COMMUNITY

12

Giving back motivates

Parmley family to establish

endowed fund

4

Fall 2010

9

MBOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron Olson, ChairLorna M. Barnes, Past ChairNancy Kasparek, Vice Chair/Chair ElectKay L. Hegarty, TreasurerGerald T. Matchett, Secretary

DIRECTORS

COMMUNITYFall 2010

F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T / C E O

Most of us think of factories as places with noisy machinery and boxes of products awaiting delivery. Before I joined the Community Foundation in July, I thought of factories that way. Since then, I have come to realize that the Community Foundation is an opportunity factory, creating opportunities on a daily basis. We create opportunities for the community through the programs and services offered by the organizations we support. We create opportunities for the nonprofit community through the grants we provide and through training offered by the Linn County Non profit Resource Center. We create opportunities for donors by helping them realize their philanthropic goals. Many of the opportunities created by the Community Foundation are available today, but we also create opportunities for the future. A critical tool for providing future opportunities is endowment. Endowments are investments in the future. They are funds that, when invested wisely, will support the community in perpetuity. Some endowment funds are large. The very generous gift to the Community Foundation from Bill Quarton falls into this category. The income from the Quarton Endowment Fund will support his favorite charities forever. Through the unrestricted portion of that endowment future leaders will be able to seize emerging opportunities and address problems that cannot be foreseen today. Some endowment funds are relatively small. Early in my career as a faculty member, some friends and I

raised a few thousand dollars to start an endowment fund for the Campus Y, an organization that had meant a lot to us when we were undergraduates. At first, that endowment generated a few hundred dollars a year to support the Y. Today, three decades later, that endowment fund has grown to a value of several hundred thousand dollars, and it provides more than $20,000 per year to support the Y. I am extremely gratified to think of the many programs, field trips and activities that are now possible because of that support. Endowment funds are critical to the sustainability of the nonprofit organizations that contribute so impressively to the quality of life in our community. Endowments provide the support to maintain and enhance the collections of art, artifacts and museums so that they will be available to our children and grandchildren. Endowments support the cost of performances so that ticket prices can remain affordable. They offer human service agencies the chance to provide the highest quality of service to their clients, opening personal opportunities that might well have been otherwise unavailable to them. The Community Foundation is a place where a rich variety of endowment funds, large and small, can be created and managed so that those funds will support achievement of our current community goals and grow to provide even greater opportunity in the future. Thanks to all of you who are part of this opportunity factory and for the expanded sense of possibility that you are creating.

Richard Altorfer Gary Bartlett John Bickel J. Scott Bogguss Loren Coppock Swati Dandekar Chris DeWolf Ruth Hairston

Elizabeth HladkyJerry Matchett Sean McPartland Cheryle Mitvalsky Tom MooreFred Timko Dr. Ruth E. White Kevin Welu

CHAIR EMERITA

Nancy G. McHugh

PRESIDENT & CEO

Les Garner Jr.

FOUNDATION STAFFEmmylou Ball, AccountantWendy Blood, Office ManagerJean Brenneman, Director of FinanceElizabeth Cwik, Program AssociateKatie Giorgio, Marketing Assistant, Linn County Nonprofit Resource Center

Amber A. Mulnik, Director of CommunicationsRochelle Naylor, Scholarship Coordinator & Program Assistant

Deb Orr, Administrative AssistantKarla Twedt-Ball, Vice President of ProgramsRobert Untiedt, Executive Director, Linn County Nonprofit Resource Center

Josie Velles, Foundation Services ManagerPeggy Whitworth, Director of Resource Development

SPECIAL PROGRAMS STAFFKimberly Beals, Engineering Experiences volunteer coordinator

Barbara Klawiter, REACT Center administrator

Community is published triannually by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, 324 3rd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please write, call (319.366.2862) fax (319.366.2912), or e-mail info@gcrcf.org.

Please visit our Web site: www.gcrcf.org

DESIGN

WDG Communications Inc.

MANAGING EDITOR & WRITER

Amber Mulnik

CONTRIBUTING WRITER & EDITOR

Sherry Crawford

PHOTOGRAPHY

Impact Photography/Molly Kempf

Les Garner Jr.

