your community. your foundation. - Community Foundation of West ...

oard chair’s letter
Dear Friends of the Foundation…
It has been said that behind every successful
community there is a Community Foundation.
That is a pretty big statement. Have you ever
thought about how your Community Foundation
is making West Chester/Liberty a better place?
One of the best ways The Community Foundation of
West Chester/Liberty builds success in our area is
by building community, focusing on the needs of our
residents and addressing these needs with grant
dollars. The end result is improving the quality of life
for all who live here. Those needs are not just in the
area of social services (Reach Out Lakota, S.E.L.F.
and One Way Farm). The Community Foundation
supports the needs for parks & recreation (Leo’s Park,
Wiggly Field and the Square @ Union Centre);
education & scholarship (our more than 25 Scholarship
Funds and the Lakota Fund); arts & culture (the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Concert at Lakota
West, support of The Arts Council of West Chester
& Liberty and support of the National VOA Museum
of Broadcasting Video); and economic development
(FIELDS Fund, VOA MetroParks Fund and the West
Chester Baseball Complex). We are your Foundation
working in your Community.
Secondly, the Foundation offers each and every
person the opportunity to fulfill their own particular
charitable dream with ease. YOU can become a
philanthropist, make the world a better place and
leave a legacy for the community. It is as easy as
coming into The Foundation, developing a plan,
starting your Fund with a minimum dollar amount
and then working to pursue your passion. Local
parents, Robert and Allison Forte did just that when
they put their passion to benefit special needs
children into action. With a gift of less than $500,
they opened the “Anthony’s Army Fund” in honor
of their son, and took the first step in making their
dream a reality. their community…their foundation.
Finally, one of the most important ways the Foundation
builds a successful community is through Endowment.
“Endow.” While this word typically evokes the thought
of money and finance, it can also mean the gift of time
and talent. To build a successful community foundation
it takes both. The Community Foundation of West
Chester/Liberty has been endowed with the talents
of many amazing people in our community. Those
talented people have chaired our fundraisers, served
on our Board, served as our staff and worked on our
committees to build the success of the Foundation.
We are eternally grateful to their leadership and vision.
they are our community… building our foundation.
Financially speaking, when you build an Endowment
at The Foundation, you build a savings account for
the future of the community. It is similar to your own
personal retirement account. When you place dollars
in an endowment, you place them there permanently.
Building endowment is a powerful tool for a
Community Foundation. Our Forever Fund is
our Operating Endowment securing the future of
our Foundation. The Forever Fund has been built
through the generosity of the Founding Families,
Founding Businesses and Anniversary 80’s. their
generous financial gifts are securing the future of
our community…our foundation.
In spite of the sluggish economy, 2010 was a strong
year for the Foundation. Thanks to the financial
support of the business community through their
sponsorships and the attendees who supported the
events, our fundraisers were extremely successful.
These successes afforded us the tremendous
opportunity to establish a $20,000 Endowment for
our Community Grants Fund. In addition to increasing
our annual community grant expenditures, it is the
intention of the Board to annually deposit significant
funds into the Community Grants Fund Endowment.
It is a savings for our future needs.
We are proud to be building for our future. We are
thankful to you, our supporters, for enabling us to
do so. It is your Community…your Foundation!
Together, we are the heart of our Community,
meeting our needs for today while preparing for
tomorrow!
Gratefully,
Patti Alderson
Board Chair and CEO
2 0 1 0 a n n u a l r e p o r t
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