A Natural Grant Connection
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On a recent sunny day, crews from Gene Stratton-Porter (GSP) and Blue Heron Ministries trekked out to the Hemingway Wetlands where GSP is in the process of returning reclaimed farmlands to their natural grasses. Steuben County Community Foundation (SCCF) was able to gather these groups together thanks to a generous gift from Cheryl Taylor and through the fund she established at SCCF in honor of her late husband’s 30 years of service to the DNR and his passion for conservation. The Ralph and Cheryl Taylor Conservation Fund was established as a surprise for him in 2003, and after his passing in 2009, Cheryl has ensured that his legacy lives on through projects like this one.
Cheryl’s gift to SCCF was at the center of this collaborative effort, with the Nature Conservancy donating the plants, Blue Heron Ministries installing the plants, and the community around Gene Stratton-Porter benefiting from the conservation of their wetlands.
Steuben County’s 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, Sara Wilson, also participated in the grant project as part of her summer internship with Blue Heron Ministries. She thanked Cheryl for providing the grant funds and shared that her grandmother always spoke about how much she loved the area they were planting.
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Entering her senior year at Fremont High School, Autumn Godwin has a lot on her plate. In addition to applying at colleges, playing softball, attending meetings for National Honors Society and Student Council, and helping with Boomerang Backpack, she’s taken on the challenge of serving as President of Forever Improving Steuben County Together—better known as FIST. This is SCCF’s youth philanthropy group. Once a month, about five students from each of the Steuben County schools ranging from 8
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grade to seniors will sit in a board room and review grant requests, discuss community needs, and identify ways to give back. Although the youth are supported by three school volunteers and SCCF’s Youth Philanthropy Coordinator, Susie Nafziger, FIST is entirely student led. Autumn will work with her executive team to set each meeting’s agenda, reach out to nonprofits for service opportunities, and determine where their pool of grant dollars can make the biggest community impact.
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Thank you, Steuben County! Earlier this month, we concluded a great year with a distribution of over $300,000 in grants to more than 50 nonprofits serving Steuben County. We chose to highlight these grants at our annual public meeting this year, but the truth is--every year they are automatically awarded from the annual earnings of nearly half of our permanent endowment funds, without requiring nonprofits to complete an application! SCCF is grateful to the donors, grantees, and community members who attended this celebration of the work of nonprofits in Steuben County.
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Friendship Park Restroom Project
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A public park is a great place to gather people and enjoy sunshine, green trees, and a fun playground. However, the
restrooms at the Friendship Playground made the overall experience a little smellier than was ideal. Recently, Angola Parks & Recreation was able to make some big improvements thanks in part to a fund created at the Steuben County Community Foundation in 1997 by the Angola Parks & Recreation Board. The Angola Parks & Recreation Capital Improvement Fund was established to support the inevitable capital improvements that are needed at any parks department. Over time, with accrued interest and donations from community members, the fund has grown significantly.
The Parks & Recreation Department was able to use over $10,000 from the fund to offset the cost of sewer work and construction of brand new restrooms. Now, they are proud to offer new, clean restrooms that improve safety and make visiting the park a more enjoyable experience. For community members and families who enjoyed the annual July 4
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celebration and fireworks show or those who plan to spend a Saturday on the monkey bars, the new restrooms are a great improvement.
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“With the help of the Steuben County Community Foundation, we had the ability to provide residents with the restrooms compatible with that of a City Park.”
–Matt Hanna, Superintendent of Angola Parks & Recreation
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September 14
: Applications for the Lilly Community Scholarship are now open! Completed applications and all materials must be returned to the SCCF office in paper form by September 14, no later than 4:30. Check out our
website
for more information and to download the application!
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Thank you to our donors!
The Community Foundation would like to recognize and thank the following individuals, families, and organizations for their generous donations in July. Your support is appreciated!
Donations can be made:
Online through the Donate Now button
Mailed to 1701 N Wayne St, Angola, IN 46703
Or brought into the office Monday through Friday 8:30 - 4:30
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Jim Burns, Chair
Randy White, Vice Chair
Julie Troyer, Secretary
Doug Bomba, Treasurer
Kathy Armstrong
Dave Goodwin
Pam Harger
Jim Ingledue
Phil Meyer
Adam Miller
Brenda Shipe
Chris Snyder
Jaime Walker
Jonathan Walmer
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President & CEO
Office Manager
Program Officer
Youth Philanthropy Coordinator
Communications Director
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The Steuben County Community Foundation has a Notary Public on staff.
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2018 Endowment Booklet
Click Here
to see a copy of the Endowment Funds administered by SCCF. Updated February 2017
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The Steuben County Community Foundation is confirmed in compliance with the
National Standards for US Community Foundations.
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Steuben County Community Foundation | 1701 N Wayne St Angola, IN 46703 | 260-665-6656 | steubenfoundation.org
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