March Focus: Bolstering Human Services
Serving Every Member of Delaware County
HUMAN SERVICES ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART of strong, vibrant communities. In times of need and in times of celebration, it is important that we have support systems to rally behind us and provide us with the keys to success, cheering us on along the way. Human services may be as broad-reaching as public libraries, or they may be highly specialized, meant to uplift community members most in need.
Youth services, mental health centers, food banks, shelters, recovery programs, and a whole swath of local organizations are important to our continued growth and wellbeing, and their work strengthens our entire Delaware County community. Through unrestricted, donor advised, and designated funds, our donors are ensuring that the needs of the community are met today, tomorrow, and always. Read on to hear a few special stories.
The Mitchells
“I believe that philanthropy is like planting trees that you will never sit under,” says James Mitchell. Recalling the timeless proverb, James hopes to carry out his own legacy while honoring his parents through a very special fund. From a young age, his parents Bill and Nancy Mitchell instilled in James a love for volunteering – through his childhood, they volunteered with the American Legion, Veteran’s Administration, Boy Scouts, and their church.
As an adult, James has served on boards for Muncie’s Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie, and the East Central Indiana Human Resources Association. James has also established a permanent legacy through an endowed fund at the Foundation. Using the Acorn program, which allows a donor to contribute to a named fund over time, James established the Bill and Nancy Mitchell Living Well in Delaware County Fund, which benefits programs and activities that focus on heathy living in the community.
To date, the fund has supported the building of a new YMCA facility, programming at the Ross Community Center, and accessibility renovations to Cooley Park, among other causes. “The Community Foundation made it easy for me to start this fund through the Acorn program of growing my endowment... their impact is tangible, and they value what I value in the community,” says James. This named fund not only honors his parents’ philanthropic spirit, but also supports a healthier, more vibrant community for generations to come.
Keith & Elaine Miller
“What makes the world go ‘round is giving back,” says Elaine Miller. “We both believe that that’s what you should do; the blessings you’ve been given should be spilled over. It’s where you find joy, and it’s what makes a difference in this world.” Keith and Elaine, who have lived in Muncie for over 25 years, are very grateful for the opportunities they’ve been given and felt that they wanted an established way of giving back to the Muncie community. The couple found that a donor advised fund would do just that, giving them the chance to advise which organizations would benefit from their fund while still allowing a degree of flexibility.
In 2007, they established the donor advised Keith and Elaine Miller Fund. To date, the fund has extensively supported Urban Light Christian Development Corporation, a Muncie-based organization which manages a recovery home for women, creates housing opportunities, and builds stronger neighborhoods. As for the Foundation, “It was a very easy vehicle to use,” says Elaine. “We wanted to have a set amount of money that could be used inside the community and that would give us the flexibility to use it as we want.” The nature of this fund means that Keith and Elaine can structure its support to meet the ongoing needs of human services organizations in the community as they come up.
Gordon & Pam Cox
“In all my years in Muncie, the community has given to me, so I’m giving back,” says Gordon Cox. He and his wife Pam have certainly given back to their community through their philanthropic endeavors, but their journey happened almost by chance. In the early years of the Foundation, Gordon passed a group of people outside the Foundation and happened to ask what they were up to – a few conversations later and with some encouragement from the group, Gordon and Pam became contributors to the emerging cause of the Foundation.
The couple began the Gordon and Pam Cox Unrestricted Endowment Fund in 2002. While the fund is unrestricted, many of the grants from this fund honor Gordon and Pam’s commitment to bettering human services in Delaware County. Recent benefactors have included ecoREHAB of Muncie, Recovery Cafe Muncie, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie. The Coxes believed in the power of pooled endowed funds through the Foundation, saying that “as it gets bigger, it can do more. The more it can do, the more it can support all kinds of different things in the community.” By choosing an unrestricted fund, the Cox family put their faith in the Foundation’s thorough grant process, ensuring that their philanthropy can support organizations in every corner of the community, whatever the need. From Gordon, “When you respect money and share it, it grows.” This unrestricted fund contributes to a growing culture of human services betterment, building on the legacy of unrestricted giving by and for the community.
Steve & Barbara Smith
“When you think you’re going to help or support someone else, it’s just given back to you so much more. You’re the one who ends up being blessed,” says Barbara Smith. She and her husband Steve have been lifelong supporters and engaged members of their Muncie community. Steve is the CEO of Mid-West Metal Products, a Muncie-based business, and he has also served as a chair of the Foundation, saying “it’s a great organization and a very well-run organization.”
It was their trust in the Foundation that led them to establish the Steve and Barbara Smith Donor Advised Fund in 2006. As a donor advised fund, their philanthropy is directed more closely than an unrestricted fund but still allows them flexibility in the grant process. Through this fund, the couple has worked to benefit human services organizations that serve those experiencing homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, mental health crises, and domestic abuse, among other causes. "An endowment is an ongoing gift instead of a one-time gift,” Steve recognizes. As Barbara and Steve work to grow and gift this fund, they are able to see the far-reaching impacts of their philanthropy today, tomorrow, and always.
Make a Difference
Caring, giving donors are key to developing an enduring source of charitable assets to benefit our community today, tomorrow, and always.