your own fund or making a gift to the SHS Class of 1970 Fund or any of the funds making a difference in Jackson County, give us a call or stop in for a visit.

The staff can help you determine how your gifts can best meet your giving goals and your desire to give back to the community.

Nippon Steel Pipe America supports community

Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc., a steel tubing manufacturer, celebrated its recent name change and 30th anniversary in Seymour with two gifts to the Community Foundation of Jackson County.

The company donated $10,000 to the Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Charitable Endowment for Education and donated $1,000 to the JCB Administrative Endowment Fund. Both funds are administered by the Foundation.

“We greatly appreciate the work that the Community Foundation of Jackson County does in our community, and we’re pleased to be part of that,” said Brad Mullis, Nippon Steel Pipe America’s general manager of human resources, safety and training.

The Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Charitable Endowment was established in April 2014. The field of interest endowment helps fund the Foundation’s Fall Grant cycle. Recent grants from the fund were used to further educational programs at Child Care Network and Developmental Services Inc.

Brad Mullis of Nippon Steel Pipe America, right, presents two checks to Dan Davis of the Community Foundation of Jackson County. The company gifts totaling $11,000 to two funds administered by the Foundation. Mullis is the company’s general manager of human resources, safety and training.

“Our Board of Directors appreciates the community-oriented spirit with which these and earlier gifts from Nippon Steel Pipe America are given,” Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis said. “Their gifts will make a difference in the community, and here at the Foundation, for decades to come.”

The company is also tied to another fund at the Foundation, the Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. Scholarship Fund, which was created in October 1999.

Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc. opened as Seymour Tubing Inc. in 1989 at 1515 E. Fourth St. in the Eastside Industrial Park. It has since expanded 11 times and changed its name to Nippon Steel Pipe America earlier this year.

Mullis said the name change reflects the company’s global connections and global capabilities. The company has sister locations around the world. The gifts to the Foundation illustrate the company’s commitment to the Jackson County community, he added.

“We still operate by our message of small-town commitment, world-class quality,” Mullis said.

The company was formed as a joint venture between Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Pipe and Tube Ltd. and Mitsui Trading Co. Today, an 80 percent share is maintained by Nippon Steel Pipe Co. Ltd., and 20 percent is owned by Sumitomo Corp.

The company was incorporated on March 22, 1989, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held April 26 of that year. Production of steel tubing, primarily for the automotive industry, began in March 1990. The company now produces steel tubing for shock absorbers, struts, exhaust systems, side impact beams, wiring harnesses, steering and suspension systems and other components.

Over the years, employment has grown to 543, according to the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., making Nippon Steel Pipe America the county’s ninth-largest employer.

Fast facts about Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc.

Founded: March 22, 1989

Expansions: 11

Employees: 543

Production: Steel tubing primarily for the automotive industry

How you can help

You, too, can make a donation to the Community Foundation of Jackson County. For information about how you can make a gift, large or small, to any of the funds administered by the Foundation or how you might start a new fund, call 812-523-4483 or send an email to President & CEO Dan Davis at president@cfjacksoncounty.org.

Trish Butt, left, of the Community Foundation of Jackson County Board of Directors presents a grant check to Karen Haas and Matt Nieman, members of the Jackson County Community Theatre Board of Directors. The grant is the first paid to the theater from the Branaman Family Endowment for the Jackson County Community Theatre. The endowment was created in 2017 by Patricia Branaman Blackadder, a Brownstown native. The fund will award a grant to the theater each spring. To donate to the fund, contact the Community Foundation at 812-523-4483 or donate online.

Together, We Grow Tomorrows

By Contributing Today

A community foundation has one simple goal: to build up and improve that community – over time – through philanthropic donations, large and small. Endowments are never spent, but professionally handled and invested in projects and causes that will produce MORE income; perpetually investing all gains back into the community and helping them to keep giving forever. The Community Foundation of Jackson County, and our experienced managing board of local directors, adhere strongly to these principles and use them to exist as a strong catalyst for positive change within our own community.

Community Foundation of Jackson County
107 Community Drive P.O. Box 1231 Seymour, IN47274
Tel: 812-523-4483 E-Mail: info@cfjacksoncounty.org

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