Thirty years ago, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation was established by a group of forward-thinking, community conscious citizens who believed the people of the Chautauqua region should have a charitable organization created by the people for the people. Today, the Community Foundation is growing and continues to thrive, based on the support of a very philanthropic community. In celebration of where we have been and where we are presently, today marks the start of National Community Foundation Week. 

 

National Community Foundation Week is celebrated every year in November and provides the nearly 700 community foundations nationwide an opportunity to highlight the positive impacts they have on their respective communities. While each community foundation is unique to their own area, all community foundations exist to serve the public in an effort to create better communities.

           

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has annually celebrated National Community Foundation Week with an Open House and Remote Radio Broadcast with WJTN’s Jim Roselle. This year is no different, as the Open House and WJTN Remote Broadcast will take place on November 13th from 9:00 AM to noon at the Foundation office. In addition to highlighting some of the beneficial works of the Community Foundation, the Open House also gives the CRCF Board and staff the chance to say “thank you” to all those individuals, businesses and corporations who have assisted the Foundation over the past 30 years. Indeed, National Community Foundation Week is a celebration of the CRCF but dually a celebration of the people who have made CRCF what it is today. 

 

There are many exciting activities taking place at CRCF that you will hear about during National Community Foundation Week. We will be talking about our “Create a Legacy” program. This program offers individuals several options in which to leave a lasting impact on the people most dear to them and their community. It gives everyone an opportunity to “Create a Legacy” which will last for years to come. 

 

In conjunction with this, Congress has recently extended the Pension Protection Act of 2006.  This Act contains a provision on IRA Rollover Charitable Reform. During the remainder of 2008 and all of 2009, holders of traditional IRAs who are at least 70½ years old can make direct charitable transfers up to $100,000 per year from their IRA to charity tax-free. This provision is yet another resource that provides charitably inclined persons the opportunity to give to their favorite charity through the Community Foundation.

 

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation continues to commemorate its compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. This confirmation represents the highest measure of accountability and transparency in philanthropy for community foundations. It is significant since community foundations are the only philanthropic organizations that have gone through such a process. In addition, compliance with National Standards is not a mandatory requirement but was achieved on a voluntary basis by CRCF Board of Directors and staff. With this designation, we will be celebrating our thirty years of “Enriching the Quality of Life in the Chautauqua Region”.

 

You can see there any many things taking place at CRCF and even more we hope to share with you. If you wish to stop in and say “hi” on Thursday, November 13^th,  at the Foundation Office at,418 Spring Street, Jamestown, the Community Foundation Board and staff welcome you to do so. We hope the entire Chautauqua region celebrates National Community Foundation Week with us, because, while this week focuses on the good works CRCF, it is truly a testament to the outstanding and consistent support given by the community for the community.  Community citizens believed in the Foundation 30 years ago, and that continues today.