Recap and Resources
- Click here to view videos shown at the 2011 event.
- Click here to view a photo slideshow from the 2011 event.
- Food Bank for Larimer County envisions a hunger-free Larimer County. The organization works to provide food to all in need through community partnerships and hunger-relief programs. Staffed by 29 employees and supported by 2,000 volunteers, the Food Bank distributed more than 7.8 million pounds of food in 2010. Established in 1984, the Food Bank is the only Feeding America clearinghouse for donated food in Larimer County. Feeding America is the nation’s largest food bank and food rescue network.
- Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures fosters and celebrates the international connections between Northern Colorado and the world through exhibits of folk art, fine arts and useful items from around the globe; to provide international reference and research materials; and international educational opportunities.
- GRIT Athletics was formed in the 2008 to honor Nicholas Greenwood, who was tragically killed in an accident at the age of 6. The organization provides people of all ages with a rich life through athletic opportunities and a variety of sports competitions, while developing skills for challenges along the way. GRIT Athletics helps participants develop power and endurance, along with other life skills, to help clear hurdles during their life race.
- The Matthews House serves at-risk youth ages 16-21 who lack significant family support in their lives. The organization creates opportunities for positive life change for these youth as they make the transition to living on their own. The Matthews House believes that, given the correct resources and support, these youth can take control of their lives and shape positive futures for themselves.
Community leaders gather to celebrate philanthropy
The Coloradoan (May 12, 2011)
Written by Kevin Duggan; Photo by Dawn Madura
Helping someone else, as in donating to a good cause, is hard-wired into the brain.
And following that natural inclination is a way to write a person's "story" in such a way that it will be remembered and repeated by others for years to come.
Those were some of the messages delivered to the more than 500 people gathered Wednesday for the annual Celebration of Philanthropy at the Hilton Fort Collins.
Keynote speaker Dr. David Krueger, a noted psychiatrist, author and executive coach, told the crowd that every person has the power to shape the story of one's life. A way to do that is to put one's money to good use.
Mixing humor with the findings of scientific research on human behavior, Krueger urged audience members to think strategically about how they share their resources. What people do today will influence how they will be remembered by their grandchildren, he said.
Studies have shown the people from infancy through adulthood want to connect with others and feel good about themselves.
"We have a basic desire to be effective," he said. "What you are doing in this group is showing people how they can be effective now and for future generations."
The popular event was attended by community leaders from across Larimer County, included elected officials and prominent business people.
Video presentations highlighted the work of local organizations supported through foundation funds and the work of community volunteers, including the Food Bank for Larimer County, the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures and Matthews House.
Foundation board members Kathay Rennels and Bruce Hach delivered the foundation's annual report. Over the course of the fiscal year the foundation received more than $4 million in gifts and distributed about $2.9 in grants, primarily to agencies in Larimer County.
The foundation, which manages about 320 individual funds, saw its total assets reach $48 million. Eight years ago the base was $14 million.
Hach said the foundation expects to cross the $50 million mark soon.
"I wouldn't be surprised if next year we aren't even pushing $60 million," he said.
Northern Colorado Business Report (May 12, 2011)
By NCBR staff
Community Foundation holds annual celebration
FORT COLLINS - More than 400 philanthropists from across Northern Colorado gathered at the Hilton Fort Collins May 11 for the annual Community Foundation of Northern Colorado's Celebration of Philanthropy.
The event's featured speaker was David Krueger, M.D., a physician, author, and executive coach who spoke about how giving is part of the "story" all people tell with their money. Krueger encouraged the audience to make sure their "money story" was one worth telling and one that would make their descendants proud.
The Community Foundation told its "money story" through financial statements from 2010 and for 2011 thus far. Managed assets as of March 31, were $48 million, close to the foundation's goal of $50 million. It also reported gifts of more than $4 million and grants and programs of $2.9 million in 2010.
The $48 million in assets far exceeds numbers for the previous two years, which were $36.5 million and $41.6 million as of June 30 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Roxanne Fry, COO of the Community Foundation, told the Business Report Daily that the $50 million mark is significant for an organization the size of the Community Foundation because it is large enough to sustain operating costs without being supplemented by other funds, such as the foundation's Cornerstone Fund, freeing up more money for community giving.
The event also honored Wynne Odell and Chris Osborn, who will finish their terms on the foundation's board of trustees on June 30.
The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado is a nonprofit, public foundation working to build permanent endowments for the benefit of charitable causes in Northern Colorado. The foundation currently manages more than 320 individual charitable funds, 70 percent of which are endowed. More than 30 local nonprofits have their agency endowments placed with the Community Foundation.