Community Foundation celebrating 25 years of growing local philanthropy, community invited to help celebrate Nov. 17

QUINCY — The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri was established in November 1997 with $1,050 in assets. Twenty-five years later, more than $14 million in grants have been distributed to grow communities in the 12 counties it serves.

To commemorate its silver anniversary, the Community Foundation will host a “Friends of Philanthropy” celebration beginning at 5 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Quincy Country Club. Remarks will take place at 6 p.m. The Community Foundation’s founding board of directors will be recognized for their leadership and vision in planting strong roots for future growth.

In a press release, Community Foundation CEO Catherine Bocke Meckes said, “As we celebrate and reflect on 25 years of growing the quality of life in our region, we are incredibly grateful to those who have made it possible – our donors, volunteers, supporters and nonprofit partners. We are consistently inspired by the vision of our donors and the tenacity of our nonprofits. We are humbled to help facilitate these important connections in our communities.”

The Community Foundation is a charitable endowment builder, community connector and grantmaker. It focuses on long-term, legacy philanthropy so charitable assets are available to help nonprofits thrive in times of both need and opportunity. To achieve this, it works with donors to build permanent funds that both fulfill their personal philanthropic goals and support local needs and opportunities through grants to nonprofit organizations.

“Each donor has a unique reason for giving: From sustaining a specific nonprofit, to creating flexible, permanent funds that address needs and opportunities as they emerge,” Meckes said. “The thread that connects each donor is that they love where they live, and they want to ensure our region thrives not only today, but for generations.”

To-date, more than 215 charitable funds, mostly endowed, have been established. With the help of thousands of donors, these funds have supported grants totaling more than $14 million to nearly 600 nonprofit organizations. Grants strengthen and expand services, invest in new and innovative programs that address emerging needs, provide critical operating support for growing nonprofits, encourage partnership and collaboration and more. Grants support local arts and culture, community betterment, education, health and human services.

Individuals, families, and organizations can establish a fund, or contribute to an existing fund, that will build a charitable legacy and generate resources to support the causes and community they care about.

To learn more about the Community Foundation, its milestones, and its impact, visit www.mycommunityfoundation.org/25-years-of-impact.

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status. Contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes.  

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email info@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.