The 2012 Annual Celebration of Philanthropy is scheduled for Wed., May 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hilton Fort Collins. The featured speaker will be Salim Ismail (pictured left), the founding Executive Director for Singularity University, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Ismail founded or operated seven early-stage companies and was a Vice President at Yahoo. He sold his last company, Angstro, to Google in 2010 and was recently featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Nature Journal. Ismail will bring Northern Colorado residents a unique perspective on the accelerating impact of technology and innovation in shaping our future.

The generous support of sponsors makes this celebration possible.  Please click here to reserve your table and contact our team at 970-368-ACOP [2267] with questions. 

 

Recent Gift Puts Community Foundation Over $50 Million

 

The Community Foundation reached an organizational landmark recently when it received a $4.1 million gift that brought its total asset level past the $50 million mark. Thanks to the generosity of those who contributed to the Foundation’s Cornerstone Campaign, the organization has been able to operate at a service and efficiency level far beyond the capabilities of other community foundations its size.

Click here to view reflections from past Chairs of the Board of Trustees and read the recent press release. Trustees pictured: John Roberts, Tom Patterson, Chris Osborn, Bruce Hach (Chair), Ray Caraway (President), Troy Peterson, Joe Gebhardt, Eric Peterson, Jean Sutherland, Connie Dohn, Kathay Rennels, Cathy Schott, and LuAnn Ball. Not pictured: Randy Davis, Krishna Murthy, and Spiro Palmer.

 

 

The generosity of a donor who made plans to give after her lifetime has significantly impacted the Global Village Museum. The museum’s fund at the Community Foundation recently benefited from a $20,000 gift made by the Estate of Jeanne H. Nash. The 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. Please click here to learn about the types of gifts that can benefit charitable funds at the Community Foundation. Pictured: Ray Caraway and John Roberts at the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Global Village Museum. 

 

A recent Wall Street Journal article challenged donors to think about what they should reasonably expect from the charities they support. Should nonprofits operate with business-like efficiency? Or does “business-oriented philanthropy” threaten the creativity and hinder the work of nonprofits? Click here to read the debate, and reply to this email to share your thoughts. (And please let us know if we can share your thoughts in our next enewsletter.)

 

 

A healthy home environment improves the quality of resident’s lives, particularly children and individuals with asthma. Healthy Sustainable Homes, a program of the City of Fort Collins’ Environmental Services Division, is a free, volunteer-driven program that helps families improve the indoor air quality in their homes and address health issues that can be easily avoided. Call 416-2832 to have your home assessed or if you have an interest in participating in the April 3-19 volunteer training session to help other community members improve the health of their home.

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The Community Foundation stays in close communication with charitable agencies in our region to strategically connect donors with the causes they care about most. These giving opportunities recently came to our attention:

The Arc of Larimer County was founded in 2007 to advocate for the approximately 6,000 individuals in Larimer county with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The organization is seeking funding for client needs such as respite care, computer equipment, assisted living equipment, therapy, and transportation. The Arc of Larimer County is also seeking corporate sponsorship for Developmental Disabilities Month in March and funds to support general operating costs. To learn more, contact Wendie Robinson at  wrobinson@arclc.org or 970-204-6991.
 
 
  
Centennial High School Health Center, located in Poudre School District, helps students develop the life skills necessary to increase self-esteem and self-confidence while achieving success in an educational setting. As part of this alternative educational setting, the school’s Student Health Center provides physical and mental health services, including on-site prevention and treatment of common health issues and high-risk behaviors. The Student Health Center is seeking financial support to keep the facility operational through the second semester of the 2011-12 school year. For more information, please contact Principal Mike Roberts at miker@psdschools.org or 970-488-4940. For information, click here.

The Community Foundation provides a trusted, local platform that enables people to give more effectively and to think strategically and creatively about the future of our community. Click here to learn more about the ways our staff can help you achieve your charitable goals.