Les Garner Jr.

The Opportunity Factory

P

COMMUNITY 3

Giving back motivates Parmley family to establish endowed fund

Plugging back into their community is important to Dave and Anne Parmley. They care about the place they call home and the needs of those around them. Both have been involved in a variety of community service in Cedar Rapids and supported local nonprofits. But the idea of reaching out in a deeper, more personal way led the Parmleys to take their caring to a new level: in April, they established a donor-advised, endowed family fund with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF). “We thought it would be nice to create a giving mechanism that would outlast us,” Dave explains. When they realized they were in a position to take that step, they knew the Community Foundation was the place to go. “We knew about the Foundation, but when we saw how quickly they stepped forward after the flood to help, we were even more impressed,” Anne says. Several factors prompted the Parmleys to create an endowed fund, Dave notes. As a member of Indian Creek Nature Center’s board of directors, Dave saw the value of the Center’s partnership with the GCRCF. The Center’s director, Rich Patterson, was adamant about continuously building an endowment for the Center through ongoing donations, large and small. As that endowment grew, its ability to help sustain the Center made a huge difference. Another factor was the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program, which encourages charitable giving through the creation of permanent, endowed funds. In exchange, donors receive a 25 percent state income tax credit. “That tax credit is a tool, a real incentive to give,” Dave adds. “It allowed us an opportunity to establish our family fund.” The Parmleys have supported nonprofits like Waypoint, Tanager Place and Four Oaks that provide help for families and children in need. Now, they look forward to the flexibility

their endowed fund will allow in choosing beneficiaries for annual gifts. “We can put it toward the area of greatest need, whatever it’s needed for most to meet their mission,” Dave says. “We can thank them with our check for what they’re doing.” The Parmleys’ fund will provide its first distribution next year. Initially, the gifts will be small, “but as it grows, we’ll be able to give more to more groups,” Dave notes. “The Foundation is a great way to leverage our gift.”

Anne appreciates the sense of creating something lasting through such an endowment.“It’s a footprint for us. A place,” she explains. “With this Community Foundation fund, you feel like you have a piece of it. It feels a little more sustainable. And with this, over time, we’ll be able to see the impact.” Ultimately, the Parmleys hope to include input from their children – Lauren, age 10, and Jack, 13. “We want our kids to know about the fund and maybe contribute to causes they rally around,” Dave says. “As they

grow, they’ll learn to give back to the community they live in.” Dave and Anne have made a point to make their kids aware of needs in the community and why it’s important to give to programs that offer help. “We talk about people who have trouble or special needs,” Dave explains, “just so they understand the importance of supporting those causes. Families in tough situations need our help.” The satisfaction is real when you can provide tangible help, Anne says. “You get that charge because you know you’re going to be able to give and make a difference,” she adds. Dave agrees. “We look forward to the day we can write the first check from this fund.”

“We want our kids to know

about the fund and maybe

contribute to causes they

rally around. As they grow,

they’ll learn to give back to

the community they live in.”Dave Parmley

C O V E R S T O R Y

4 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

Endowments critical to nonprofits’ survival, success

IIndian Creek Nature Center (ICNC) today is a well-established, treasured resource for the Cedar Rapids community and beyond. For more than 30 years, its staff and board, aided by a wide range of dedicated volunteers, have worked to restore and conserve its land, which now encompasses 234 acres. The commitment to its mission has remained strong, despite some lean years when funding was stretched thin, recalls Rich Patterson, ICNC Director since 1978. Like many nonprofits, the Center’s board often struggled to meet basic needs like salaries, utilities and other operational costs. In those early years, the Center operated financially “on a song and a prayer,” Patterson says. “We had no savings; we were living hand-to-mouth.” Board members often discussed the need for establishing an endowment as a long-term investment whose yield would generate funding to support the Center. It was an elusive goal, but the need was imperative. Finally, in 1982, the board created a charitable trust as a separate, legal entity and pledged to gradually build an endowment. “It had the structure, but it had no money, in the beginning,” Patterson recalls. “The hardest step is taking that first step. But it’s critical to the future for nonprofits.” Today, 28 years later, that endowment’s assets have reached almost $2 million, generating nearly 20 percent of operational cash needs, easing pressure on annual fundraising. “We have an endowment that’s sizable today because we have taken a long-time look at funding, beyond today’s evident needs,” Patterson points out. That’s an essential step for any nonprofit to succeed, he stresses.

