g o f r o o d c L A Y r f o S Uc L L I V A N v r e e o U r V i G o t e e h w o m e o n w e o r r t g t h e A e p d W A B A S H r o u c V A L L E y e D u A C o M M U NTI Y T i F o u N D A T I o N o WE DEFINE com·mu·ni·ty 2018 Annual Report contents 3 Defining the Community 30 Dr. Mary Ann Carroll’s Legacy 4 Letter from Our President 31 The Legacy Society 6 The Dictionary Project 32 Funds 8 Community Leadership 38 Ways to Give 12 Grants 39 The Power of Giving 19 Scholarships 40 Financials 22 Lewis & Eva Berry 42 Board 23 Donors 43 Committees 28 Memorials & Tributes WHO WE ARE MISSION The mission of the Wabash Valley Community Foundation is to engage people, build resources and strengthen community in the Wabash Valley. VISION The Wabash Valley Community Foundation will be the primary steward of endowed funds and a leader that encourages broad-based charitable activity in the Wabash Valley. WHO Since our formation in December 1991, the Community Foundation has been diligently working with you to improve the quality of life for residents in Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. We are committed to serving local philanthropists who care passionately about the local communities we serve. WHAT We steward and grow our permanent endowments to support our grantmaking priorities for the Wabash Valley. We partner with individuals, families and businesses to help them achieve their charitable goals. We provide innovative leadership on community issues and opportunities, while focusing our grantmaking in five areas: arts & culture, community development, education, health & human services and religion. WHERE In collaboration with the Community Foundation, our donors make gifts to benefit the lives of residents of Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. 2018 3 A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT One of the most important roles assumed All three counties, Clay, Sullivan and Vigo, have by our Community Foundation is that of “Giving Circles” with memberships that meet regularly “advocate.” When we collectively support, to award discretionary grants to organizations focusing encourage and promote the interests of on helping our children, neighbors and others. The members of our communities, we have the Community Foundation’s Youth Grant Committee unique opportunity to unearth the passion and provides young people an opportunity to experience resources to make significant differences in our philanthropy and stewardship early on in their lives. lives. All these efforts, on our part, to be responsible As supporters of the Wabash Valley, Clay County and leaders in our communities are dependent on your Sullivan County Community Foundations, you play continued support and confidence. Over the years, an instrumental role in identifying areas of needs in Lilly Endowment Inc. has been generous with GIFT our many communities. Many of you identify these (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) Initiatives that needs and create endowment funds that support help community foundations grow endowment funds organizations to address those needs. Often, donors to provide more grants for community needs. A new will create unrestricted funds which provide financial initiative, Gift VII, was just announced in October for support to causes deemed important by our outreach 2019. Under Gift VII, Lilly Endowment will match efforts. These types of funds recognize that community each new gift to an unrestricted endowment fund with needs will vary from time to time and that what might $2, up to $250,000 in Clay and Sullivan counties and have been a critical need in the past is less so today. $500,000 in Vigo County. For our Community Foundation to be the best possible During my tenure as a Board member and President stewards of your generosity, it is important for us to of the Wabash Valley Community Foundation, I have serve as a catalyst for discerning what our communities had the privilege to work with great colleagues on the see as opportunities to improve quality of life. We Board. I have also enjoyed working with dedicated and utilize a number of resources to do this very thing. talented staff members, both present and past, whose Our Boards of Directors are comprised of diverse commitment to the Community Foundation’s mission community members. We engage volunteers from our to “engage people, build resources and strengthen our communities to serve on committees that collaborate communities” has made immeasurable differences in with one another to address community concerns our leadership pursuit. and find sustainable solutions in addition to financial support. 