Raffle winner Tammy Coffee
As the holiday season approaches, Bath Community Fund leaders are encouraging area residents to celebrate with a gift that will last forever.
“A gift to Bath Community Fund is the perfect way to honor a friend, family member or colleague while making a lasting difference in the community we live in and love,” said Jody Miller Konstand, advisory board chair. “Recipients will receive a card letting them know a gift was made in their name to support this meaningful cause.”
Established in June 2014 by a group of local residents, Bath Community Fund is a charitable fund dedicated to enriching Bath Township for generations to come. Annual grants to qualified nonprofit organizations will be used to respond to community needs, help the less fortunate, enrich local arts and culture programs, and preserve the historical and environmental legacy of Bath. The fund is an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, a permanent endowment of more than $176 million.
Year-end is an ideal time to give to charity, particularly when making gifts of appreciated stock, said Kevin Kroskey, a certified financial planner and BCF advisory board member. Gifts of appreciated stock offer a double tax benefit: the donor avoids paying capital gains tax and also earns a charitable deduction.
“Donating appreciated stock is a much more tax-efficient way to make a gift versus gifting cash,” Kroskey said. “The gains are never realized by the donor, and the charitable deduction is still received.”
Gifts of all kinds and sizes have helped grow the endowment, which achieved its initial $250,000 Founding Donors goal in June. Now, Bath Community Fund supporters are embarking on the next stage of the “For Bath, Forever” endowment campaign, with the goal of raising $2.018 million by 2018, Bath’s bicentennial. An endowment of more than $2 million would enable Bath Community Fund to grant approximately $100,000 back to the community each year.
Meanwhile, the fund’s Grants Advisory Committee is gearing up to award its first grants in 2016 and is seeking input from local residents about how BCF can make the biggest impact in the Bath community.
“Funding from Bath Community Fund can support qualified nonprofit organizations that enhance the cultural, artistic, educational, health and civic well-being of the Bath community,” said Mary Anne Krejci, Grants Advisory Committee chair. “We encourage residents to think about how grant dollars from BCF can make the township an even better place to live, and we invite them to share their suggestions with us.”
Community outreach and educational efforts, including those at The Regal Beagle as well as Bath Community Day and Fall into Nature, have helped Bath residents understand the benefits of a community fund. In November, fund officials announced the winners of a raffle that took place at the outreach events. Beth Gerberich won an Apple iPad Air donated by True Wealth Design; Marianne Wohl won dinner for six at Tre Belle donated by Ken and Lori Stewart; and Tammy Coffee won a gift basket of wines and other goodies donated by several local businesses.
“I love Bath. It’s the best community, and we’ve had terrific support from all of our residents,” said Ken Stewart, the owner of Tre Belle and The Lodge. “This was one way Lori and I could show our support for Bath Community Fund.”
To learn more about getting involved with Bath Community Fund or to offer suggestions about future grants, contact Jody Miller Konstand, advisory board chair, at 330-618-4477 or [email protected]. For gifts of appreciated stock, transfers should be initiated by Dec. 22 to ensure year-end processing. Detailed instructions can be found at www.akroncf.org/stocktransfers. Or, to see all the ways you can give, visit www.akroncf.org/BCFwaystogive.
About Bath Community Fund
Established in 2014 by a group of committed Bath residents, Bath Community Fund is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the Bath community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of charitable giving. The fund is committed to responding to community needs, helping the less fortunate, supporting local nonprofits, and reinforcing and preserving Bath’s historical and environmental legacy. The fund is currently embarking on an endowment campaign to raise $2.018 million by Bath’s bicentennial in 2018. For more information, contact Jody Miller Konstand, advisory board chair, at 330-618-4477 or [email protected].
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 60 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. As of Sept. 30, 2015, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $176 million with a growing family of more than 500 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded approximately $128 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
