Category: News

For their seventh consecutive year, the Women’s Giving Circle, an initiative of the Community Foundation of North Central Florida, will be granting hope to area agencies and will surpass $500,000 in giving since its launch in 2006. Five local agencies will receive a total of $59,000 while $10,000 will be endowed for future funding to programs benefiting women and girls of Alachua County.

The Women’s Giving Circle selected Meridian’s Supported Employment Program to receive a grant of $50,000.  Funds provide immediate and direct support to 140 mentally ill or dually-diagnosed (women diagnosed with both a mental illness and an addiction) adult women clients who have demonstrated the job skills and training necessary to assume transitional and supported jobs in the community to provide direct wages for eligible participants.  This program not only empowers its participants but funds yield a return on investment of 7:1 translating into an estimated $350,000 in community benefit in terms of days worked, wages earned, and productivity.

Other local programs selected as recipients of Women’s Giving Circle grants include:

ACORN Clinic — Award Amount: $1,000

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council — Award Amount: $3,000

Junior Achievement of Alachua County — Award Amount: $2,000

Southern Scholarship Foundation — Award Amount: $3,000

 

Carrie Lee, chairwoman of the Women’s Giving Circle, is delighted with the group’s success.  “The continued success of the Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Circle is proof that we are truly living and carrying out our mission to promote philanthropy in our community,” Lee stated.

Women who join the Giving Circle commit to donate $1,000 annually. Each donation is added to one grant pool enabling women to combine their resources to address the needs of area women and girls.  For more information about the Women’s Giving Circle, please contact the Community Foundation of North Central Florida at 367-0060.

Since Clint Lacinak’s death in May of 2012, his parents Dave and Christine Lacinak have established a fund with the Community Foundation of North Central Florida. The fund will honor Clint by awarding three rising sixth-grade students at St. Patrick’s School scholarships of $1,000 each to apply towards their tuition.

“Clint always treasured his time at St. Patrick’s School and all the good times he had there with classmates, friends, teachers, and staff. We could think of no better way to honor Clint’s memory than to establish a fund to make similar experiences possible for others,” said the Lacinaks in regards to the scholarship fund. “We found St. Patrick’s to be the perfect combination of a great education and a nurturing environment, full of faith. Clint would have been happy to see such opportunities made available for other middle school students.”

The scholarship is available to current St. Patrick’s fifth graders who plan to return to the parochial school for junior high. If students are able to maintain their academic performance, conduct, and leadership they can renew their scholarships throughout their time at St. Patrick’s. The inaugural scholarships will be awarded in May of 2013.

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida, where the fund was established, is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. It is a permanent charitable endowment, developed and sustained by individuals from all over our community. Established as the Gainesville Community Foundation in 1998, the Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that enables individuals to establish charitable funds. The Foundation manages more than 50 funds and more than $11 million in assets and has awarded more than $8 million in grants since its inception.

The fourth annual MUSICAL CHAIRS PROJECT Fundraiser, sponsored by Friends of Elementary Arts, Inc., will be held on Friday, March 8, 2013 from 7-9PM at the Doris Bardon Community Cultural Center, 716 N. Main Street, Gainesville, FL.

For more information on this event, please refer to the following link.

musical chairs press release

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida is pleased to announce its new officers for its Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of local professionals who share the common objective of promoting philanthropy in the North Central Florida area.

The following board members have been nominated to be the officers for the Board of Directors at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida:

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida is pleased to announce the addition of four new members to its Professional Advisor Council. The Professional Advisor Council consists of professionals with expertise in tax law, estate planning, accounting, investment, financial planning, wealth management, insurance, and family office/foundations. Members of the Council share the common objectives of promoting philanthropy in our area and helping clients achieve their philanthropic goals.

The following local advisors have been selected to serve on the Professional Advisor Council of the Community Foundation for two years:

 

Jack Bovay

Managing Shareholder, Dean Mead

 

Christopher Conner, CFP

Managing Director, North Florida Wealth Advisors

 

Vicki Santello

First Vice President Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch

 

Darrell Timberlake

President, Cornerstone Financial Group

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida had a radio interview on the Meridian Behavioral Healthcare Home Page. Click on the link below to listen to the interview featuring Barzella Papa, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, and Perry McGriff, Chairman of the Board of Directors. We would like to thank Kevin Coulson from Meridian Behavioral Healthcare for hosting the CFNCF on his show.

cfncf-060312.mp3

CFRE International has named Barzella Papa as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Barzella Papa, president and CEO for the Gainesville Community Foundation joins more than 5,200 professionals around the world who hold the CFRE designation.

Individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, demonstrated fundraising achievement and a commitment to service to not-for-profit organizations. They have also passed a rigorous written examination testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to upholdAccountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.

“The CFRE credential was created to identify for the public and employers those individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and commitment to perform fundraising duties in an effective and ethical manner,” states Sharilyn Hale, M.A., CFRE, Chair of CFRE International. “As the certification is voluntary, achievement of the CFRE credential demonstrates a high level of commitment on the part of Barzella to herself and the fundraising profession as a whole.”

Since joining the Community Foundation in July 2006, Papa has grown the Foundation to more than $10.5 million in assets and has managed the distribution of more than $5 million in grants. Under her leadership, the Foundation also achieved compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations and launched several successful initiatives including the Women’s Giving Circle and the Legacy Awards.

CFRE International is an independent organization dedicated to the certification of fundraising executives by setting standards in philanthropic practice. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and led by a small professional staff, CFRE International consistently meets the highest standards for certification excellence and is itself accredited online casino by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gainesville Community Foundation has received a $1 million gift from Dr. Paul Schilling and Dr. Jay Dutton to establish the Circle of Hope Fund. The fund will support Peaceful Paths in its mission of serving the population of battered women and children in Alachua, Bradford, and Union Counties and is the first step toward the realization of expanded services.
“This gift represents our commitment to the innovative social enterprise work that Peaceful Paths engages in throughout our area,” Dr. Jay Dutton, chairman of the Peaceful Paths Board of Directors, said. “We believe that supporting an organization committed to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations through collaboration, social change initiatives, and a continuum of services from Emergency Intervention to Youth Violence Prevention, we can alter the tenor of our community around intimate partner violence.”

Foundation Board Chairman Perry McGriff added, “The lesson that Dr. Schilling and Dr. Dutton have taught all of us is when you work or live in a community and you’ve been a part of the fabric of the community, it’s important to re-invest in its future. We are very proud that they recognize the Gainesville Community Foundation as one of the best vehicles to achieve their charitable goal.”
According to Dr. Theresa B. Harrison, Executive Director of Peaceful Paths, the organization has remained dedicated to the core missions of safety, support and self-sufficiency for victims and survivors in our area.

When resources are devoted to critical issues such as domestic violence, social change is achieved,” Harrison stated. “Change that not only impacts individual families in vulnerable situations, but a change in the social fabric of our community.”

“We invite you to join us in supporting Peaceful Paths and their work to end domestic violence and create a Circle of Hope for victims and their children,” Dutton said. Peaceful Paths, Inc. provides 23,000 services annually to more than 10,000 adults and children in our community in services ranging from helpline assistance to residential programs and counseling services. All services are free and confidential, and Peaceful Paths is part of the statewide Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The Gainesville Community Foundation assists donors, both individuals and organizations, with long-range planning of their support for charities in our community. The Foundation provides information, ideas, professional advice and personalized assistance to help donors realize their charitable goals. For more information or to make a contribution, call the Gainesville online casino Community Foundation at 352-367-0060 or visit their website at www.gnvcf.org.