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  • Blue River Community Foundation: BRCF February 2021 Newsletter

    Member News

    February 2021
     
     
    DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY
    FOR SHELBY COUNTY REACHES MILESTONE
    Do you remember when your kids were little and you would just get the closet stocked with clothes and shoes for the school year only to find the children outgrowing it all in a few months?  Well, here at BRCF, we have had the same growth spurt with our Imagination Library program!  CONTINUE READING
     
     
    MINI MURAL PROJECT:  ARTIST CALL OUT
    Announcing a Call for Art! Blue River Community Foundation is now accepting artists' designs to transform traffic signal and utility cabinets in Shelbyville & Shelby County into public artworks. Traffic signal cabinets – the stainless-steel structures located at every signalized intersection – are a simple and effective way to infuse our community with public art.  In 2019, BRCF partnered with local art teacher Eric Sutton to transform the traffic cabinet box at the intersection of Mechanic & North Harrison Street in downtown Shelbyville, which was the first of many to come. As part of the GIFT VII Implementation Grant through the Lilly Endowment, BRCF will complete 12 more of these art installations around the city. Art submissions will be due on April 15, 2021.
    If you are interested in submitting artwork for this project, please email Jordan England at jengland@blueriverfoundation.com for a program outline and submission requirements.
     
    2021 DISTRIBUTION OF DESIGNATED FUNDS
    Each year, BRCF distributes grants from over 70 designated funds.  When a designated fund is established, the donor directs the fund’s annual payout to one or more charitable organizations. Advantages include planned giving and investment management services, as well as the power of endowment.  The first round of distributions was completed in January.  A combined total of $490,110 was distributed among 37 different organizations.  Below are two of those grantees. 
    Pictured L-R:  Rick Moorehead and Jenni Wheeler
    Designated funds supporting J. Kenneth Self Shelbyville Boys & Girls Club:
    • Boys Club Martin & Mary Schulz Fund
    • John C. & Martha Jane DePrez Fund
    • Josh Montgomery Fund
    Pictured L-R:  Jessica Baker. and Amy Dillon
    Designated funds supporting Girls Inc.:
    • Girls Inc. Agency Endowment (Schulz)
    • Girls Inc. Designated Endowment
    • John C. & Martha Jane DePrez Fund
    • The Sandy Allen Fund
    • W.E. (Bill) Cunningham Fund
     
    RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY:  FEBRUARY 17
    February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day! There are so many different ways in which you can show others kindness and put a smile on their face- and yours!  As you go about your day on the 17th, we hope that you will explore one or more of the many ways that you can show others and your community kindness:
    • Treat someone to a tea or coffee.
    • Thank someone who you appreciate.
    • Give someone a compliment.
    • Leave a server a big tip.
    • Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
    • Send a loved one a card to let them know you’re thinking of them.
    Make a donation to a BRCF fund or another nonprofit organization. Visit our website www.blueriverfoundation.com  to choose from one of our many funds, several of which are designated to Shelby County nonprofits.
     
    DOWNTOWN ALLEY PROJECT RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY
    Checkout this fantastic article about the Downtown Alley Project which is highlighted in the Creative Placemaking Resource Guide; a tool which contains a wide array of resources that go beyond typical arts grants to encompass various aspects of creative placemaking. Most of them are not directly intended for creative placemaking, but could fund one or more aspects of the overall effort, like business retention or attraction, incorporating artists in planning processes, or construction of community-serving facilities. The article describes this collaborative effort; utilizing it as a case study on fostering pride of place. 
     
    INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING A FUND AT BRCF?
    Don't Miss Out On This Opportunity
    Did you know that you can establish an unrestricted, community fund to help the ever-changing needs in Shelby County for a gift of only $1,700?  Through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT VII Match Initiative, you can establish a named fund that supports your community today and tomorrow.  This opportunity to triple the impact of your gift has been 
    extended until September 30, 2021.  As an added incentive for the 2021 tax year, updates have been made to the CARES Act; which include provisions that affect both individual and corporate donors.  Please contact us to learn more.  We are happy to discuss options on how you can take advantage of this offer.
     
    IMPACT OF BRCF RELIEF EFFORTS
    Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF) continues to follow the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our community.  To review our most up to date responses to local needs and to learn about currently available resources please click HERE. 
     
     
    DATES & DEADLINES TO KNOW
     
    February Office Hours:
    Monday - Thursday;   8 -4
    Friday - available by appointment; staff available by email and voicemail

    February 15  -  President's Day; BRCF Office Closed

    February 11  -  Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
                             Workshop #3

    February 17  -  Random Acts of Kindness Day

    February 25  -  Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
                             Workshop #4

    March 7 - College Goal Sunday
                     www.collegegoalsunday.org

    March 11 - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
                       Workshop #5
     
     
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    Copyright © *|2021|* *|Blue River Community Foundation|*, All rights reserved.


    Our mailing address is:
    Blue River Community Foundation
    54 W. Broadway Street, Suite 1
    Shelbyville, IN 46176

    P: 317.392.7955

    Hours:  M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

    Blue River Community Foundation: BRCF...