Greetings Friends—
Over the course of our Foundation’s history, we have celebrated the impact made possible when we come together. Through our growth, we have seen one constant—our connection to you. The Foundation exists through the collective legacy of everyday people with a heart for the places they live, work, and play. These strong relationships with our donors, nonprofit partners, community leaders, and board members are the connections that make our Foundation thrive.
Dr. John Kurelja, outgoing board chair, would often challenge us to think about the Foundation’s “special sauce”. Our superpowers—personalization, personal relationships, knowledgeable staff, and being in touch with community needs—define the work that we do. But this work is only possible in a community where philanthropy is part of our culture. Perhaps these connections are the real “special sauce” that makes our Foundation a force for community giving and impact.
This past year, our Foundation staff had the opportunity to revisit and refresh our processes and goals to refocus on our mission to ignite local philanthropy across the region.
We created our 350th unique charitable fund in 2023. Each of our 350+ funds is a personal way for individuals, families, and organizations to support the causes and values they are passionate about in communities across the region.
Our Youth in Philanthropy program, which began with just one school in Berwick, celebrated the start of its 20th year in October. Through regional growth and success, 15 schools and over 200 high school students are now part of the educational program.
We held a third-party review of the Foundation’s investment policy statement, demonstrating fiduciary responsibility and our commitment to good stewardship of our donors’ money.
Through the continued generosity and trust of our donors, we awarded over $2 million in grants and $450,000 in scholarships in 2023.
Foundation staff participated in many opportunities for professional development. Locally, Karri Harter, grant and scholarship administrator, completed the Leadership Central Penn program through the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce.
We worked with boards and committees to welcome 19 new board members to the Foundation office during our December board orientation. We look forward to the impact these dedicated individuals will have in 2024 as we support our local communities.
2024 marks 25 years of community giving through our Foundation. We were excited to kick-off anniversary celebrations in December with our holiday party and the release of our annual Storybook, which highlights giving and storytelling campaigns that will continue in 2024.
We look back with gratitude for the thoughtful decisions made by our visionary founders to set us up for this journey of growth, and I am continually honored to proudly lead our Foundation towards an exciting future. Through the trust and connections we have built these last 25 years, we know that we can achieve even bigger and better things together—For Good. For Ever.
Kara G. Seesholtz
President and CEO
Community Giving Foundation