Saturday, December 27, 2008
By Jordan Cohen
BROOKFIELD — The Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, a group that oversees charitable giving for 360 smaller foundations, has overseen more than $22 million in donations since its founding in 1981.
Charities and organizations in Trumbull County alone have received nearly $780,000 in donations since 1993 even though Trumbull Community Foundation, a subsidiary of the parent organization, was created just this year.
Larry Haynes, executive director, said 17 separate foundations in Trumbull County make donations under the auspices of his foundation. Haynes said the donations have been as small as a few thousand dollars and as high as a few million.
“Everyone can be a philanthropist,” Haynes said.
Haynes said most community foundations can hold any fund-raising event they choose to add to their donations. The exceptions are individuals who create foundations based solely on their own money, referred to as “established assets.”
However, there is one major requirement for each subsidiary foundation: All donation plans must be submitted to the parent foundation’s board of directors for approval before funds can be distributed.
“It must have a charitable impact and that’s what we can facilitate,” Haynes said.
Haynes said that people generally create foundations for reasons such as estate planning or long-term legacy giving. While such donors could create private foundations, Haynes said that many prefer community foundations for tax reasons. Unlike the private organizations, community foundations do not require a tax identification number or separate tax returns. Instead, all of the separate foundations are categorized under the tax identification number of Haynes’ umbrella organization.
A Brookfield family’s personal tragedy in 1981 led to the formation of the first area community foundation. Paul O’Brien, owner of Rien Construction Co., Brookfield, had gone on vacation with his wife, leaving his three children in the care of his wife’s mother. While the parents were gone, a furnace malfunctioned, spreading carbon monoxide through the home, killing the children and their grandmother.
“I knew we had to do something to make good come out of bad,” O’Brien said, “so with the support of family, friends, clergy and the community, we started the Shenango Valley Foundation.”
O’Brien said the goal at first was to help the elderly and children, but since then, the community foundations have gone on to aid the underprivileged, a number of nonprofit organizations and education. One of which O’Brien is proudest is “Success by 6,” which he described as “a sophisticated program to develop skills that prepare children for kindergarten.” O’Brien said 10 schools including several in Trumbull County participate in the program.
Recipients of the foundations’ largesse speak their praises. Deryck Toles of Warren, a former pro football player with the Indianapolis Colts, is executive director of Inspiring Minds, a nonprofit organization he created for “at risk and underserved children that exposes them to other cultures and opportunities.” Inspiring Minds received its first donation, $6,000, from a community foundation.
“They’ve helped us create our infrastructure and put us in the best position to be successful,” said Toles, a Warren Harding and Penn State graduate. “They gave us a perspective and helped us develop a business plan.”
Thanks to the foundation, Inspiring Minds took 14 high school students from Harding, Howland and LaBrae to New York City, where they received a college tour at New York University and explored various ethnic neighborhoods.
The Brookfield Fire Department received $10,000 from the Strimbu Memorial Fund, one of the largest of the subsidiary foundations, when it created the Fallen Firefighters Fund after the sudden death of Assistant Fire Chief Mark Christy in 2006.
“Since then, we’ve provided $1,500 scholarships for students and built wheelchair ramps for the elderly,” said Fire Chief Keith Barrett. “What’s really good is that we’ve had successful fund-raising efforts so we have not had to go back to the foundation for any additional money.”
Another beneficiary is the Warren YWCA, which is reopening in a limited capacity after being shut down due to lack of funds in 2005. The community foundation awarded the YWCA $7,500 to hire a part-time staff to develop after-school programs for middle school pupils.
“They [foundations] have gone above and beyond by being very supportive and not restrictive,” said Shari Harrell, executive director of the YWCA, noting that Haynes has been especially helpful in guiding the Y on the use of its funds.
Haynes said one of the biggest misunderstandings about the foundations’ philanthropy is that it is solely associated with the wealthy.
“We have funds of just a few thousand dollar[s],” Haynes said. “Some of our small funds are used for a few scholarships.” One of those is the Ty Longley Fund, named in memory of the Brookfield rock guitarist who died in a tragic nightclub fire while performing with his group, Great White. The scholarships are available for Brookfield High School students.
The chairman of the Strimbu Memorial Fund emphasized that the foundations should not be viewed as a source of handouts.
“We ask ourselves if we can leverage the money and help people help themselves,” John Mastrian said. “However, our philosophy is that people need it more now than they’ve ever needed it.”
“That’s why it’s important for us to develop more community foundations,” Haynes said. “The bigger part of our mission is attempting to keep as many of those charitable resources in our community for a long period of time.”