First, create a charitable trust with its own separate board to manage the endowed funds; distribute earnings annually to fund operations. And prohibit the use of any funds deposited in the endowment from ever being used to fund short-term needs or shortfalls. From there, Patterson advises, it’s vital to promote endowment giving and make donors aware of it as an option for gifts of cash, bequests or other ways of planned giving. “It appeals to some donors,” Patterson adds. “It has a lot of power. A gift to the endowment provides for the Center in perpetuity. And it’s an opportunity

to have everlasting life as a donor. It’s an enduring influence, with your name on it.” Eventually, as an endowment grows, it’s wise to turn over its assets to the management of a foundation like the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF). ICNC took that great step forward in 2005, Patterson says, because the GCRCF pools the assets of many nonprofits with its own significant funds and hires professional investment advisors. Investing those combined funds brings larger returns with fewer risks.

Another big draw is the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program, which encourages charitable giving through establishing permanent, endowed funds. In return, donors receive a 25percent state income tax credit. The funds can be donor-advised, designated or unrestricted, and must be held at an Iowa community foundation. ICNC’s endowment is made up of nearly 20 different funds now managed by the GCRCF, money that came from hundreds of small contributions combined with the larger investments of the Community Foundation. The ICNC’s board hopes its endowment reaches $13 million by 2023, the ICNC’s 50th anniversary, so that up to 50percent of annual operating costs will be covered by endowment dollars. “You’re entrusting the Found-ation,” Patterson says. “But they have well-informed financial advisors. Our relationship is a partnership. The Community Foundation is an enormous benefit to this community and nonprofits.”

“Our relationship is

a partnership. The

Community Foundation

is an enormous benefit

to this community

and nonprofits.”Rich Patterson, ICNC Director

Rich Patterson, director Indian Creek Nature Center

N O N P R O F I T P R O F I L E

COMMUNITY 5www.gcrcf.org

IIowans have a giving spirit and they work hard to ensure their communities thrive for generations to come. They share a passion for their community and a desire to give back in a way that lasts forever. The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation works with donors of all ages who come from all types of backgrounds – they are homemakers, farmers, business leaders, young professionals, volunteers, educators, students and laborers – they create permanent endowments that benefit local nonprofits and the causes they care about. The size of their gifts varies too – they know that every endowment, no matter what the amount, can make a difference and lasts a lifetime.

How an Endowment WorksAn essential component of the work of the Community Foundation is building a permanent collection of endowed funds through contributions made by many donors during their lifetime or through an estate plan. These contributions are carefully invested for maximum return and growth, ensuring that the funds will exist in perpetuity. The growth of the endowment funds and the income earned help to provide the grant dollars necessary to carry out the charitable intent of the donors who established them. Endowed funds held at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation have a granting policy of 5 percent. This means that over time, more grant dollars are available to the community and nonprofits while the endowment fund itself continues to grow.

This illustration assumes a: 5 percent granting policy1.5 percent administration fee8.5 percent rate of return0 percent inflation

Types of EndowmentsIn partnership with the Community Foundation, you can establish or contribute to five primary types of endowment funds:

Unrestricted FundYour gift can address a broad range of local needs, including future needs that may not be anticipated at the time the endowment is established. This type of fund enables the Community Foundation to respond to the community’s most pressing needs, now and in the future.

Donor-Advised FundWith this type of fund, you’re actively involved in suggesting which programs, projects or nonprofits receive grants on an ongoing basis. Grants are awarded to nonprofits in the name of the fund (or anonymously if you prefer). This fund also could present an opportunity to share the spirit of philanthropy by engaging other generations in making grant recommendations.

