Thank you Community Foundation, for 60 years of local philanthropy
By DIANA PADDOCK dpaddock@timesobserver.comAs the Community Foundation of Warren County celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, just a few of the many organizations that have been aided by its philanthropy pay tribute:
The foundation makes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations to the improvement of Warren County through new construction, building additions and new programs.
"Non scholarship grants are made by Community Foundation of Warren County on a competitive basis. Applicants must be a Warren County agency unless a donor has designated a non-county agency through a donor-advised fund. The Foundation Distribution Committee meets most months, and decisions are usually made shortly after receipt of the request. Grants are determined on the basis of the quality of the project, amount requested, and availability of funds. Most grants are on a one-time basis, although occasionally a multi-year grant will be considered. No grants will be considered for an agency's routine administrative costs or for enhancement of an agency's foundation account."
The athletic track and field
at War Memorial Field
Community Foundation was a "significant contributor" to the track and field regeneration at War Memorial Field in Warren, according to Tom Scarcella, president of Warren Sports Boosters when the project was completed.
The project took more than five years to finish, from the initial paperwork when Mike Curren was Sports Boosters president to completion, Scarcella said. The new field was dedicated in 1997 when everything but the concession stand was completed.
An all-weather track was added, and the concession stand has since been completed.
"We couldn't have done the project without their help," Scarcella said of the Community Foundation of Warren County. "We had contributions from all kinds of sources. private, corporate and state grants. but, as far as the Community Foundation, they were very significant."
The athletic track and field at Sheffield Area High School
In a similar project, the Community Foundation of Warren County contributed $25,000 to the Sheffield Sports Boosters' work on the athletic track and field on the hill at Sheffield Area High School. The track, which was cinder since the school's construction in the mid-1970s, was replaced with an all-weather track. Drainage was improved. A press box was added. New aluminum bleachers with handicapped accessibility were constructed, and a fence was built around the track. The project, which cost more than $250,000, was supported through grants and contributions through the Sheffield Sports Boosters.
The Community Foundation offered "a significant contribution," said Tom Dunn, a member of the Sports Boosters. Community Foundation contributed "ten percent of what we were able to collect in donations," Dunn said. "We would have been in a bad way without it."
Because of the poor condition of the original track at Sheffield, the high school was forced to have track meets at Warren's Memorial Field. Now they can host small invitationals at home.
Warren Public Library
"The foundation has been a life saver for Warren Library for a great, long time," said library director Patty Sherbondy. "They have helped us get a number of things off the ground ... started ... completed," projects, Sherbondy said, that may not have come to fruition without financial help.
Seed money from the foundation began Read Along the River, One Book for Warren County.
"We wanted to bring that to Warren County," Sherbondy said, and "the foundation gave us the funding for the first year."
The hugely successful program is now in its sixth year, Sherbondy shared, but the library would not have been able to get it started without the foundation's "helping hand."
In 2006, faced with piles of used books, empty space in the library basement and the desire to turn those assets into money that could help fund library programs, Sherbondy approached the foundation for money to start the "Book Cellar."
The "foundation gave us half of the funding needed to renovate the space" Sherbondy explained, and the Book Cellar has been a successful, if small, funding source. Open for several hours a week, the cellar sells used books at low prices. The used books are donated by library patrons.
"Book Cellar paid for itself the first year," Sherbondy said proudly. "It's pure profit now."
The Community Foundation of Warren County also has helped the library with many larger projects, Sherbondy said.
In 2003, the library critically needed a new telephone system.
"We could have been using paper cups and strings," Sherbondy said, laughing.
Community Foundation helped.
The library replaced windows in 2000, which helped keep the building warm in winter and helped save on utility bills.
Community Foundation helped.
The library had to update the security system.
Community Foundation helped.
The library had to do compliance work on the elevators, an "unexpected expense that was not in our budget," Sherbondy explained.
Community Foundation helped.