4 2018 Thank you for your ongoing support and confidence in your Community Foundation! Sincerely, H. MICHAEL LAWSON “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” – Margaret J. Wheatley 2018 5 THE DICTIONARY PROJECT The Dictionary Project began in 1992, when Annie reference tool, but it is also a necessity for children residing Plummer gave 50 dictionaries to students in a in rural areas of the Wabash Valley. Oftentimes, internet Georgia school. In her lifetime, she raised the service is not available in these areas, which makes it money to purchase 17,000 dictionaries. To date, quite difficult for children to look up words for homework The Dictionary Project has delivered more than assignments. Through the Dictionary Project, each student 31.4 million dictionaries to 3rd graders throughout is provided with a dictionary of his or her own. As a result, the United States. education is more likely to be pursued due to improved writing and reading comprehension skills. Since 2004, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation, partnering with local Rotary Clubs, has delivered more The Wabash Valley Dictionary Project Endowment Fund, than 32,000 dictionaries to both public and private third along with several other endowed Dictionary Funds held grade students in Clay, Sullivan and Vigo counties. To within the Community Foundation, is designed to purchase ensure this project continues to promote literacy within the individual dictionaries and name plates for each the communities, the Community Foundation holds the book. The Brazil Rotary Club, Sullivan Rotary Club and Wabash Valley Dictionary Project Endowment Fund to Terre Haute Rotary Club partner with the Community provide funding for more than 2,000 dictionaries each year. Foundation in the delivery and presentation of the dictionaries to the students. It is a common misconception that today’s generation of children are too modern and/or too steeped in the digital For more information on The Dictionary Project, age to be interested in anything as old-fashioned as a paper or to create an endowed Dictionary Fund, please dictionary. As any local Rotary Club member will attest, contact the Community Foundation at 812.232.2234. passing out dictionaries in a classroom full of third graders tends to generate excitement. A dictionary is a powerful Terre Haute Rotary Club members apply name plates to dictionaries.6 2018 Pictured above are Jerome (Jerry) and Wilma Jean Tennis. This fund was created in honor of Bill’s father, Jerry. GOODWILL INDUSTRIES TENNIS FAMILY DICTIONARY FUND As a Rotary Club member, William (Bill) Tennis, His father, Jerome Tennis, served as the first principal of executive director of Wabash Valley Goodwill West Vigo Elementary School – then a newly consolidated Industries, Inc., was first exposed to the concept school. In creating the Goodwill Industries Tennis Family of endowing dictionaries for every third grade Dictionary Fund, Tennis honored his father by selecting classroom when he assisted in the distribution of West Vigo Elementary School as the first school the Fund the dictionaries to local schools. endowed. The Dictionary Project promotes literacy within the Clay, Tennis explained Goodwill has since endowed several more Sullivan and Vigo communities by providing funding for Vigo County schools, with a goal of endowing eight to ten more than 2,000 dictionaries each year. Several years ago, more schools per year until each school is endowed. Since the Community Foundation reached out to local businesses the Fund’s creation in 2014, Goodwill has also endowed and organizations seeking partnerships to help cover a schools in Brazil, IN – the location of the first satellite retail portion of the cost to endow local elementary schools. store for the Terre Haute Goodwill. “I caught wind of The Dictionary Project and the effort “Goodwill believes education is the key to success,” on behalf of the Community Foundation to provide said Tennis. “We believe it’s still instrumental, even in dictionaries to all third graders in Vigo County,” explained this digital age, that young kids are exposed to physical Tennis. “Coming from a family of educators, I thought dictionaries and learn how to use them. These dictionaries it was a neat idea and approached the Goodwill Board help kids realize and learn what a book is, how dictionaries of Directors about creating a fund in honor of Dad and encompass their lives and how they will use books forever.” Goodwill Industries.” 2018 7 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Quality of Place, a sponsored program of the Community Foundation. Vigo County School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth served as a guest speaker during a Quality of Place meeting. The Community Foundation provides a vehicle for community a better place. Since 2018, the Wabash Valley community leaders to convene people to explore Community Foundation has hosted monthly Quality of Place and understand important issues. Leaders facilitate meetings to engage and empower individuals to participate in the discussions to find common ground, create goals process.