Community Foundation Commences 25th Anniversary with Announcement of $2 Million Gift

The announcement takes place 25 years after Oakley played a key role in organizing the Community Foundation. He served as the Community Foundation’s board chair beginning with its incorporation in November of 1997 through December of 2000.

“A generation later, the establishment of our family fund is like coming full circle for me. We started the Community Foundation 25 years ago so that anyone and everyone could realize their philanthropic wishes and for my family and me that is exactly what this fund does,” said Oakley. “But while the Foundation is nearing its 25th anniversary and has done great work in distributing almost $15 million in grants, it is still brand new with its best work still to come well after we are gone. It will last forever; that was our vision then and it continues today.”

The Ralph Oakley Family Fund is a donor advised charitable fund, which allows donors the flexibility to recommend grants from the fund to support the causes they care about as needs and opportunities arise. Oakley and his daughters, Allison Hall and Sullivan Oakley, will serve as co-advisors to the fund, providing a vehicle through which to engage in collaborative family philanthropy. 

“We are grateful for Ralph’s generosity and vision for prosperous communities, beginning with his steadfast leadership in establishing the Community Foundation and now punctuated by the establishment of the Ralph Oakley Family Fund,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Community Foundation CEO. “This is a gift not only to the Community Foundation, but also to our nonprofit community and our entire region. We are thrilled to assist the Oakley family with their philanthropic goals and look forward to witnessing first-hand the continuous impact of this gift.”

Oakley was among the individuals, businesses, and organizations who were instrumental in the Community Foundation’s formation and continued success, known as the Founder’s Circle. The Founder’s Circle includes the former Oakley-Lindsay Foundation of Quincy Media, Inc., the late Thomas A. and Anne M. Oakley, Mercantile Bank, Marion Gardner Jackson Charitable Trust, Great River Economic Development Foundation, and the late William Myers of the Elkhart (Indiana) Community Foundation.

The Founder’s Circle’s vision and action created the Community Foundation on November 26, 1997. By December 31, which marked the end of the first fiscal year, the Community Foundation held $1,050. That, along with additional financial support in the coming year, enabled the newly-formed Community Foundation to embark upon work to offer people from all walks of life the opportunity to build charitable and endowment funds to help address needs and opportunities today, tomorrow and forever.

“Since 1997, the Community Foundation has grown from a fledgling organization to a philanthropic partner that has distributed more than $13 million in grants to strengthen our nonprofits and better our communities. This gift will continue to grow Ralph’s original vision for our organization and our region,” said Meckes.

The Community Foundation will commemorate its 25th anniversary November 17th at its annual Friends of Philanthropy celebration. More information about the Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary and its milestones throughout the years can be found at www.mycommunityfoundation.org/25-years-of-impact.  

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Donor Advised Funds with the Community Foundation are a philanthropic tool that allows donors to recommend grants to nonprofit organizations at any time. 

With a donor advised fund at the Community Foundation, charitably-inclined individuals can organize their giving, strengthen their community, and enjoy personalized philanthropic support and collaboration through the Community Foundation. Funds established with the Community Foundation are invested for long-term growth with a goal of ensuring charitable resources are available to support local causes for generations.

The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities. 

Its mission, “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” is achieved by gathering funds, growing them through investments, then granting to nonprofit organizations, causes or communities that mean the most to its donors.   

Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than $13 million in grants. It serves 12-counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri.  

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status, and contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes.  

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email ceo@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.