JCB

 Jon and Michelle Bendickson Family

 Dr. and Mrs. Robert Berinato

 Barry and Jeannie Burgess

 Burns Family

 Terry and Vicki Byard

 Christian Mercies

 James A. Dawson Family

 Michael and Leta DeMaioribus

 Robert and Lynn Dowling

 Durboraw Family

 Rob and Laura Elgan

 Don and Susan Faint

 Gallaspy Family

 Susan and Stephen Gilbert Charitable

 Lucinda K. and Gary Griner, Jr. Family

 Fund 1029

 Harrell Family

 Hopper Family

 Keeter Family

 AZK Fund
Evelyn Kurtz Family

Tenth Leper

Luttrell Family

Dexios

Mike and Jana Moody

Phyllis J. Nicaise

I Timothy 6:17

Nuss Family

Molly's Fund

Payne Christian

Randy & Jan Reynolds Family

WKRV Family

Sewall Family

Ron Shaffer Family

Therefore

ABC Fund

Nathaniel B. VanKirk Family

Allen R. Wooten  

Mark Your Calendars!

Nourish and Nurture

August 12

September 9

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

$10 per person

659 Gallatin Street

Enjoy a nourishing lunch as you learn how to nurture the causes you care about most. Cost is $10 per person. You may pay at the door but we must have your reservation in order to have a lunch for you.  Seating is limited. Please reserve by calling  

(256) 489-2281 ext 110. 

Professional Advisors Luncheon

 September 7

October 5

11:30 am 

Sirote Permutt

305 Church Street

 Please join us to learn more about the Community Foundation and how we may help your clients in their charitable giving. Please contact Lynne Berry at (256) 489-2281 if you would like to attend.  

Nov. 10, 2011

The Jackson Center 

8:00 am - 1:30 pm

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Interesting Information

Put simply, philanthropy is the pursuit of excellence in every facet of human life, for every human life, by imagining and implementing new systems, to bring that philosophy to fruition.

An important distinction should be made, that while being admirable, charity is not the same as philanthropy. Simply argued by the concept that an implemented philanthropic idea may make its owner rich, if he or she so wishes. Compare this to the singular act of giving money away, associated with charity, the two concepts almost oppose each other. "A philanthropist knows the act of philanthropy before knowing the definition of the word". (Paul Gignac Philanthropist.) 

-Wikipedia, July 2011 

Board of Directors
and Staff 

Dynetics Enables Employees to Donate

$3.2M to Charity

Employees of Dynetics have collectively committed to $3.2 million dollars in charitable giving through the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County.  These funds came from 43 individual employees utilizing contributions of their Dynetics stock into Donor Advised Funds.

The opportunity developed from a change in the ownership structure of Dynetics.  The company converted to a fully owned ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) Trust.  Shares of company stock held by employees were sold back to the Trust. 

While the transaction is very positive for the workers at Dynetics, it can also trigger a significant tax impact.  By partnering with the Community Foundation, employees were able to use a portion of their stock to fund individual charitbale accounts called Donor Advised Funds, a process that provided them with tax benefits.

Dynetics CEO Dr. Marc Bendickson commented, "When the ESOP transaction came about, we wanted the employees to be aware of the opportunity to set aside a portion of their good fortune for charitable giving.  It was very exciting to see 43 individuals make use of this option.  All of this money will eventually be given to charity, charities chosen by the individual employees.  We do many exciting programs and projects at Dynetics, but this is an achievement that has touched our hearts."

According to Dr. Bendickson, four core values embody the spirit of Dynetics: excellence, ethics, enjoyment and enrichment.  "This fits well with the fourth 'E' of our four E's - enrichment, he said.  "One element of enrichment is strengthening the communities in which we live.  We felt this was a great time to do this.  Because of the economy, charitable donation in our community have been down."

Lynne Berry, Mike and Leta DeMaioribus, Marc and Sheryl Bendickson, Greg and Susan Lester, Chris Russell

 The concept was originally proposed by the past chair of the Community Foundation Board of Directors, Chris Russell.  Russell states, "This milestone event underscores the primary goal of the Community Foundation - to increase the overall level of giving in Huntsville and Madison County area.  We do this primarily by educating donors about the tax benefits of giving and by providing tax-advantageous avenues for giving.  Contributions to donor advised funds come with many advantages for the donor.  In this case in particular, establishing a donor advised fund can offset 2011 tax consequences.  In addtion, donor advised funds are invested by the Community Foundation, enabling them to grow so that ultimately the donors can give away an even larger amount of money.  Donors may make gifts at any time to any 501(c)3, church or government entity in the nation."

Russell and Lynne Berry, executive director of the Foundation, provided an initial information session to Dynetics employees.  "The process was very smooth and easy," said Dr. Bendickson.

Community Foundation Awards $71,313.47

for Tornado Response

The Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County collected $63,035.73 for tornado relief efforts in Madison County.  These funds, combined with a 2010 donation from then Governor Bob Riley of $8,277.74, had to be spent for food, shelter or utility assistance.  Non-profits and churches located within Madison County were eligible to apply for these funds.  The Foundation appointed an ad hoc Basic Needs committee (pictured left), chaired by Elizabeth Fleming, to review the applications and select the recipients.

On June 27, the board of directors announced the recipients of six funding awards -

Huntsville Assistance Program - $10,000 for their Emergency Response Rent and Utility Assistance Program.

Interfaith Mission Service - $18,985.73 for the Adopt-A-Family program, providing families with financial and compassionate support.

Locust Grove Baptist Church - $5,000 for long-term rebuilding efforts in partnership with the Harvest Youth Club, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and area churches.

Madison County Volunteer Lawyers Program - $4,000.00 for legal assistance related to housing.

