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Annual Meeting - 2006 Celebrating 15 years of Service Fifteen Pioneer Valley residents left the 15th Annual Meeting of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts with a serious philanthropic decision to consider. The program included inspiring and humorous stories of the founders of the Community Foundation and seven heartwarming profiles of those assisted by scholarships and grants, but no one was prepared for a video message from Bill Cosby and Development Director, Katie Allen Zobel filmed at Roberto’s Pizza in Greenfield. Their message – told in classic Cosby fashion-was of an anonymous donor who contributed $15,000 so that 15 randomly selected attendees at the Annual Meeting might recommend $1,000 grants to Pioneer Valley charities of their choice. In the last 5 minutes of the program, Cosby and Zobel, with a cameo appearance by Robert L. Pura, Ph.D., President, Greenfield Community College, directed the audience to “check under your plates for a gold ticket.” The normally sedate lunchtime demeanor erupted in plate moving (some coffee spilling) and a few entrepreneurs checking out the place settings of those who left the meeting early. The recipients ascended to the stages as the meeting was closed by new Board Chair, Stephen A. Davis, to the strains of the Hooterville Junkyard Jazz Band.
Golden Ticket Winners (from left to right) Mary Hoyer, Denise Granger, Carla Oleska, Constance Clarke, Nina Berman, Michael Korzeniowski. Not pictured: Margaret Boyko, Michael Jonnes, Pam Barnes, Henry E. Geberth, Jr., Sally Griggs, Tony Malone, Lisa McMann, Bernadette Nowalkowksi, Diana Stiles.
The point of this unconventional exercise was to “recreate the spirit of those who founded the Foundation and to re-inspire those in our community about philanthropy!” Several winners will be continuing the “Giving to the Future” theme, by using their gift to inspire others to give. The charities chosen by these fifteen new philanthropists were:
More Pictures!
The Hooterville Junkyard Jazz Band playing to honor Rem Lefferts who established the Alie and Rem Lefferts Memorial Dixieland Jazz Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.
Band members are: Don Blair, Banjo; Bill Olmstead, Cornet; Bob Ouellette, Bass; Bill Glenny, Clarinet; Jerry Tarozzi, Percussion. Not pictured: Brian Bender, Trombone.
Instead of Birthday presents, both Tyler and Alexandra asked their friends to make donations to the David Sigelman Memorial Fund. Dr. Sigelman was their pediatrician and cared for many of the youth in the area. He died tragically during one of his many humanitarian trips to the Peruvian Andes. Alexandra and Tyler were honored as some of the Foundation’s youngest philanthropists.
Leida was the first in her family to attend college after graduating from Holyoke High School. With a Latino Scholarship Fund award to help her through her first year, she was able eventually to graduate from Mt. Holyoke College, and the Boston College School of Social Work. Leida works for the Valley Opportunity Council where she plays a key role in one of the 11 projects funded by the 5 & Under Initiative. Grateful for the support she received, she has participated with the Board of the Latino Scholarship Association in order to make that support available to others.
Candace “grew up” at the Urban League in Springfield, volunteered as an HIV peer counselor while attending SciTech High School in Springfield and working part-time at Bess Eaton and IHOP. With the help of an African American Achievement Fund award, she graduated from Smith, and is now working as an Admission Counselor for Diversity at UNH – helping others without resources fulfill their educational ambitions – while attending graduate school and, with her husband, raising their young child.
Heriberto In 1991, the Community Foundation made a relatively small grant to Nuestras Raices tohelp establish a community garden on unused property in Holyoke. Heriberto, who came to this country as a migrant worker, established a large plot in this new community garden on which he still grows the produce with which he loads his modified shopping cart each week and sells at the Senior Housing. He is also working with the children of his community to help them "get their hands dirty" and preserve their agricultural heritage. There’s Heriberto on the left, with some of the other community gardeners.
A small grant, this one in 2002 for only $1500 from the Franklin Fund, helped the Young Entrpreneurs Society in Orange double its Odd Jobs Exchange, a free tri-annual classified directory of enterprising teens available to help Franklin County residents, small businesses, and organizations with their odd job needs. Leon had worked many summer jobs, but, at age 17, didn’t like school, and didn’t much like bosses either. But he got involved with the Odd Jobs program, and was eventually sent to Valley Metalworks where he attracted the attention of the owners, and took to machining and welding. By following the lessons of his YES program – having a goal, learning new skills, thinking critically, making good decisions – Leon has been able to purchase his first home, and, at age 23, is considering the opportunity to purchase the very Valley Metalworks at which he first worked.
A grant to Whole Children, Inc. a recreation and enrichment center providing after school classes, weekend and vacation programs for children with a wide variety of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities, gave Nathan a new lease on life. Nathan has “autism spectrum” which means he has attention issues, and needs work on improving his socialization and fine motor skills. His experience in the mainstream was frustrating and seemed to require isolation from traditional activities. When Nathan walks through the door of Whole Children, however, he feels successful; he loves his summer camp, woodworking, music and the arts programs; and he has made the kinds of friends all of us treasure from our childhood. Nathan takes particular pleasure from a newly installed climbing wall which he and his father built with help from a grant from the Foundation. |
Incoming Board Chair Steve Davis with outgoing Board Chair Carol Leary.
The Lucey Family - Art, Tami, Alexandra (14) and Tyler (11)
Leida
Candace
Leon
Nathan with his dad Joe