Field of Interest FundWhen you make your gift, you choose the particular area or areas you want funded, such as education, health or community development, and the Community Foundation’s board awards grants to nonprofits or programs that serve that purpose.

Designated FundThis type of fund enables you to choose a specific nonprofit or organizations, such as a museum, youth center or church that your endowment will support in perpetuity. In addition, you may wish to support continued education opportunities through a specific designated endowment called a scholarship fund.

Agency Endowment FundThis type of fund is established by a nonprofit at the Community Foundation. It’s a simple and efficient way to build an endowment that helps create sustainability and supports the nonprofit’s mission in perpetuity. Businesses, individuals, families and organizations may make additional contributions to the fund. If you’re interested in establishing an endowed fund and want more information, visit www.gcrcf.org or contact Peggy Whitworth, director of Resource Development, at 319.366.2862 or peggy.whitworth@gcrcf.org.

Endowing Cedar Rapids and BeyondFor good. For ever.

Year 1 Year 10 Year 15 Year 25 Year 50

Establish an endowment fund

$5,219 in cumulative grants

$8,546 in cumulative grants

$16,276 in cumulative grants

$43,838 in cumulative grants

$10,000 gift $12,787 fund balance

$14,118 fund balance

$17,210 fund balance

$28,235 fund balance

6 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation www.gcrcf.org

Endow Iowa Tax Credit

NNo matter which type of endowment partnership you may explore with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, you could benefit from the Endow Iowa Tax Credit. The Iowa Legislature created the program, and since 2004 it has provided an incentive to establish and grow endowment funds for Iowa charitable causes at qualified community foundations. Endow Iowa provides donors the opportunity to apply (on a first-come, first-served basis) for a 25 percent State of Iowa tax credit, which is in addition to any federal deduction you may receive for the charitable gift. The Endow Iowa Tax Credit is available to any Iowa taxpayer, including financial institutions and businesses. As of Dec. 1, 2010, approximately $2 million in credits remain through the Endow Iowa Tax Credit program for this year.

Getting StartedThe Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation wants to work with you to ensure that your giving experience is tailored to your situation and meets your charitable goals. Your gift to the Community Foundation can be for any amount and made in a variety of forms, including cash, appreciated stock, real estate or other assets. These gifts can be made now or through an estate plan. You can establish an endowment at the Community Foundation to support the causes you believe in or you can choose to give to an existing fund that matches your charitable interests. When you are ready to explore your charitable giving options, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is the place to start. Contact either Peggy Whitworth, Resource Development director, or Les Garner, president & CEO.

Assumptions: Federal income tax bracket computed at 35 percent (assuming individual taxpayer utilizes Schedule A – itemized deductions on their federal tax return).Iowa income tax bracket computed at 8 percent.

Grant assumptions are made based on an 8.5 percent rate of return from GCRCF investment pool and an annual distribution of 5 percent from the fund. This is for illustration purpose only. Please contact your advisor to determine exact tax benefits.

* Using appreciated stock lowers the net cost of your gift even further.† Donor receives a 25 percent Iowa income tax credit but no Iowa income tax deduction.

Gift Amount* Federal Income Tax Deduction

Iowa Income Tax Deduction†

Iowa Income Tax Credit (25%)

Net Cost of Gift* Grants Made After 10 Years

Grants Made After 50 Years

$10,000 $3,500 — $2,500 $4,000 $6,241 $62,566

$25,000 $8,750 — $6,250 $10,000 $15,602 $156,416

$50,000 $17,500 — $12,500 $20,000 $31,203 $312,832

$100,000 $35,000 — $25,000 $40,000 $62,407 $625,655

$1,000,000 $350,000 — $250,000 $400,000 $624,068 $6,256,648

Non-Itemizers Gift Amount* Federal Income

Tax DeductionIowa Income Tax Deduction†

Iowa Income Tax Credit (25%)

Net Cost of Gift* Grants Made After 10 Years

Grants Made After 50 Years

*$1,000 — — $250 $750 $624 $6,257

T

COMMUNITY 7

More than $800,000 granted to nonprofits during summer grant cycle

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) board of directors approved 47 grants to 38 nonprofits totaling $812,023.46 from June through August. The grant awards were from a variety of competitive unrestricted and field of interest funds held at the GCRCF that address community needs in the areas of arts and culture, community development and the environment, education and health and human service.

