The Pat and Gene Markley Fund, a Donor Advised fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, recently granted $100,000 to the Lincoln Center renovation. As a result of the grant to the Lincoln Center, the Markley Family will be recognized as the major donor of the facility’s new rooftop deck. “Through our fund at the Community Foundation, we are able to share the success of the family business, Markley Motors, in ways that provide long-term community impact,” said Ann Hanson, Gene Markley’s daughter. The renewed and rejuvenated Lincoln Center will serve future generations of Northern Colorado residents through offerings of music, art and culture.

 

With a lead gift from the Markley’s fund, the Community Foundation was also able to put together a package of grants totaling $150,000 for the new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The grant to the Museum of Discovery is one of several Community Foundation grants that are helping the organization create meaningful opportunities for people of all ages to learn, reflect and have fun through hands-on and collections-based explorations in science and culture. The 2007 merger of the Discovery Science Center and the Fort Collins Museum formed a unique public/private partnership between a nonprofit organization and the City of Fort Collins. Planning and development for the new joint facility have been underway since mid-2007, with opening planned for mid-2012. Click to learn more about the renovated Lincoln Center or the new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. 
  

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Celebrate the work of Estes Park nonprofit agencies at the National Philanthropy Day gathering and nonprofit networking event on Tuesday, November 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Estes Park Medical Center. The event is sponsored by the Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center and the Estes Park Medical Center Foundation and is your chance to celebrate and recognize Estes Park nonprofits and their supporters. RSVP by Friday, November 11 by calling 970-480-7805 or sending an email to info@epnonprofit.org.
 

The Community Foundation invites you to a community conversation exploring the future growth of our senior population in Fort Collins. As thousands of Baby Boomers enter retirement in the next 20 years, how will we ensure that Fort Collins continues to be a great place to live and grow older? How will Baby Boomers redefine retirement, and what impact will that have on our community? How can we and our city government best prepare for the impending growth of our senior population? We want to hear your ideas! Please join the Senior Advisory Board, the Center for Public Deliberation, and subject experts for light refreshments and conversation on Thur., Nov. 10 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Center. Click here to easily RSVP online or here for full event details.

 

 

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The Tax Relief Act allows for direct IRA transfers to charities through the end of 2011 for taxpayers who are age 70 ½ or older. Donors can transfer IRA assets of up to $100,000 per tax year directly to charitable organizations, including Designated or Unrestricted funds managed by the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado. (Direct transfers to Donor Advised funds, however, are not permitted under this legislation.) The direct contribution from your IRA can be made with zero tax consequences and is counted toward your required minimum distribution. To learn more on how to take advantage of this benefit, contact Ray Caraway at 970-488-1980.   

 

The second phase of development for the Veterans Plaza, located at Spring Canyon Community Park, will be celebrated with the unveiling of a bronze statue conveying the story of generations of sacrifice. The statue depicts a World War II American soldier with a young boy seated on his shoulder. The artist of the statue is Susan Grant Raymond, an award winning sculptor who resides in Colorado. Please join supporters of the Veterans Plaza by attending the unveiling of the statue and public ceremony at 1:00 p.m. on November 13. The band "BeenThereDoneThat," will play before and after the official ceremony. Other planned events include raising of the flags on the plaza, military re-enactors, historic military vehicles, and F-16 flyover, food vendors and a keynote speech by Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, the Adjutant General of Colorado.  To donate to the Veteran's Plaza Endowment Fund, please click here.

  

The Community Foundation stays in close communication with charitable agencies in our region to strategically connect donors with the causes they care about most. These giving opportunities recently came to our attention:

 

Soaring Eagle Ecology Center (SEEC) at Red Feather Lakes is a charitable, nonprofit organization whose mission is to offer hands-on, outdoor education to promote understanding and appreciation of the natural world. SEEC is located on over 17 acres of coniferous forest, aspen groves, meadows and magnificent granite formations with direct access to wetlands and Roosevelt National Forest. Soaring Eagle Ecology Center is an all-volunteer organization that operates with the generosity of donations and grants. The organization is seeking funding to transport Larimer County students to outdoor environmental classes at SEEC. Donations can also support the improvement of the nature trail and the development of structures, such as covered outdoor classrooms and entrance signage/fencing. For more information, please contact Judy Viola at seecatrfl@hotmail.com or 218-9685. Read on… 

The Fort Collins Symphony Guild supports and promotes the growth of the Fort Collins Symphony financially, socially and educationally. The Guild’s annual Musical Zoo event, which is designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12, will be held on Sunday, February 19 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Timberline Church. The event will offer face painting, wandering musicians, short performances, a presentation by the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, and a “Petting Zoo” where children can listen to instruments and try to play some of the instruments themselves. Click here to learn more or to donate to the Fort Collins Symphony Guild. 

    

 

 

  

   

 

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Larimer County trains volunteers to speak up for children who are abused, neglected or abandoned by their families. CASA also offers the community the Harmony House Visitation Center in Fort Collins and Loveland, which helps children stay connected to family members through supervised visitation with non-custodial parents or as a safe exchange site. Harmony House provides those services on a sliding scale, enabling CASA to reach those in need of its services; the sliding scale offering, however, leaves the organization with a significant budgetary shortfall (approximately $49/visit). The recent economic downturn has added further stress to families who are already in crisis, which has resulted in increased incidences of child abuse and neglect. For more information, please contact Lynn Oesterle-Zollner at Lynn@CASALarimer.com or 970-498-6180. Read on…  

 

 

 

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The Community Foundation provides a trusted, local platform that enables people to give more effectively and to think strategically and creatively about the future of our community. Click here to learn more about the ways our staff can help you achieve your charitable goals.