Thursday, November 25, 2010

Social Service Summit - December 10, 2010 Fort Wayne, Indiana

You are invited to the 2nd annual Health & Human Services Coalition Social Service Summit in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Social service issues and responsibilities are not limited to agencies doing the work, but rather they extend to our entire Northeast Indiana community.  Whether you work in the public or private sector, for a non-profit or faith based organization or are simply an interested individual, board member or volunteer, there is something for you at the Social Service Summit.

When: December 10, 2010, 7:30 am - 2:00 pm
Where: Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana (directions)
           7602 Patriot Crossing
             Fort Wayne, IN 46816 - 2520
            Telephone: 260-439-8200

Cost: FREE

Friday, November 19, 2010

Walmart at Fort Wayne's Southtown Crossing Donates to Francine's Friends

The employees of Walmart at Southtown Crossing in Fort Wayne presented Francine's Friends with a check for $1,000.


The employees took time out of their day preparing the store for the Thanksgiving holiday to present the check as a proud group.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

7th Annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Breakfast

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Northeast Indiana Chapter hosted the 7th Annual National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Philanthropists Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, November 17th at Ceruti’s. The awards breakfast recognized those individuals and organizations in our community whose generous gifts of time, expertise, and resources have made Northeast Indiana a better place to live.

Four awards for Outstanding Philanthropy were presented:
Jean Vrabel (LFG), Taylor Reuille, Madeleine Baker, Jerry D. Fox
• Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy – Taylor Reuille, who at the age of 11 started on a quest to bring a Boundless Playground to the Fort Wayne community so children of all abilities and disabilities would have a place to play together. Three years after her quest began, Taylor and Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation broke ground on the first Boundless Playground in Indiana. Because of one young girl’s vision and dedication the playground will open on Memorial Day, 2011.

• Outstanding Philanthropist – Jerry D. Fox has been a force for good in sports- and youth-oriented nonprofits for over 25 years. As a result of his philanthropic leadership and fundraising activities, Fort Wayne has seen the strengthening and diversification of the sports program at IPFW, the construction of the Memorial Baseball Stadium which brought minor league baseball to the city, and the establishment of the Lifetime Sports Academy.

• Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist – The Lincoln Financial Corp. has a long and rich history of supporting a range of programs and projects in the communities in which it is located. The company sets aside up to 2% of its pre-tax earnings to support charitable contributions. In 2009 the Lincoln Foundation donated $3,180,405 in the greater Fort Wayne area, giving to such causes as services for children and aging adults, healthcare, literacy training, childcare, prevention of abuse and violence, emergency shelters, transportation, music, theater, public television and radio, and education. Everyone who lives in Fort Wayne benefits from the philanthropic spirit of the Lincoln Financial Corporation.

• Outstanding Nonprofit Leader – Madeleine Baker became the Executive Director at Early Childhood Alliance in January, 2002, bringing nearly 20 years of experience to theposition. With solid management skills, Madeleine has advanced the mission of building better futures for young children through the many quality services EAC provides for children, families, and childcare providers. Because of Madeleine, the Board is more representative of the diversity in our community, a volunteer program was created to supplement the work of staff, a planned giving committee was created, and the organization moved into the 21st Century using technology to improve inter-agency communications, streamline reporting, strengthen financial management, and improve efficiencies. Madeleine also spearheaded the creation of two unique events—the annual themed tea party and a block-building competition called Plank-APalooza— which have raised awareness of ECA and are providing new financial support for the organization’s programs.
Kathy Callen, daughter of Richard Doermer

In addition to recognizing the Outstanding Philanthropists of 2010, the AFP Northeast Indiana Chapter and its sponsors recognized and honored the late Richard “Dick” Doermer for a lifetime of leadership in philanthropy.

Finally, the organization honored special Giving Hearts in our community—those volunteers, donors, board members, and employees who go that extra mile and are always willing to chair another committee, take on another project, or put in extra time to ensure the mission is accomplished.

This year’s Giving Heart honorees are:

American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana
Katherine MacAulay
Jo Milliken
Lynn Witt
Early Childhood Alliance
John Rogers
Suzanne Rogers
East Allen County Schools Educational Foundation
James Ball
Joyce Magner
Salvation Army
Ginny Thomas
Fort Wayne Children’s Choir
Nancy Swanson
Volunteer Center @ RSVP
Ron Costa
Larry Drook
Susie Pierce
Donald T. Thornton
Fort Wayne Center for Learning
Jennifer Jo Brown
Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities
Art Litton
Marcia Litton
YWCA of Northeast Indiana
Tonya Wine

The keynote speaker at the breakfast was former State Representative Matt Bell.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars 2010

Hope Huber and Troy Baeten
Even though there is a panel of three judges-- their scores mean nothing. What does matter is buying votes, and the votes (donations) are in for the 2010 Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars.  Hope Huber and her dance partner Troy Baeten, owner of the Fort Wayne Arthur Murray School of Dancing, danced a flawless Samba which the crowd loved.  This, along with some hard work promoting their fundraising efforts for Carriage House and involvement with Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars all helped to garner them the most votes (donations).

Emcees: Julie Eckert Clancy, Andy Wilson with Patsy Dumas-Chair
Actually, all the Dancers were winners raising money for the biggest winner of all, Carriage House, which has a singular mission of assisting people in recovering from mental illness and returning to the community.

