The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts is announcing four grant awards from the Tornado Relief Fund for Western Mass.  Four local nonprofits will receive awards totaling $40,000.

In the aftermath of the June 1 tornadoes that hit western Massachusetts, the Community Foundation established the Tornado Relief Fund for Western Mass to assist nonprofits who were either directly impacted by the storm or are serving impacted individuals. 

To date more than $150,000 has been raised from both individual donors and businesses in the community, such as PeoplesBank, in partnership with New England Public Radio WFCR & WNNZ; United Bank, in partnership with ABC40 and Fox 6 Springfield; and People's United Bank.

The four grants are in addition to grants already announced in July for Square One and the Greater Springfield YMCA.

The four new grant recipients are:

• First Church of Monson $20,000
  Funds will support organized volunteer efforts in Monson to assist residents with cleanup and essential building repairs that resulted from the tornadoes.
• Rebuilding Together Springfield $10,000
  This grant enables the organization to assist low income homeowners with necessary repairs resulting from tornado damage. A special week-long event in October will utilize volunteer support to assist 25 homeowners.
• Friends of the Homeless $5,000
  The grant assists the organization with increased costs of housing, food, and supplies due to expanded service needs caused by serving many displaced individuals impacted by tornadoes.
• Springfield Rescue Mission $5,000
  Funds will provide additional capacity to meet the basic needs of tornado-impacted individuals for food, clothing and hygiene items.

The Foundation is also currently reviewing additional applications for funding and is also still accepting donations to the Tornado Relief Fund. 

Uncertainty is one of the most challenging factors confronting investors. Uncertain markets are characterized by rapid and erratic changes in the price of financial assets and increasingly shorter time horizons for making investment decisions. Lately, uncertainty is dominating the market - down 600 points one day, up 500 points the next and then down again. Predicting dramatic market movements is nearly impossible and explaining them equally so. Can investment fundamentals underlying businesses really change that much in short order to warrant such a large swing in valuation? More likely, a confluence of emotional and behavioral biases reacting to the 24 hour news cycle and a rise in computerized algorithm-based trading with holding periods measured in minutes are contributing to the excess volatility.

The Community Foundation’s investment philosophy is shaped by the view of a long term investor – not a short term trader. Empirical evidence supports the probabilities of objectively valuing the economics and sustainability of an investment. This is far better than the alternative of predicting and reacting to gyrations of the market over any given time period. While we are monitoring developments in the marketplace, we have not altered our investment approach as a result of the recent volatility and view the event more like a “speed bump” on a journey to achieving our investment objectives which support the long term preservation and growth of charitable resources for the region.

Annual Meeting

The Community Foundation’s annual meeting will be held at the Log Cabin on October 19 and will honor our volunteers.  We will be presenting the Volunteer Engagement Award to two long-time Community Foundation volunteers, Bruce Brown and Angela Wright.  Angela volunteered as a project reviewer in the Foundation’s very first year, and has continued to offer her time and insight in a number of capacities over the years, including nine years as a Trustee, on the Distribution Committee, as well as numerous other committees.   Bruce began volunteering at the Foundation in 1993 and also spent nine years as a Trustee, in addition to time in the Distribution, Strategic Initiatives and other committees.  Both are current project reviewers who have also developed, supported, and mentored other volunteers for the Foundation.

The evening will kick off with a performance by Evelyn Harris, formerly of Sweet Honey in the Rock, who will be performing selections form the Old Deerfield Productions show, Truth. Look for an invitation in your mailbox soon. You can also register online.

Find Us on Facebook

The Community Foundation has launched a Facebook page to offer our community another venue through which to learn more and engage with the Foundation.   You do not have to be a Facebook user to access our page, though if you are we encourage you to “like” us to become a part of our online community.  We will be posting regular updates on grant and scholarship activity, upcoming events, and other news.  Take a look and let us know what you think!