NEWS & NOTEWORTHY

Community Foundation Reaches $20 Million
"There are several important reasons we were able to reach this significant milestone," stated Louise "Wegi" Stewart, president of The Foundation. "First and foremost, Decatur/ Macon County is a very generous community that cares about its people, their education, their quality of life, and the institutions that make this a place where people want to live, work, and play. We have had amazing support from our corporate donors, businesses, individuals and families." Full Story

Donor Advisor Reception - November, 2011

Winter 2011 Newsletter

ADM Donates $1.3 Million to the Community Foundation

Rodney T. Miller Memorial Fund

Established to honor the memory of Rodney T. Miller, this fund is designed to enhance and aid Decatur/Macon County area children in sports-related programs or activities. Awards will enable recipients to buy equipment, upgrade facilities, attend special camps or trainings, sign up for extracurricular sports activities and pursue sports-related interests that might otherwise be out of reach.

Awards will be made to assist in the pursuit of these interests through sponsoring entities such as individuals, schools, teams or nonprofit organizations. Organizations, coaches, parents and teachers may identify potential recipients and refer them to the program by submitting the attached application form.

Rodney T. Miller Memorial Fund

Legacy Professionals' Speaker Urges Charitable Giving Before Tax Changes
Charles "Chip" Bauder, senior vice president of the wealth solutions department of the Brechnitz Group of Raymond James Associates, said there's no time like the present to invest in the community. That's because income taxes are going up next year for higher-income earners and so are "stealth taxes," which Bauder defined as caps and other limits on deductions. Full Story

Community Foundation Celebrates 10 Years
The announcement of a $100,000 donation to support the work of the Decatur Area Education Coalition capped off a 10th anniversary celebration Wednesday of the Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County. Board member Kevin Breheny, president of J.L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds, made the announcement and introduced the donors - Bob and Kathy Wiesemann, owners of Continental Carbonics. Full Story

Community Foundation Names New President

The Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County Board of Directors will name Louise "Wegi" Ferry Stewart as the Foundation's new President on July 5, 2010. She will succeed Lucy Murphy who retires from that position in June.
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ABOUT US

Celebrating 10 years of building community philanthropy in 2010, The Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County is a $20 million philanthropic endowment with a growing family of more than 175 affiliate funds. Since its beginnings in 2000, the foundation has worked to improve the quality of life in Decatur and Macon County with the support of charitable gifts and bequests from individuals, families, organizations and corporations committed to making a difference in the community for generations to come. To date, the foundation and its affiliate funds have awarded more than $4 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations.

OUR PURPOSE

The purpose of The Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County is to help local people develop a permanent charitable fund to support local causes.

FUNDS ARE ESTABLISHED

Donors establish their own charitable funds at the foundation and recommend grants to nonprofit groups they want to support.

For example, The Lee J. Robinson award program provides grants for individuals ages 6 to 20. The awards enable recipients to obtain equipment or musical instruments, attend special camps, sign up for extracurricular classes, or pursue creative interests that might otherwise be out of reach. Awards of $100 or more are made to assist in the pursuit of these interests through sponsoring entities such as schools, teams, or nonprofit organizations.
Application

Donations are invested and earnings are distributed to local projects and organizations. The funds are managed professionally and endowed assets grow over time.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IS DIFFERENT

STRATEGIC IMPACT
Donors create effective and lasting community improvement by targeting resources.

EASY SET-UP AND ADMINISTRATION
Establishing a fund can be done is less time that it takes to open a bank account. The Foundation takes care of all the administrative and reporting activities.

PERSONALIZED INVOLVEMENT
Donors and their families work with foundation staff to make grants that achieve their personal charitable objectives.

GEOGRAPHIC FLEXIBILITY
The focus is the Decatur area, however grants may go to organizations anywhere.

A CHARITABLE LEGACY
Permanent endowment funds benefit the community for generations to come, with grants made in perpetuity in the name of the donors.