OP-ED My View 11-6-14 from Community Foundation
- 1. OP-ED Times Herald-Record Contact: Karen VanHouten Minogue, President and CEO Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan November 6, 2014 845.769.9393 A Century of American Giving When Oscar B. Greenleaf began to consider what legacy he would leave in his community he thought about his roots and what he could do to make a difference. His trusted advisor suggested the Community Foundation. Greenleaf took action and stipulated in his will that an endowed scholarship fund would be established upon his passing. To date, just 12 years after the Oscar B. Greenleaf Scholarship Fund was created, $276,000 in scholarships have been awarded to graduating Port Jervis High School students. This scholarship fund will generate scholarships for good, for ever. And when the leadership of Empire State Bank thought about how the bank could support important causes in the communities in which it operates, a donor advised fund was established within the Community Foundation to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations. To date, just 10 years since the Empire State Bank Charitable Fund was established, the Fund has awarded $225,125 in grants through the Community Foundation. These are just two of the over 190 compelling stories behind each fund at the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan – stories that illustrate the difference that can be made in the lives of others when a charitable fund is established. November 12-18, 2014 is Community Foundation Week and the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan joins more than 700 community foundations across America to celebrate. And on November 14 National Philanthropy Day will be celebrated in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region. This is a time to recognize and reflect on the unique impact that community foundations have made throughout America during the last 100 years. The first community foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914 and the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan was established in 1999. It will soon be Thanksgiving followed by a season of giving. This season should be a time of reflection – about the great needs that persist in our communities. Enjoy the richness of our American heritage. Give thanks and support the causes that are dear to you. You don’t have to be a Bill Gates to be a philanthropist. A charitable fund can be established in as little as one day without the expense and ongoing costs of creating and operating a private foundation. It can be established now or later through a bequest, life insurance policy, real estate, excess retirement assets, or other asset. Generation after generation, grants will be made from that fund because someone cared to leave a legacy.
- 2. For fifteen years the Community Foundation has been “connecting people who care with causes that matter. It leads the charge to enhance the philanthropic capital of our region. Help us raise awareness about our increasingly important role by telling people in your community about the work we do. Karen VanHouten Minogue, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan www.cfosny.org 845.769.9393 Karen@cfosny.org