Donor Stories

Read how our donors have helped to make a difference...

It Does Take A Village Story as told by Terry Rothmann, Executive Director 18 years old, Mom’s in prison, Dad is nowhere to be found, and Grandma has health issues. As the primary care giver, and working to support the family budget, studies had to take a back seat. And grades suffered, until a caring counselor at SPASH got involved. Confidence and esteem began to build, and the support network of Grandma and friends pushed even harder. The grades did improve, though not enough to qualify for scholarships at the Foundation. But the SPASH counselor was not deterred. The student was encouraged to apply, partially for the experience, but also in the hopes that no others would apply. Unfortunately, students did apply, and others were selected. But an interesting thing happened at the meeting where selections were made. Board members and volunteers found the story compelling, and at first one volunteer offered to donate $50 to help with a scholarship. Others followed suit, and over $1,800 was raised to help with tuition expenses. And another $350 has been raised for next year. True story? Yes. Will we share more stories as our student pursues a degree in public protection? You bet!
Tooth Fairy Fund Story as told by Terry Rothmann, Executive Director We received a call at the Community Foundation on Monday afternoon after the long Thanksgiving weekend. An elementary school nurse had a first grader with a severe toothache which was affecting his ability to focus on his studies. The boy had been in pain over the long holiday weekend. Mom and Dad had recently found work but were not yet eligible for insurance benefits. Prior insurance benefits had ended and Mom and Dad could not afford to see a dentist. Could we help this child? We called the fund representative for the Tooth Fairy Fund to see if they could help. They could! The school nurse was contacted and an appointment scheduled for the child with a local dentist. By 4 PM that afternoon the boy had been treated and was back home, pain free. The dentist’s fees were paid by the Tooth Fairy Fund.
Aldo Leopold Audubon Society Story as told by John Munson, Fund Representative Maggie Munson, granddaughter of John Munson, was visiting her mother’s chiropractic office one day and left to entertain herself in the children’s play area in the office lobby. Knowing that her grandfather was a huge supporter of the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society, she decided to make the most of her time in the waiting room. She made a sign “Help the birds” and collected pine cones and acorns from trees just out the front door of the office. She then placed a small basket on her lap and asked patients to buy a pine cone or an acorn. Soon patients were putting money into the basket and at the end of her wait in the lobby, she had collected $10.14 for her grandfather’s cause. When her mother finished her appointments with patients, imagine her surprise to find her daughter soliciting donations from her patients! Yes, the charitable spirit can move you, even at the young age of 7!
Ma-Kah Water For All Fund.... I have met some truly remarkable charitable people as I work to raise money to build pump (drinking) wells in Cameroon. Recently I spoke with a donor who pulled out his wallet and gave me $2,000 in cash. I cried a little bit and then gave him and his wife a big hug. I am sure my sister’s spirit is helping me throughout this process. (Sam’s sister passed away in Cameroon from stomach complications.) The sad thing right now is that my next pump well project, which will be at an orphanage, is going to cost more than $5,000 because there are no volunteers. Typically the villagers help out when it is in the village; unfortunately the orphanage location seems to be on its own. So more fund raising is needed to raise enough money to build a well for the orphanage on my December trip to Cameroon. Donations can be made % Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin, P.O. Box 968, Stevens Point, WI 54481.
In Memory of GREG CHELCUN.... Greg Chelcun was a teacher at the Stevens Point High School and a founding member of the Stevens Point Area Education Association Foundation (SPAEAF), which joined the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin in 2006 as an endowment fund to help provide funding to students seeking a secondary education. Greg was also a Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin board member for a short time, before becoming ill in 2007 with a genetic cancer which eventually took his life in February of 2009. While we in Greg's family were learning about his illness, and vigorously supporting his strong fight against the cancer, we all decided to begin an education and research support campaign. The Community Foundation was the most natural and logical choice for our seedling ideas, and supported us in the beginning and through the evolution of our efforts. We created the Chelcun Family Fund for Stomach Cancer Research to help provide for these efforts. Recently, the Foundation has helped us with a fund, for the Greg Chelcun Memorial Scholarship, under the wings of the Stevens Point Area Education Association Foundation. We know that Greg's memory will be honored by these efforts, and others will be helped, supported, and educated through our programs, supported by the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. To learn more about Chelcun's continuing fight againt cancer... Please visit their website at www.bestronghearted.org
Ma-Kah Water For All Fund.... My dear friends, When a loved one passes away you immediately think the world would come to an end. I have been in that corner once. Last February I lost a dear sister Ma Kah Rosemary Fokum Dinga. She was a nurse by training and she volunteered as a nurse most of her adult life. She became sick of stomach complications and died without proper diagnoses. Before her passing she had mentioned to me repeatedly that “…the greatest gift of life after free air is clean water”. I started the Ma-Kah Water for All project to help build 40 pump wells in honor of my sister. With the help of a few Stevens Point community friends I was able to build the first well in December of 2009. This well will serve about 600 villagers. I have seen firsthand the streams where most of the villagers get their drinking water. The water is making the villagers sick and they spend a lot of working hours fetching water. Please join me by making a small donation today to help build these wells. You can also contribute as a family to build one well. A well costs about $5000. There will be a plaque with your family name attached to the well. Thank you! Sam S. Dinga Founder Ma-Kah Water for All To help Ma-Kah Water For All please make a donation through the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. All money goes directly to the building of water wells.
Helping People Fund In 1988 when the Community Foundation was just six years old and very small, we received our first significant gift. That gift of $103,000 in stock, from an anonymous donor, asked that we help the needy, hungry and underprivileged in our community. Since those early days, the Helping People Fund has given over $110,000 to programs in Portage County that benefit the underserved, just as intended by the original donor. Programs such as Operation Bootstrap, Healthy Smiles, and Habitat for Humanity are a few that have been recipients. Today, the balance in this fund exceeds $152,000. So the original gift of $103,000 has been able to grow to more than $150,000, even after giving away more than $110,000. Now that is the power of endowing!
More stories to come...