By Randall J. Sweeney

In recent months, our world has turned to much that is negative. The media has brought into our homes every detail of the downturn in the economy. That has led to the ripple effect of home foreclosures and job loss. These elements have resulted in a feeling of anticipation, anxiety, and fear. It is in times such as these that we need to stop, reflect, and be thankful for all we do have in this great land.

It was 30 years ago that a small group of community-minded individuals made a decision to establish a community foundation. A feasibility study completed prior to the decision indicated that there was risk of success; but, if benchmarks could be reached, it could find longevity. This group of volunteers made the decision to move forward. Through their dedication to this mission, they spent countless hours raising the funds to reach their goals.

The time and effort that was put into those early days of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation was the beginning of a standard that has carried over these three decades. The standard of volunteer service which was part of this group and many more since the late 1970’s is the key to the existence of this organization. During the past 30 years, the volunteer leadership, knowledge, and experience has been handed from person to person, from committee member to committee member, and from board member to board member. With each transfer of a volunteer role comes another individual that is eager to help their community--an individual that wants to make a difference. As each person leaves a Foundation role, they leave with a broader knowledge of this Chautauqua Region. They leave with a new vision of this area and ideas on how they can help make it a better place for them, their family, and their neighbors.

These hundreds of volunteers have been a key element to the success of the Community Foundation. It is this group which is the reason that the Foundation has chosen the anniversary theme of “30 Years and Deeply Rooted”. This long list of volunteers has helped make the decisions for increasing the endowment assets and the difficult decisions of allocating funding for charitable projects and scholarships for our young people. These have required a collective base of knowledge and experience. The result of this action has positioned the Community Foundation to be deeply rooted in our community.

As we see 2008 come to a close, a few statistics may help to frame the hard work and dedication of this group of volunteers. The Community Foundation in its 30-year history has raised over $52.3 million to over 500 endowment funds which have been established by individuals for their own charitable passion. They support the efforts of the area not-for-profit organizations, as well as scholarships for higher education. These funds have returned over $29.3 million to the community through grants and scholarships. In breaking this down further, $19.3 million has been granted to area non-profit organizations and $10 million to students for college expenses. These are impressive statistics for an area of our size. This is the result of the early vision of that small group of volunteers that embarked on this task. This vision has been carried on by each volunteer.

This is a time of year for thanksgiving with family. The Community Foundation is appreciative for all that has been accomplished as the result of this special group of supporters over these years. Without the volunteers, the Foundation could not function and the generosity of the donors would not be passed on to the community. It is the hundreds of volunteers which have led this effort for these 30 years and for which we are thankful.

On behalf of the Community Foundation family, we say “thank you” for all you have done for this organization and the community over the 30-year history. We extend a wish for a joyous holiday and prosperous New Year.