Manna House - $8,277.74 for food, personal and baby care items.

Salvation Army - $25,000 to support, strengthen and expand Salvation Army's Social Service/Emergency Assistance Program, providing emergency assistance such as food, clothing, comfort kits and utility assistance.

Howard Robin, President/CEO of Nektar, presents $25,000 for Emergency Response Fund

According to Committee Chair Elizabeth Fleming, "These funds reflect the care and compassion of our community.  We are pleased to award these funds at the two month anniversary of the April 27 tornadoes and wish we could have done so sooner.  Individuals and companies from throughout the nation contributed to this and other efforts in our community.  Our largest donation, $25,000, came from Nektar, a California-based company that has a location in Research Park.  We received $10,000 from local philanthropists Steve and Marilyn Plonka.  Vulcan Materials donated $5,000 and made our community's needs known to a company on the West Coast, California Strategies, that in turn donated $5,000.  Local attorney Buck Watson and his wife Janet hosted a barbecue that raised $6,000.  Matthew Dent, President and CEO of Buffalo Rock in Birmingham, encouraged Buffalo Rock employees to donate and provided a company match.  The outpouring of support was truly heartwarming.."

Nominations Open For Philanthropic Awards

"We live in such a giving community" stated Lynne Berry, director of the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County. "There are many companies, individuals, families, foundations, and young people deserving of awards.  Please take the time to complete and submit our nomination form.  Keep in mind those who embody the spirit of giving and who have done so much to sustain and enhance our quality of life in Huntsville and Madison County."  

The deadline for submitting nominations is September 1, 2011.    

This year's Summit will be held on Thursday, November 10, at the Jackson Center from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The theme of the 2011 Summit is "Who, What, When, Where, How and Why Give".  Registration forms will be available soon at www.communityfoundationhsv.org.

For information about nominating a candidate as well as information about the 2011 Summit on Philanthropy, please contact Kristin Utterback at 256-489-2281 ext. 110.

Here are the nomination forms for each category:

Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Award >download form

Outstanding Foundation Philanthropy Award >download form

Outstanding Individual or Family Philanthropy Award >download form

Outstanding Youth Philanthropy Award >download form

The Community Foundation has distributed over $300,000 in donations to non-profits and churches to date.  As the Community Foundation continues to grow, so will our contributions.

Junior Achievement of North Alabama recently benefited from one of our Donor Advised Funds.  Since 1919, Junior Achievement's purpose has been to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise and understand business and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Junior Achievement is the world's largest and fastest-growing non-profit economic education organization. Our programs are taught by classroom volunteers from the business community in your area across America and in over 122 countries worldwide.  

Junior Achievement is a volunteer driven, non-profit organization. This year locally more than 400 business professionals, parents, retirees and college students will enter our schools to teach Junior Achievement programs. These volunteers use their personal experiences to make the Junior Achievement curricula practical and realistic. Providing children with positive adult role models, who illustrate ways to build self-confidence, develop skills and find avenues of success in our free enterprise system, is a hallmark of Junior Achievement.

Junior Achievement of North Alabama is a member of JA Worldwide, a global organization that operates in 124 countries and reaches 4 million students each year. For more than 25 years, Junior Achievement of North Alabama has prepared more than 100,000 local students in financy literacy and entrepreneurship. After countless volunteers and dedicated classrooms, we would like to thank the generous community for the understanding and focus on a child's education in real-world matters.

 Family and Philanthropy

A number of years ago I was out with my two sons, Stephen and Jonathan, when I was paged to the hospital to see a patient. I brought my sons with me, placed them at the nurse's station under the watchful eyes of the secretary, and went to see the patient. While I was away, Solomon, a child with progressive HIV, wheeled up to the nurses stations and engaged in a conversation with my sons. As children do, they asked questions and enjoyed one another's company. When we left my sons asked me about the wheelchair bound boy. I explained his condition and their hearts were filled with sympathy. When we arrived home, they gather up their prize toys and insisted that I give them to Solomon. I was slow to act thinking that in a few days they would change their minds; they didn't. We made a special trip to the hospital for Stephen and Jonathan to give Solomon gifts from the heart.

Children have a natural tendency to be philanthropists.   In growing the moral fabric of our children we have a duty to teach our children charity. The spirit of charity is foundational if we are to enter into full relationships with others. As we teach our children about leadership and personal development, we must include lessons concerning charitable giving.

Teaching children about philanthropy is not a role limited just to parents. I heard of a grandmother who gathered all of her grandchildren together and challenged them to go out and find a nonprofit they believed was making a difference in their community. The grandchildren collectively gathered their allowances and savings and gave it to the nonprofit with a letter explaining why they were giving their charitable gift. It was not the amount of the gift that matter, but the act of the giving.

Each family has its own heritage, its own stories, values, goals, and hopes. We give because it represents who we are as a family, living within a blessing to bless others. By practicing philanthropy together, families establish a vision, create a living legacy, and establish a guiding statement of their family values for succeeding generations.

Engage in family discussion concerning charitable giving. By making charitable contributions through the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County a family affair, your family can establish its philanthropic legacy. It is easy to establish a Donor Advised Fund in your family name or any name you choose. The administrative costs are much less than starting the traditional private family foundation. Your family enjoys the maximum tax benefits of charitable donation and has access to the Community Foundation's expertise on grant making. Your family's charitable intent can change as the community needs change.

Children and grandchildren learn firsthand about our values, social needs, and community trust, when we involve them in charitable giving.  

-James Gilbert, MD

 Chair, Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County 

The Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County
659 Gallatin Street, First Floor
Huntsville, AL 35801
(256) 489-2281

info@communityfoundationhsv.org