Organizational Development FundThe Organizational Development Fund assists nonprofit agencies in their efforts to build capacity and effectiveness and fund activities that increase the success and impact of the organizations’ programs. ▪ $5,000 to Community Corrections Improvement

Association for its Children of Promise Sustainability Development Plan

▪ $3,840 to Safe Place Foundation for an expansion feasibility study

▪ $3,400 to Willis Dady Emergency Shelter for building a sound finance and budget infrastructure for the future

Flood 2008 FundAs of June 23, 2010, the Community Foundation has awarded $5.7 million in grants from the Flood 2008 Fund to 76 local nonprofits who serve the greater good and are working to improve our community since the June 2008 flood. For a complete list of grant awards, go to www.gcrcf.org in the News section. ▪ $25,000 to Kids First Law Center for rebuilding Kids First

▪ $19,700 to St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation for Linn County Mind Body Medicine Coalition

President’s FundThe President’s Fund makes available grants to meet the needs of emerging grass-roots organizations, the strategic and emergency issues of established organizations, unexpected opportunities and current community or sector learning. ▪ $1,500 to American Advertising Federation Cedar

Rapids Iowa City for Nonprofit Innovation Award for charitable purpose of the Public Service Sexting Campaign

▪ $1,659.46 to Cedar Rapids Downtown District for July 17th Farmers’ Market/Community Mural Project

▪ $2,400 to Four Oaks Family and Children’s Services for piano rebuilding

▪ $2,000 to Friends of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission for start-up costs

▪ $1,500 to Iowa Art Works for Nonprofit Innovation Award on collaboration

▪ $1,500 to Junior League of Cedar Rapids for Nonprofit Innovation Award for brand identity/unique marketing campaign

▪ $1,500 to Mercy Medical Center Foundation for Nonprofit Innovation Award for nonprofit leadership excellence

▪ $2,000 to Tapestry Time Bank for start-up costs

▪ $925 to the Salvation Army of Cedar Rapids for estate and charitable gift planning institute

▪ $4,753 to Wellington Heights Neighborhood Association for the 2010 Midnight Hoops Program

▪ $5,000 to Young Parents Network for moving costs

Momentum FundThe Momentum Fund makes grants to existing programs that have demonstrated successful outcomes. Programs must have been in existence for a length of time sufficient to demonstrate that the program is successfully achieving its stated outcome goals for at least two years. ▪ $50,000 to Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC)

for programs preventing substance abuse in Linn County

▪ $50,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa for Polk/Taylor Communities Mentoring Project

▪ $50,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids for club outreach

▪ $5,000 to Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre for Young Artist Program School Outreach Opera 2011 & 2012: “Herman the Horse: a Healthy Tail”

continued on 8

G R A N T S L I S T

8 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation www.gcrcf.org

Momentum Fund continued ▪ $16,000 to Community Corrections Improvement

Association for VISTA Neighborhood Assistance Project/ Corridor Recovery

▪ $50,000 to Community Health Free Clinic for its Prescription Assistance Program

▪ $35,000 to Eastern Iowa Arts Academy for increased access to EAA programs

▪ $37,344 to Foundation 2 to support Foundation 2 crisis center staffing

▪ $12,500 to Foundation 2 to support Foundation 2 crisis center staffing

▪ $19,692 to Iowa Legal Aid for Disaster Relief Project

▪ $29,872 to Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, Inc. for Junior Achievement economic and financial literacy programming

▪ $40,000 to Kids First Law Center for creating stability for children of divorce

▪ $34,784 to Kirkwood Foundation for GAP Tuition Assistance Program

▪ $50,000 to Matthew 25 Ministry Hub for Matthew 25 Tool Library

▪ $30,000 to Orchestra Iowa for Orchestra Iowa opening night concerts at Brucemore

▪ $32,000 to SPT Theatre Company for Tales from the Writers’ Room, Seasons Three and Four

▪ $40,000 to St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation for St. Luke’s Dental Health Center

