The Community Foundation  held its annual Profiles luncheon on Tuesday, October 11th at the University of Northern Colorado, with nearly 300 people attending. C. Stephen Saunders, a trusts and estates attorney with roots in Colorado, was the keynote speaker. He is a past board chair of the Austin Community Foundation and worked with James Michener during his lifetime, and now serves on the Development Board of the James Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado. Saunders shared with the audience the impact his family has made with both a scholarship fund at the University of Colorado and a private family foundation and the importance of supporting nonprofit organizations through philanthropic giving.

 

Annual awards presented at the luncheon included:

 

1.     Outstanding Fund Award – presented to Arts Alive!, for their funding of the arts in Weld County. The fund was established in 2001 to support visual, literary and performing arts. Since its inception, the fund has granted out over $65,000 to Weld County projects and artists.

 

2.     Founders Award – presented to long-time board member Sally Warde, who served on both the Weld Community Foundation Board and the initial board for the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County following the merger of the Weld Community Foundation and the Greeley Area Foundation in 1997.

 

3.     Dick Doyle Professional Advisor Award – presented to attorney Jacqueline Johnson, partner at Witwer, Oldenburg, Barry, & Johnson, LLP.  Johnson has been the legal counsel for the Community Foundation for several years and helped a donor couple establish a new fund at the Foundation this past year. The award is presented in memory of Dick Doyle, a local attorney and long-time legal counsel for the Community Foundation. This recognition is given to a professional advisor who helps to shepherd donors to the Community Foundation.

 

 

Community Foundation President Judy Knapp gave an overview of the Community Foundation for the year, focusing on their grants and program support, partnerships, and community leadership. She noted the impact that some of the 125 funds have had in supporting programs, agencies and scholarships in Weld County. The total financial distributions from all funds over the years since the merger of the Greeley Area Foundation and the Weld Community Foundation in 1997 has been over $12.2 million, including nearly $1 million raised and distributed for the Honor Flight Northern Colorado program.  Knapp also announced that a second set of board trainings for new and prospective nonprofit board members, CommUnity: Board Leadership, will begin on November 1^st. The Community Foundation is an ongoing partner in the third year of Leadership Northern Colorado and will soon be embarking on a statewide endeavor with the Lieutenant Governor’s office, focusing on early childhood literacy.