Affiliates in the News!
Writing a letter to the editor is a great way to encourage generosity! Here are a couple recent examples from the Mount Carroll Community Foundation.
Dear Editor:
The Mount Carroll Community Foundation (MCCF) is thrilled to report that since our first meeting, about six years ago, we have granted more than $28,000 to local organizations. Over $10,000 of that money came from our Community Impact Fund.
The Impact Fund is an unrestricted endowment fund used to provide grants for charitable purposes in Mount Carroll. This is a great way to financially give back to the community, enabling worthy cultural, economic, educational, religious, civic and health needs to benefit Mount Carroll.
We don't think many of us see ourselves as philanthropists — that's a label too often reserved for the Rockefellers of the world. The truth is anyone can be a philanthropist, and in one way or another, most of us are.
This holiday season we would like to encourage each of you to consider making a gift that will permanently benefit your community through our Mount Carroll Community Foundation. We are not only for those who can give substantially, but also for those whose gifts must necessarily be small.
Gifts of any size can be made and each of these gifts would still be supporting the programs you believe in today and in a hundred years from now, and on into perpetuity. We can think of no better way to give something back to your community this holiday season.
Since the Mount Carroll Community Foundation is affiliated with the Quad Cities Community Foundation, you can be sure you receive the maximum tax benefit for your gift.
Again, our heartfelt thanks goes out to each philanthropist in our community, including those who don't give themselves that name. Mount Carroll is a better place because of the generosity and kindness of people like you.
Gifts can be mailed to Mount Carroll Community Foundation, P.O. Box 123, Mount Carroll, IL 61053, or if you have any questions about making a gift, contact us at 1-844-550-4100.
Mount Carroll Community Foundation Advisory Board
Mirror Democrat
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Dear Editor:
About a month ago I started thinking about some of my early teachers in Mt Carroll. The more I thought about Mrs (Vada) King in 4th grade and Mrs (Alice) Renner in 5th grade, the more I appreciated them and began thinking about my other teachers. I eventually decided owed them so much that I wanted to honor them in some way.
I eventually decided to contribute $1,000 to the Mt Carroll Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund in their names. This endowed fund supports organizations in our town that do good things for our town, currently about $2,500 per year which will go on and increase indefinitely. While there were at least 6 other excellent teachers in my life, here are the 7 teachers I owe so much to:
Mrs King and Mrs Renner—I moved to Mt Carroll at the end of 3rd grade when my father Donald Petty, the Superintendent of Schools in Shannon, died a shocking death. While they showed no favoritism to me in class, they showed me kindness in other ways that I never realized at the time.
Mr (Charles) Kirkpatrick—He was our Industrial Arts (or Shop) teacher in 7th and 8th grades. I had no talent, but he was so patient that I remember my 2 projects and still have one of them.
Mr (Jerry) Rowe—He was our main teacher in 8th grade, and he stretched me and others to think more broadly about the world than anybody else ever has.
Mr (Charlie) Rogers—As our English teacher in my first 2 years in high school Charlie wasn’t the most interesting teacher in class. But he cared as much or more than any teacher for his students, and I appreciate him so much for that.
Mrs (Margaret) Nester—Margaret was our upper level high school English teacher. She required everyone to do 2 presentations in front of class. I hated that and did poorly with my adolescent voice cracking. Still it was good for me, and was helpful later in life. And she cared about everyone.
Mr (Frank) Nester—Frank was our math teacher in high school. He was old school and whacked me with a ruler in the butt a number of times when I was at the chalkboard. But Frank cared about his students and about teaching well.
As best I know, only Mr Kirkpatrick and Mr Nester are still living. But I have so much gratitude for them and for others who cared so much for their students. I feel honored that I can recognize them with a gift to the Mt Carroll Community Foundation.
Greg Petty
Mt Carroll High School, Class of 1965
Denver, Colorado