▪ $50,000 to Waypoint for operations of the Waypoint Madge Phillips Center for Homeless Women and Children

Linn County FundThe Linn County Endowment Fund gives priority to enhancing quality of life and community development outside the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. ▪ $3,000 to Alburnett Community School District

Foundation for repair and improvement of walking/running trail

▪ $14,980 to Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC) for Rural Linn County Substance Abuse Prevention Programming

▪ $15,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa for Positive Linn County Youth Outcomes

▪ $15,000 to Center Point Ambulance Services Inc. (C-PAS) for generator installation/community safe room activation

▪ $3,306 to Central City Historical Society Corporation for Sawyer House gutter/facia project

▪ $5,000 to Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, Inc. for financial literacy education for rural school districts

▪ $4,790 to Kids First Law Center for workshops to help kids cope with divorce

▪ $5,000 to Linn County Historical Society for Main Streets of Linn County exhibit

▪ $1,500 to Old Creamery Theatre Co. for Young Abe Lincoln project

▪ $3,000 to Red Cedar Chamber Music for Music in Libraries of Rural Linn County

▪ $2,827 to Witwer Center, Inc. for So No Rural Senior Goes Hungry program

▪ $9,751 to Workplace Learning Connection for “Brain Drain or Brain Gain: What is the Bottom Line?”

▪ $15,000 to Young Parents Network for “Reaching Out-Building Up”

continued from page 7Summer Grant Awards

G R A N T S L I S T

The cast of the Young Artist production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers on stage at Brucemore.

COMMUNITY 9

BMomentum Fund grant helps

introduce kids to opera theatre

Bringing opera theatre to young children – especially those in fifth grade and under – has long been a passion of the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre through its Young Artist Program School Outreach. Thanks to a two-year, $5,000 grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation’s Momentum Fund and the Myron and Esther Wilson Fund, such performances will continue in 2011 and 2012. The theatre will produce the one-act children’s opera, “Herman the Horse: A Healthy Tail.” Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre produces two professional main stage operas each year at Theatre Cedar Rapids. For the past seven years, their Young Artist Program singers have also performed a school outreach production in Cedar Rapids schools. This year, Marion schools also participated. Each school’s music and classroom teachers get a curriculum packet tying the opera to their overall curriculum. Performances are free. Students, teachers and parents have responded enthusiastically, says Daniel Kleinknecht, executive director of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre and music professor at Mount Mercy University, with requests for return visits and performances. “It’s all about performing and interacting with the students,” he adds. “It’s part of our philosophy to introduce people to opera who otherwise might not

experience it. These grants have really helped us reach thousands of community school children.” The collaborative effort broadens the scope of the children’s creative, musical and cultural education. “The pieces we choose introduce these students to classical music and singing, opera and theater, but also deliver a subliminal message,” Kleinknecht notes. “This year’s ‘Herman the Horse’ ties in with the national trend we see encouraging people to eat well and take care of themselves.” It also provides unique experience and employment for Iowa artists. The Opera Theatre, established in 1998, began its Young Artist program in 2000, providing a rare opportunity for new actors to learn and perform professional opera. This fall, more than 100 university and college students auditioned for the Young Artist Program. Ongoing support from the Community Foundation has made a great difference for the group’s efforts, Kleinknecht stresses. “It’s been important for us emotionally because it said, ‘we believe in what you’re trying to do.’ The Community Foundation helped establish us early on,” he says. “We’re eternally grateful to the Momentum Fund and the Community Foundation for believing in our vision.”

