Thank You to Our Generous Donors

The Community Foundation would like to recognize and thank the following individuals, families, and organizations for their generous donations in the month of January.  Your      support is greatly appreciated!

January Donors...

Grants Awarded in February

In our visionary role to serve as a community leader and improve the quality of life in our community, the following awards were approved at the February Board of Directors meeting:

• TLC of Steuben County- In an effort to continue to provide safe housing for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence- Adopt a Room remodeling project for the battered women's shelter.  $1,447.00
   
• Community Harvest Food Bank- To help make much needed food available to families in Steuben County who are severely impacted by the economy. Supporting the three local food pantries.  $5,000.00
   
• Little Lambs Day Care- To obtain training and certification for staff in an ongoing effort to provide quality child care to local families. $6,005.00

Meet Blue Heron Ministries 

                                               by Nate Simons

Happy Birthday! 

Blue Heron Ministries turned 10 years old in January. What began as a vision to restore native landscapes in Steuben County, blossomed into a subsidiary environmental ministry of the Presbyterian Chapel of the Lakes. Blue Heron Ministries has become an opportunity for folks to carry out the Biblical mandate to care for creation within the context of community.

We have successfully bundled professional consulting services and volunteer efforts under a "non-profit" umbrella in order to build capacity to steward the wetlands, prairies, savannas, and open oak woodlands we call "home". Steuben County and the adjacent counties in Indiana and Michigan are blessed to have a variety of natural features characteristic of what we call "lakes country". The hills and lakes of our region are very unique and are home to myriad plants and animals not commonly found elsewhere. We see our responsibility as caretakers or stewards of this amazing and God-given creation...right here. 
  

To that end we have acquired four nature sanctuaries and hold four farmland conservation easements; professionally maintain over 600 acres of private and governmental lands annually; regularly present nature programs to children and adult groups; and annually log well over 800 volunteer hours taking care of natural areas in the area.

Anyone can participate with Blue Heron Ministries to restore and maintain this area's unique native ecosystems in a number of ways. Here are just a few:

• Become a friend of Blue Heron Ministries and receive our quarterly newsletter Rustling Grass.
• Become an active volunteer to help take care of natural areas during a regularly-scheduled stewardship activity.
• Donate or sell land to Blue Heron Ministries so that enough natural areas will remain far into the future.
• Allow Blue Heron Ministries to restore native landscapes on your property so that diversity, vitality, and beauty may abound.
• Donate financially to Blue Heron Ministries so that the work of stewardship of creation may continue in the lakes country.
• Schedule a presentation by Blue Heron Ministries at a club, organizational, or church meeting.
• Go to www.blueheronland.org for more information.

If you are interested in helping to support the works of Blue Heron Ministries through the Steuben County Community Foundation, there are currently two funds which support their efforts: The Tamarack Lake Endowment Fund and The Fieck Family Conservation Fund.

Donating is easy by using our "donate now" button displayed on our website or on this newsletter.  Or if you prefer, you may send a check directly to the Foundation office at 1701 N. Wayne St., Angola, IN  46703

Board Member Spotlight 

Melanie Harmon

          Melanie Harmon has been on the Steuben County Community Foundation Board since 2002. Trine University, like Cameron Hospital, has a statutory seat on the board, and Melanie had the good fortune and honor of being asked in 2001 to represent the University and she jumped on the opportunity. Melanie has been very active in the SCCF Board from the beginning of her term. She has been the Vice Chair, Secretary, Member of the Capital Campaign Committee, Member of the Asset Development Committee, and the Chair of the annual Margaritaville Fundraiser.

One of Melanie's favorite programs within the foundation is the FIST program.  Teaching young students about philanthropy and then watching them give back of their time, talent and treasure to their community is very exciting. She sees so many benefits, not only for them personally for the skills they develop to make them better students and citizens, but also for the greater society in which we live.  Too often our society associates philanthropy with dollars when in fact, philanthropy is so much more. So for the foundation to have a program where students not only understand this but also practice it, is very invigorating.

 If Melanie could do one thing to improve the Foundation she said that she would "wave a magic wand over our computer database and have it enter everyone's address and e-mail address so more members of our community could learn about and consider supporting our great programs and the needs of Steuben County." The greatest accomplishment that has happened to the Foundation since Melanie has been on the board has been securing the new office location. She believes it made the foundation more visible and accessible to the public and secondly, with the move, she believes it started the first capital campaign in the foundation's history.  Oren, along with other members of the staff, met individually with community folks to garner support for our efforts. And many were first-time donors.  Hopefully, through good stewardship, these first-time donors will become life-long supporters of the foundation.

 Melanie was formerly the Associate Vice President for Alumni & Development at Trine University. We at the Foundation are sad to say that Melanie has taken a new position with Manchester College. We appreciate all the service and support Melanie has given to the Foundation in the last 9 years. Thank you Melanie, and we all wish you the best of luck!!

Dan Caruso

            Dan Caruso, co-owner of Caruso Enterprises, has been a Foundation board member since 2007 when he was asked to serve on the board. He became involved with the Foundation in 1993 when Caruso's Restaurant started helping the Foundation with their fund-raisers. He wanted to make the Foundation's fund-raisers be as successful and beneficial as possible. Only a few months after being on the board, Dan was asked to be on the Executive Committee. That led to his role as Treasurer in 2009. Dan also serves as the chair of the Finance Committee.

            What Dan likes best about the Foundation is the positive impact that the Foundation has made on Steuben County residents. The Foundation's activities impact the community with a high level of integrity, compassion, and commitment.  Dan also likes the board's efforts to maximize its ability to meet human needs and be a collaborator on essential community projects that will improve the quality of life for Steuben County residents.         

            As for what Dan would like to see improved with the Foundation, he jokingly said that he would like to stop having 7:30 a.m. meetings. His real thoughts about improving the Foundation are: he would like to Foundation to become the clear choice for people to give to and invest in for the long term. The greatest accomplishment that Dan feels the Foundation has had are, through our generous donors the Foundation was able to get the new facility. Dan also feels that the board has the wisdom to make necessary changes to guarantee the Foundation's survival through these tough economic times. Finally Dan said that the Foundation has always proven its integrity by passing our annual independent audits with flying colors.

FIST Youth Pod News

At their recent February meeting, the FIST Youth Pod elected to award the following grants:

$500.00- Angola Canine Unit

$700.00- United Way Day of Caring T-shirt sponsorship.

Upcoming FIST Community Activities:

i-Can Creations- April 8-10- Held at the Steuben County YMCA, Can Creations is a new fundraising event that will benefit Project Help.  Community Organizations are encouraged to enter to build a display made entirely of cans of food/food packages.  Displays will be judged in three areas- displays made entirely of cans, displays made from various food packages, and a People's Choice award.  All food used to build the displays will be donate to Project Help's food bank.  A cash award will be given as a 1st place prize in each of the two building categories, and a trophy will be presented to the Peoples Choice winner.

The first 30 teams to register will be given 170 cans of food by FIST to jump start their creation!  Contact the Community Foundation for additional details. entry form...

United Way Day of Caring- May 25

Lorna LEADERship Awards- Nominations are being accepted from Angola, Fremont and Hamilton High Schools for this award established in memory of former Community Foundation Youth Leader, Lorna Leaders.

FIST Faculty Friday- FIST students are preparing to recognize teachers at Angola, Fremont and Hamilton High Schools for their support of the FIST program throughout the year. FIST members will present each teacher with a copy of the FIST Newsletter and an array of gift items.

POP Tabs for Riley Hospital- Please be on the lookout for water jugs placed throughout the community to collect pop tabs for Riley Hospital.