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We’ve been busy with 941-HELP and I first want to thank all of our fellow not-for-profit organizations who have been working with us to input information so that 941-HELP is as accurate as possible – your work is very much appreciated!!   In case you haven’t heard, 941-HELP is a new information and referral program […]

This holiday season, especially for children, is full of magic and wonder. Here at the Morris Community Foundation, our eyes, minds, and hearts have recently begun to understand the magic of endowment and we’d like to share this phenomenon with you! You’ve probably heard us say before that Grundy County is a very charitable community,

It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is already upon us!  And like most not-for-profit organizations, we like to spend time at the end of the tax year to remind donors that our work and impact in the community are worthy of a charitable gift.   But before we get to that,

It is always difficult to describe what a community foundation does.  Over the years I have used several analogies to describe the activities of the Morris Community Foundation.  I have said that the Foundation should be the “burr under the saddle of the community” working on issues that no one else will tackle.  Often the

This past summer the Morris Community Foundation partnered with Mr. Richard Joyce of the Grundy County Board to begin convening stakeholders around the issue of public transportation for Grundy County.   We were nervous about starting such a daunting task until we discovered the Illinois Rural Transit Assistance Center (IRTAC) at Western Illinois University.  Ed

Most Americans recognize the value of family giving. According to the 2000 Cone/Roper Raising Charitable Children Survey, 85 percent of the respondents said they believe children should be introduced to philanthropy—and that parents play a key role in getting kids involved. Fully 96 percent agreed that parents’ charitable giving and volunteer activities are good ways

If you are age 70-1/2 or over, have an IRA, and are charity-minded, please read this column.   Last fall, President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (HR4), which includes the IRA Charitable Rollover provision.  This provision is an incentive for IRA owners to rollover contributions to charity rather than pay taxes on

I hope that you have had the chance to read the article in last Saturday’s Morris Daily Herald about the “first ever” meeting on public transportation in Grundy County.  The meeting last Friday was hosted by Richard Joyce of the Grundy County board and the Morris Community Foundation.  “Thank you” to all who attended!  

The Morris Community Foundation’s national organization is the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC.  This organization supports all types of foundations, such as family, corporate, and community, by watching out for federal regulations and issues that affect our daily activities.   Last summer the Council hired Ken Strmiska as the Director of Community Foundation Services. 

The Morris Community Foundation has two board members who have announced that they will be retiring from the board this summer:  Rev. Chuck Richardson and Andy Hunt.  This is sad news for us simply because they are two very hard-working individuals who have brought ideas, energy, and responsibility to the table.   However, “hard-working” may