Daniel Kleinknecht, executive director of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre

G R A N T E E S P O T L I G H T

S

10 The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

GCRCF grant helps support ASAC ongoing prevention efforts

www.gcrcf.org

Substantial funding cuts at state and federal levels threatened to undermine ongoing substance abuse prevention efforts of the Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC) in the community. Fortunately, a two-year, $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation’s Momentum Fund will erase that threat. The funding for 2011-12 also enables ASAC to continue a more comprehensive approach in teaching prevention and healthy decision-making skills to kids at risk for addiction and substance abuse. The partnership with schools that works directly with students and parents is still an integral part of ASAC’s work, explains Melissa Walker, ASAC’s deputy director of prevention services. But ASAC advocates are charting a new path that links direct interaction with kids and broader approaches to establish healthy attitudes community-wide. “It’s becoming a challenge within our field to find funding,” Walker

explains. “We used to target specific groups of kids in school. That works, but you only affect those individual groups. It’s a more effective use of funding and staff time to go beyond just working with curriculum.” ASAC works with community coalitions to reduce youth use and access to alcohol, prescription drugs, marijuana and tobacco. Examples abound: the Rural Communities Reducing Alcohol in Linn (RC RAIL); an alcohol-free graduation sign campaign encouraging alcohol-free graduation parties; working with pharmacies on a Prescription Drug Drive to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse among youth, and decrease the number of prescriptions available by collecting expired or unwanted prescription drugs. “These kinds of programs have such a large effect on the community as a whole,” Walker explains. “We want to have a greater impact through changing policies and raising awareness.”

ASAC served more than 20,000 people in Linn County in 2009 and anticipates serving that many or more through 2011. Facing more than $200,000 in funding cuts, ASAC turned to the GCRCF for help. “We’ve been fortunate to have entities like the GCRCF that are supportive of big-picture programming,” Walker notes. “Not very many communities have that kind of support.” ASAC and collaborative efforts seem to be working. From 2005 to 2008, the percentage of 11th graders who admitted using alcohol in the previous month dropped from 32 percent to 29 percent in Linn County; the 2008 state average was 36 percent. Tobacco use is also down. But there’s more work ahead, Walker adds. “We need to help prepare the community to be there for these kids when they go home,” Walker says. “The Community Foundation grant allows us to address the changing needs of the community. It’s a great resource.”

Melissa Walker, ASAC’s deputy director of prevention services

G R A N T E E I N F O C U S

As part of National Philanthropy Day, John and Dyan Smith of Cedar Rapids received the 2010 Individual Philanthropists of the Year award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Eastern Iowa Chapter. Les Garner, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, nominated the Smiths along with several other organizations including Cornell College, Four Oaks, Mercy Foundation and the United Way of East Central Iowa. Through personal gifts and corporate gifts from their family business (CRST International) the Smith family has contributed to the betterment of life in Eastern Iowa through their support of the arts, human services and education.

Philanthropists of the Year winners

William Quarton Heritage Society

I

COMMUNITY 11

William Quarton Heritage Society as of Dec. 1, 2010

If you have remembered the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation in your estate plans, or if you have established an endowed fund at the Community Foundation, you are eligible to become a member of the William Quarton Heritage Society. We will not list your name without your permission. Please contact us at 319.366.2862 or info@gcrcf.org for more information.

Anonymous (8)Robert W. and Elizabeth M.

AllsopAnna O.* and William G.

AndersonGary L. and Alice AndersonThomas J. and Sarah E.

AndersonMarian J. ArensCarl and Topsy AschoffJean H. Ashby*Daniel R. BaldwinLorna M. BarnesHelen (Skippy) BellBob V. BengtsonPeter F. Bezanson*Barbara Bloomhall and William

A. Bloomhall, Sr.*Bill and Jan BloomhallWilma J. BlosserKatheryn BoatmanScott and Joann BoggussBarry and Gilda BoyerJean BrennemanRuth L. Hastings Brown*David H. and Rose Marie BurkeSteven and Joanne CarfraeRichard* and Judith ChandlerIvan and Mary Bess ChesterBarbara ChristiansenLarry H. ChristyLee and Jay ClanceyLoren L. and Patricia A.

CoppockPaul and Sara CorbinJohn P. CurranTom and Beth DeBoomDr. and Mrs. Robert K. DennisAnn DorrTiffany A. EarlJohn R. and Cheryl G. ElliottJohn M. Ely, Jr.* and Polly Ely*Norman and Floy* EricksonPeggy Fashimpaur KahrJohn P.* and Jean W. Ferring

Robert C.* and Marjorie H. Fletcher

Rick and Donna FlynnWilliam B. and Jo Anne F.

