April 24, 2025
$23,500 presented to foundations and leaders in regional philanthropy
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks recently honored five of its regional affiliate foundations and six affiliate leaders with annual awards and grants totaling $23,500. The honors were presented April 10 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, prior to the third-annual Rural Philanthropy Summit cohosted by the CFO and Philanthropy Missouri on April 11.
New for 2025, the Affiliate Action Grants were presented to five affiliate foundations that proposed innovative ways to improve their communities. Each will receive a $4,000 grant to fund their efforts:
- Aurora Area County Community Foundation: To support events by Sources of Strength and Evan’s Voice that encourage mental health improvements, healthy lifestyles, family values and responsible use of social media.
- Bootheel Regional Community Foundation: To support nonprofit programs that create sustainable outcomes for better health, lower costs for services and increase life-expectancy rates.
- Finley River Community Foundation: To support Garde’n Gate Provisions Foundation in its effort to reach long-term financial stability, including facility upgrades for its food pantry and prom dress boutique.
- Houston Community Foundation: To support a native landscaping project with public, educational and ecological benefits at the new Texas County Library in Houston.
- Nixa Community Foundation: To support the installation of benches branded with the NCF logo along the Eoff Family Century Farm Park trail system to increase visibility, encourage community involvement and enhance the park’s recreational amenities.
The CFO honored two individuals for outstanding leadership with awards named after significant affiliate leaders from the CFO’s history:
- Nancy Curless, past president and current communications secretary for the Barton County Community Foundation, received the Fred Lemons Achievement Award, which includes a $1,500 grant from the Lemons Family to supplement BCCF’s annual grantmaking. The award is named for the late president of the Lockwood Community Foundation, who demonstrated remarkable leadership during his 15-year tenure until his death in 2014.
- Greg Hoffman, president of the Nevada/Vernon County Community Foundation, received the Stanley Ball Leadership Award, which includes a $2,000 grant from the Stanley & Elaine Ball Foundation, managed by Central Trust Company, to supplement NVCCF’s annual grantmaking. Ball, who died in 2015, was the founding president of the Nixa Community Foundation, the CFO’s first regional affiliate.
Four regional affiliate leaders were honored with Board Members of Excellence awards for outstanding service to their communities:
- David Boyd, Community Foundation of the Lake
- Gary Heldt, Community Foundation of the Hermann Area
- Brad Ridenour, Monett Area Community Foundation
- Scott Vorhees, Joplin Regional Community Foundation
“We believe that place-based philanthropy can be transformative for a community, but it requires passionate leaders to make that transformation possible,” said Alice Wingo, vice president of affiliates for the CFO. “We are grateful that these forward-thinking leaders volunteer so much of their time and energy to improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities.”
