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March 5, 2012
Owensville Area Community Foundation announces membership drive OWENSVILLE — The Owensville Area Community Foundation (OACF) has kick-started its membership drive by encouraging donations, which will be used for future community improvement projects, grants and scholarships. OACF recently established a capacity-building fund with the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF). Contributions from this fund will be used to help cover initial start-up costs for the organization and begin addressing community betterment projects. OACF will also establish an endowment fund through MRCF for establishing grants and scholarships. “The main goal of the membership drive is to get our name out in the community and develop credibility,” said OACF President Kyle Lairmore. “Memberships will help the foundation build both our endowment and capacity-building funds, which will eventually be used for projects within the community.” Lairmore encouraged contributions and noted two-thirds of the membership drive funds would be deposited in the Owensville Area Endowment Fund, while the other one-third would be deposited in the Owensville Area Capacity-Building Fund. Donations are tax deductible to the donor. The membership tiers are as follows: Contributing level is $50, Century level is $100, Gold level is $250, Platinum level is $500 and Lifetime level is $1,000. Members of OACF have a common goal of enhancing the Owensville area. “As a member of OACF, you will be a part of an organization that's mission is to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations by reinvesting in the Owensville area by establishing sustainable funds as well as creating grants used by charitable, educational and municipal organizations for the betterment of the community,” Lairmore said. Lairmore explained OACF was established in December 2011. “The goal (of the foundation) is to enhance the quality of life in the Owensville area through asset development, grant making, public leadership and collaboration; to create diverse funding opportunities to support community projects; and to create a vehicle to keep the funding within the community,” Lairmore said. OACF officers are Lairmore, president; Erin Sassmann, vice president; Glenn Ely, treasurer, and Michelle Smith, secretary. Other members include Mike Mundwiller, Richard Niewald, Roger Stewart, John Schaefferkoetter and Bobbie Berger. The bylaws of the foundation describe its purpose as to “establish, maintain, and distribute a fund, or funds, for the purpose of providing grants to charitable, educational, and municipal organizations or individuals in the Owensville area with the express purpose of addressing the following for the Owensville-area citizens: Health and wellness, education, hunger relief, environment, and community betterment.” The foundation also exists to establish, maintain and distribute a scholarship fund or funds to enable deserving citizens of the Owensville area to acquire a college or technical school education. While the current focus is getting the organization started, the group knows what they want to accomplish. “Future goals of OACF are to build up the endowment fund, which will be used for grants and scholarships given out annually, to develop a credible foundation where donors feel comfortable with the foundation’s mission and continue creating endowments for community projects,” Lairmore said. One of the most unique aspects of OACF is its ability to be diverse when establishing endowments and its ability to fund any type of project as long as it meets the foundation’s purpose and mission within the community, Lairmore said. Persons wishing to learn more about the Owensville foundation or wanting to make a contribution can contact Lairmore at 573-437-8899 or by email at kylelairmore@hotmail.com. The Owensville Area Community Foundation is a part of the Meramec Regional Community Foundation, an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission and an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Springfield. MRCF was established in May 2010 through a donation from MRPC and serves Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties outside of existing CFO affiliate areas. For more information on MRCF, contact Luci Flaim at MRPC at lflaim@meramecregion.org or call 573-265-2993.
Members of the Owensville Area Community Foundation are back row from left: Mike Mundwiller, Richard Niewald, Roger Stewart, Glenn Ely, treasurer, John Schaefferkoetter and Kyle Lairmore, president. Members in the front row from left are: Bobbie Berger, Michelle Smith, secretary, and Erin Sassmann, vice president. |
