Passion & Purpose: Summer 2024
Collaboration for Kids
It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child, and in philanthropy, that adage can come through entities working together to funnel resources to the right needs at the right time.
Two examples of those collaborations occurred in late 2023 and early 2024, when the Community Foundation of the Ozarks worked with partners Delta Dental of Missouri and the Children’s Trust Fund to distribute $800,000 to benefit kids throughout the region.
“We were thrilled to partner with Delta Dental of Missouri and Children’s Trust Fund to support the children in our service area,” said Ashley Fleming, grant program officer for the CFO. “These dollars will have significant impact on improving the lives of families in our region. We are pleased when there are opportunities to help extend the work of organizations in our region to impact lives, and we look forward to ways that may evolve with like-minded partners in the future.”
Of that figure, $130,000 went to 13 agencies — each received $10,000 — to serve needs including dental health screenings, exams and hygiene packages for school districts; to establish funds to provide dental care for students in need; and the acquisition of a handheld X-ray unit. Delta Dental of Missouri contributed $100,000 for the grant program, which was supplemented by $30,000 from the CFO’s unrestricted grantmaking funds.
“Every child deserves a healthy and pain-free smile so they can truly thrive,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of Missouri, in a release about the grant program. “We are excited to partner with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to support more than a dozen organizations and help children get vital dental care to improve their overall health, quality of life and self-esteem.”
The Children’s Trust Fund’s grantmaking program was largely propelled by Rep. Cody Smith, who serves District 163 in the Missouri House of Representatives.
It represents another collaboration, said Emily van Schenkhof, executive director of CTF, during a grant presentation in January.
She noted that it was funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act that led Rep. Smith to reach out to the CTF. That conversation led to discussion around determining how to best distribute the funding, and later, the grant round through the CFO. Ultimately, $670,000 was granted to 12 nonprofits addressing child abuse and neglect in the CFO’s service area of central and southern Missouri.
Among other recipients, three examples of projects that received funding include Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks, which received $65,600 to upgrade its clubhouses in Branson and Forsyth; Project 360 Youth Services Inc. was granted $100,000 to improve its teen resource center in Lebanon; and Good Shepherd Children & Family Services received $74,022 to expand its foster-care facilities in Jefferson County.
“This is an example of something that government has done that I think is really beautiful,” van Schenkhof says, noting that positive moments give her “strength and faith” in the face of the tragic realities of child abuse and neglect.
“You all are making a greater impact, you all are creating nicer spaces for people who are in really tough positions.”
By Kaitlyn McConnell · This essay is featured in the summer 2024 edition of Passion & Purpose: The CFO Magazine.
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