Geneseo Is For Tomorrow
Brad Schoon Receives Community Caring Award
October 5, 2007
The Geneseo is for Tomorrow (GIFT) Foundation held its annual meeting Tuesday evening, Oct. 2, at the Geneseo Country Club.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the first ever Community Caring Award, which was presented to Brad Schoon of Geneseo. In presenting the award Katie Andrios, past president of GIFT, said the award 'commemorates an individual who is devoted to an organization and demonstrates day after day and year after year an amazing dedication to improving an organization and all that supports it.'
'Our winner is a great teacher, but it goes much deeper than that', she said. 'Brad Schoon has shown an extreme dedication to the world that surrounds teaching - beyond what most do. All of these things demonstrate true Caring for our schools, our students and our fellow community members.'
The GIFT Foundation, a community foundation, is in it's sixth year of existence and has achieved immediate success. 'The designation of a community foundation is so much broader than any other private foundation,' she said. 'There are separate 'mini' foundations under the umbrella of a 'community' foundation and that is what makes the GIFT Foundation unique and one-of-a-kind in Geneseo.'
Andrios explained GIFT provides funding and resources for the other foundations in Geneseo.
Bob Kuhns, treasurer of the Foundation, said in just the few short years the GIFT Foundation has been in existence, it has grown to $1,600,000 in assets. 'Just this year, we have granted over $291,000. In the last four years all together we have granted over $616,000 and impacted over 27 organizations,' he said.
The Board of the GIFT Foundation includes Lohman, president; Paul Lindsey, vice president; Greg Heaton, secretary; Bob Kuhns, treasurer; Katie Andrios, past president, and board members, Ed Deener, Lorrie Snodgrass, Joel Vandemore and Tom Zwica.
'I am pleased to be able to report that our Foundation continues to grow and make Geneseo a better place for all of us to live and work,' Lohman said.