May was an Exciting Month!

We presented this BIG CHECK to the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau to help farms impacted by the recent tornado in Jo Daviess County. Photo Credit: Eric Dregne

YOUR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION'S IMPACT IS GROWING!

A few days ago, we shared this message with our Board of Directors. We thought it would be fun to celebrate with you, too!

Here's the message

I hope you are all having a great morning. I just wanted to share a bit about my morning. It started with the email below from Elisah Walker, the Executive Director at NICAA - we sent a $20,000 grant to NICAA a week or so ago to help folks in Lena, and it's having a great impact. We also made a $11,000 grant to the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau to help farmers in Jo Daviess County who were impacted by the same tornado. The money was donated by about 100 donors in Jo Daviess County to help people impacted by the tornado that hit Eastern Jo Daviess County and Lena, IL.

Then I swung by the PO BOX and worked in the Community Foundation office in Elizabeth for a while this morning. I opened 4 pieces of mail. A thank you letter from a student who received a Roger Stoddard Scholarship from the CFJC, a letter from a student who received a Richard Eustice Scholarship from the CFJC, a thank you letter from a farmer, impacted by the tornado in April, who received a grant from the CFJC through the Farm Bureau, and a $20,000 donation to a scholarship fund.

I tell people all the time, YOU are helping to build something amazing for the community here in Jo Daviess County, and today, the mail we received told me I am right.

In fact, the Community Foundation paid out over $26,000 in scholarships in May, again, thanks to generous donors who make the scholarships possible.

We made another grant for $10,000 to JDLF Collective to fund a Food Security Coordinator for Jo Daviess County for a 2nd year. This role focuses on building the capacity of food pantries and partnerships to address food insecurity in Jo Daviess County. It also provides support for the Farm to Pantry program at JDLF Collective. Cindy Tegtmeyer is the Food Security Coordinator!

Then, we made grants from the Jo Daviess County Youth Fund totaling $10,000. We had so many incredible applications, making the decisions difficult. In the end, our board members who review our grant applications landed on 3 awards - $5,000 to the ARC for childcare expansion - aligning with the Community Foundation's work to increase access to childcare in the County, $3,000 to the Galena Area Emergency Medical Service District (GAEMSD) for the Stop the Bleed training for all students in Jo Daviess County, and $2,000 for Mindful Minutes to bring new programming to Jo Daviess County preschools.

That's $76,000! May has been an exciting month!

Philanthropy On Tap Event - June 9th

Learn more about the Community Foundation at Philanthropy On Tap, an event on June 9th at 530p at the Hwy 20 Brewery! Get information & RSVP here. No donation requests, just a chance to hear about the Community Foundation's impact & to have a beer with your neighbors & friends in Jo Daviess County.

The Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County fosters giving and invests in communities in Jo Daviess County. At the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County, we strengthen the communities in our county by inspiring community members to give, making grants to strengthen nonprofits, and investing in long-term community initiatives.

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