"Celebrity Judges": Jane Martin, Karl Peterson, Jay Leonard
Dave Dumas was the second largest vote getter/fundraiser and Connie Voderman came in third.  All the dancers worked hard learning and practicing their dance routine as well as marketing themselves to raise money on behalf of the Carriage House.  The 2010 list of dancers also included: Jerry Thompson, Aishah Hasnie, Katie Burns, Mark Carboni, Toni Thompson, John Peirce, and Brad Stinson.  If you missed this years Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars, you will want to be sure not to miss next year's event. Be sure to check back here for details on the 2011 event.  Click here for more photos.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Allen County SPCA - Paws & Claws 2010

The Allen County SPCA held its annual Paws & Claws fundraiser on November 6, 2010 at the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. There was great food, a beer and wine tasting, an Olive Oil tasting, and nice desserts, including a chocolate fountain.

The event also featured a silent auction with lots of great items to bid on to help the SPCA.  The money raised ensures there is a safe haven for the homeless pets in Northeast Indiana. The Allen County SPCA is a 501(c)3 organization which relies solely on the generosity of the area community.  They receive no government funding and are not supported by the national organization.

Please click here to view more photos.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

"UNMASK FAME" Benefit

Kids and adults all had fun making mask ornaments to decorate the FAME tree which will be displayed at the Festival of Trees at the Embassy.  Everyone was invited to gather at the Fort Wayne Marriott for great food, music, silent auction, and to help create mask-themed decorations.





It was a fun night out for families and supporters of FAME.  To learn more about FAME and how you can get involved visit their web site at www.famearts.org.

Bravo Brunch for the Arts - 2010 Artie Awards

Over 125 people attended the presentation of the 2010 Artie Awards at the annual Bravo Brunch in the Arts United Center. There were eight winners in seven categories for 2010. Two nominees were honored for Lifetime Achievement. Executive Director, Jim Sparrow, and Indiana Arts Commission chairwoman, Jeanne Mirro, presented the honors.


 
Artist of the Year
Derek Reeves
joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as Principal Violist in 2003 and has performed in concert and as a soloist extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. He plays violin with his jazz trio, the Mimi Burns Band, and arranges and conducts the string orchestra for the Voices of Unity youth choir.
Outstanding Arts Advocate
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Friends
began in 1944 as the Women’s Committee and later the Philharmonic Volunteers. With 150 members, they advance the arts through their free pre-concert talks, instrument loan program, instrument playground and have awarded 31 scholarships this year. John McFann accepted the award.

Corporate Arts Supporter
Indiana Michigan Power has been a long-standing arts and cultural supporter in our community. Their nomination from the Fort Wayne Ballet recognizes support that has grown from a decade of sponsoring the Nutcracker to a creative collaboration promoting National Dance Week with “Everyone Dances,” featuring trading cards printed with Indiana Michigan Power line mechanics and Ballet dancers.

Art Educator of the Year
Heather Miller has grown the art program at Oak Farm Montessori School tremendously in the eight years of her exceptional leadership. She also instructs art for home-schooled children, at summer camps and a Winter Camp for children with cancer. She is a published children’s book author and vice president of FAME.



The Downtown Improvement District, City of Fort Wayne, Visit Fort Wayne and Arts United collectively manage the newly designated cultural district. This partnership will shape the future of the community through cultural, economic and quality of life projects and initiatives. The group worked diligently this year to analyze Fort Wayne’s cultural assets, to outline a cultural plan for the community, to form the district and obtain a formal Cultural District designation for downtown Fort Wayne. Rich Davis (center, left) and Dan O'Connell (center right) accepted the award for the groups.


Volunteer of the Year
Susan Jones
has been an advocate for the arts her entire life; first, through her 25-year career in education, then, through her leadership in many community organizations. She volunteers for the Wabash Valley Music Association, Wabash Unit of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Honeywell House, and Wabash Musicale. She wrote the script, lyrics and music for the historical play “Wait ‘til You Get to Wabash.”


Lifetime Achievement
June Enoch
has been a tireless champion of the arts and a lifelong volunteer in many different capacities. She is recognized for her years of board service to many organizations, her generous support and advocacy and most notably her recent work for the Museum of Art’s Capital Campaign making an immeasurable difference in the life of the Museum.

Jackson Lehman was nominated by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for decades of board leadership and fundraising expertise, both with The Phil and other organizations including Arts United. He was instrumental in renovations of the Embassy Theatre and the Allen County Courthouse and has supported a variety of arts groups through his leadership of the English, Bonter, Mitchell Foundation. June and Jack were not available for photos.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Kroger Donates to Two Fort Wayne Area Non-Profits

Kroger cut the ribbon at their newly renovated store on St. Joe Center Rd.  Kroger honored two local organizations with donations to help them continue their good work in the community.



Jane Avery accepted a check for $15,000 for Community Harvest a local area food bank.

 


Sharon Simmons accepted a check for $1,000 on be half of Francine's Friends, Fort Wayne area's only Mobile Mammography coach.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Foellinger Foundation - Carl D. Rolfsen STEWARDSHIP Award

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana was the site of the 2010 Foellinger Foundation's Carl D. Rolfsen Stewardship Award. The Foellinger Foundation honored 34 nominees at a luncheon where they all received recognition for their service to area non-profits.

David Gutting, a volunteer for Blue Jacket was the Carl D. Rolfsen Stewardship Award winner.