The Community Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 public charity guided by a volunteer board of directors. We are funded through charitable donations by people and organizations driven by the desire to do good. The building was made possible thanks to meaningful grants from private foundations and a few supportive private donors. Foundation leaders intentionally avoided a capital campaign that would have put the organization in competition with the very nonprofits we are here to support. The land for the new structure was secured through a trade with Columbia City. The historic 163-year-old red brick house that served us well for 23 years will now be home to the Columbia City Parks Department. While the building went up, business carried on. Our efforts on behalf of Next Level Whitley County continued to unfold as we sought to find solutions to a lack of vocational training and mental health services in our community. An unforeseen change in plans forced the collaborative partners to re-think a space for expanding much needed drug and alcohol recovery services. Meanwhile, the Whitko Career Academy thrived. WCA was launched as another Next Level Whitley County project in partnership with Whitko Schools and the Don Wood Foundation. The vocational training center offers students unique learning opportunities on first-class equipment. Classes are led by experienced, dedicated instructors. Our collaboration with Community Corrections continued to enjoy success as individuals interested in learning new skills took evening CNC classes for certification. I’m pleased to share that nine new endowment funds were established in 2022. The very core of what we do is serve donors by helping them to fulfill their charitable goals. In addition to several new scholarships, we now have the means to support single mothers who experience the heartache of a stillborn child and need help with funeral costs. Nyah’s Angels Fund was created by two very compassionate donors who believe that grief needs its own space, free of worry and concerns over finances related to the loss. There was also an endowed fund established to help underwrite the costs of maintaining K-9 officers for the Department of Natural Resources. We’re going to the dogs – and that’s a good thing! To all of the donors who contributed gifts past and present, we hope this report generates some personal satisfaction – look what you made possible!
Director’s Report: Sharing Information When it comes to transparency, we aspire to have glass pockets. Our organization exists in part to attract private donations for community good. We do this work on a platform of core values which includes transparency. Over the past three decades, the Community Foundation has built credibility and public confidence by openly sharing our grantmaking, leadership, and financial activities. This annual report is an important part of the process. On the following pages readers can learn about the various endowment funds we oversee; the unrestricted grants and deserving scholarships awarded in 2022, as well our professionally audited financial statements. It’s also our chance to publicly thank the many donors who have shared resources; their desire to do good has fueled our work. In 2022, after four years of planning, the Community Foundation broke ground on a new building that will allow for continued expansion of services. As more donors seek to fulfill their charitable goals through our Foundation, we’ll need additional staff to carry out their wishes. Once the construction project was announced, questions turned to funding. We were surprised to learn that some people thought we are tax supported – a part of Whitley County government. We aren’t.
Thanks for sharing.
September McConnell, CEO
4 2022 Annual Report
Community Foundation of Whitley County 5
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