The library has asked for assistance from the foundation mainly for special projects, Sherbondy explained. "I try to be very, very careful about what" we ask for. "We want them to know if we are coming to them it is because we have a real need."
In addition to the assistance Warren Public Library receives for acute infrastructure problems and for special projects, the foundation "manages endowments for people who have remembered us," Sherbondy added.
Sherbondy said working with the foundation is wonderful. There is an application process, and "they expect us to do our homework and have complete information," she said. But they are always "very receptive. They ask questions to make sure they understand what we are trying to accomplish. And the turn-around time is short."
Sherbondy said she "can't say enough good about the foundation. They do a lot of good for Warren County and have for a very long time."
Warren General Hospital
Community Foundation has aided the physical plant and services of Warren General Hospital over the years, and especially during Target Tomorrow, the hospital's major expansion project in the 1990s, and with the Cancer Care Center building in 2003.
"They have a history of being a great support to the hospital," said WGH CEO John Papalia. "Their ongoing commitment has been huge."
"I think we are more than fortunate" to have Community Foundation in Warren, Papalia added. "It draws us together as a conduit for achieving things in this community" in many ways, "you name it. As a community hospital, something like the Community Foundation is just invaluable"
Cancer Care Center
The building of the Cancer Care Center - which has served thousands of local residents - also was aided by Community Foundation.
The center, located in a separate building behind Warren General, is "not large by any stretch," said director Terry Cook, "but our capacities are stretched every day because of the volume (of patients) that we support. Just in medical oncology, we have more than 700 patient visits" per month. An additional 300 to 400 patient visits are seen each month for radiation oncology.
"We serve this community with top notch physicians for oncology care," Cook said. Although there has not been an increased incidence of cancer cases (regionally), he said, since he has been at the Cancer Center since April 2004, "our volume has probably tripled. The physicians of Warren General not only utilize us for cancer care, but they utilize us for patient needs related to Crohn's and anemias, and we see patients for being treated for infections requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy.
"We drive a lot of good sentiment for Warren General Hospital and the communities that surround it," Cook said. Although the center maintains a "synergistic" relationship with medical facilities in nearby metropolitan areas, he explained, the center does offer care that patients would have to drive many miles for in the past.
Tidioute Library
The addition to the Tidioute Library in 2005 also was aided by the Community Foundation of Warren County.
"They are the essence of contribution and fund giving to the whole Warren County area," said Robert Schwab who was president of the library board of directors and chairman of the addition project. "It's just hard to describe. If you go to them and give them a worthwhile presentation and project, they step up to the plate. It's hard to describe the generosity of the Community Foundation."
The old library, built in 1931, was about 900 square feet, small, Schwab explained, and "outdated, outmoded. The lighting was poor. We needed to update to the era of computers, and we needed to get online." Of the $500,000 needed for the addition, contributions from the Community Foundation came to almost 10 percent over the three-year campaign. The 1500 square-foot addition has maintained the integrity of the building, constructed in traditional Federalist style.
The addition also included a parking lot.
"Before, we just had on-street parking," Schwab said The addition of a parking lot "made it convenient for people coming in."
"We have a beautiful library," Schwab added, and a great deal of thanks goes to many people and organizations. "We had a lot of generous donors." I don't want to slight anybody. But the foundation was very, very generous with that and other projects that we have been involved in."
Tidioute Medical Center
Tidioute lost its medical center and service about two years ago, and community members rallied to replace it beginning in 2008. Approximately 60 people attended the initial meeting, county commissioners, state and local representatives, other dignitaries and many local citizens. When the Community Foundation of Warren County was contacted for its support, they offered the seed money and presented a check at the initial meeting, said Schwab, who has also been involved in this community project.
The new center will be an affiliate of Warren General Hospital. The building, a planned 3,000 square feet, will house medical, dental and pharmacy care services.
"I can't say enough about Community Foundation of Warren County," Schwab said. "I have seen them come to the front for so many good county causes. The citizens of Tidioute thank you, directors of the Community Foundation."