GalbraithLes and Katrina GarnerWilliam and Harriet GaswayDean and Laura GesmeDavid and Kathleen GoodRose and LaVern GordonGary GrantJoan GreenblattKathy L. HallOrtha R.* and Ken* HarstadMary Lou and Donald HatteryTed and Tish HealeyKay and John HegartyJason and Susan HellicksonClifford A. HendricksKate HladkyJim and Ann HoffmanLee R. HornBarbara J. and Ralph E.* HughesSher Jasperse and Daryl JulichDavid and Mary JohnsonG. Richard and Jackie JohnsonKenneth L. and Mildred M.*

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Kemp*Mary and David JungeDavid and Sherri JusticeVyrl* and Martha JusticeJoseph M. Kacena*George* and Louise KalousSuzanne Rosenbaum KatzMerry and Bob* KelleyFrank and Geri KintzleThomas and Clara KleimanG.T. (Jerry) KnoxPeter and Ingrid KollnDavid and Chris KubicekTed and Margaret KubicekRobert and Caroline*

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Lawrence and Kimberly KudejSheryl Chehak Lamb*Robert J. and Sue B. LathamKaren Ann LaughlinJames* and Susan LavenzRobert and Carol LehmanThea and Roger* LeslieChristopher and Jane LindellNorman G.* Lipsky and Belle M.

LipskyDavid MahlkeGeorge and Janelle McClainBruce and Judy McGrathJo* and Larry McGrathDavid and Ruth McGuireNancy Green McHughFrank and Cheryle MitvalskyMike and Ann MohnsenTara and Bob MoormanPaul and Jennifer MorfCraig and Deborah MrkvickaBill and Cathy MunsellVirginia Myers*Kay and Duane NesetrilGreg and Debbie NeumeyerWilliam and Cheryl NordstromJohn and Christine NorthRon and Sue OlsonSarah H. Olson and Tyler OlsonDave and Anne ParmleyRichard and Marion PattersonJay and Bonnie PetersenAnn and David B.* PickfordJames A. and Monica M. PiersallMike PlotzWendy* and Randy PortzWilliam B. Quarton* and Jean A.

HunnicuttWilliam and Janis QuinbyCurt and Sigrid ReynoldsMary E. RickeyLouise G. RoalsonDr. and Mrs. William John RobbJack and Jackie* RolandGary Rozek

Judith Whetstine and Bob RushJohn M. and Wilma Ann Wallin

SagersMr. William D. SeveraLarry D. and Claire J. SharpPaul R.* and Rebecca F.*

ShawverLaurie and Robert SilberMarilyn and Dayton* SippyDrew and Jo Ann SkogmanGary and Robin SkogmanKyle and Susan SkogmanLaJuana SkogmanDuane SmithDyan and John SmithEllen SmithMarty and Julianne SmithAl and Sara SorensenSue and Gary SpeicherEleanor StreletzkyRobert SynhorstJulie and Byron TaborFred and Bev TimkoKathleen ToborgSara and Dale ToddTerry TrimpeJames and Susan TurnerRobert UntiedtMichael and Marla ValliereJosie VellesR. Ray* and Barbara WeeksMaxine and Ted* WelchGuy H. WendlerSusanna WendlerWilliam P. and Gayle* WhippleDorothy J. White and Robert

Dean Metcalf*Peggy Boyle WhitworthEsther and Myron WilsonRobert and Charlotte WorleyJason and Leslie WrightCorrine and Robert* YawDavid Zylstra

*Deceased

NONPROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DPERMIT NO. 214

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

324 3rd Street SECedar Rapids, Iowa 52401

7.250M.1110CG

GCRCF Celebrates with Open House

1

3

2

The Community Foundation welcomed more than 300 guests to its new permanent home at the Torch Press on Aug. 31, 2010, with a celebratory open house and ribbon cutting by the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce.

1 GCRCF board of directors, staff and Brad Hart, board chair of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce cut the ceremonial red ribbon at the open house.

2 Georgine Stapleton and Donna Koch.

3 Brad Hart of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce congratulations Les Garner, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, on the new home of the Foundation.