Community Foundation Update (9/22/12)

Connecticut

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has appointed Carol Buckheit as its communications and marketing officer for Web and social media. Buckheit is the founder and principal of Nonprofit MediaWorks, which provides consulting and training for nonprofit leaders on social media, Web, and e-communications strategies.

A varied group of sixty-seven local news and information Web sites have risen to the top of Chicago's ever-changing online news ecosystem, two research reports from the Chicago Community Trust find. The reports, The New News 2012 and Linking Audiences to News II, used a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures to identify the most noteworthy sites and shed light on changes in the landscape since similar studies were conducted two years ago.

The Springfield-based Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts will host the Valley Gives online charity drive on December 12, the Republican reports. In partnership with the Jewish Endowment Foundation, the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, the United Ways of Hampshire and Franklin counties and the Pioneer Valley, and the Irene E. and George A. Davis and Beveridge Family foundations, as well as Razoo, CFWM will help train area nonprofits to boost their presence on social media platforms and register for the twenty-four-hour drive.

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina in Asheville has announced a grant of $75,000 to HandMade in America to help expand technical assistance and community development efforts as part of its economic development program for rural communities. The expansion aims to transform communities in CFWNC's eighteen-county service area by using HandMade's cultural asset-based economic development model.

The Charlotte-based Foundation for the Carolinas and the Lancaster County Community Foundation have announced the six recipients of the Henry Dewitt Plyler Scholarship, which provides funding for students from Lancaster County who are interested in teaching and plan to attend Winthrop University. Scholarship awards, which are based on academic merit and ability, involvement in school and community activities, and leadership ability, range from $750 to $1,000 and are renewable for three additional years.

A grant of $59,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation has helped Lane Community College transform a classroom at its College Grove campus into a no-cost children's dental clinic, KVAL reports. In addition to the OCF grant, funding and in-kind contributions were provided by a variety of donors, including South Lane School District, the Cottage Grove Community Hospital Foundation, the Cottage Grove Community Foundation, the City of Cottage Grove, Cottage Grove Elks, Cottage Grove Rotary, Head Start, Family Relief Nursery, Dr. Mike Goger, the Boys and Girls Club of Albany, the Ford Family Foundation, Bi-Mart, and the Woodard Family Foundation.

“Dental Clinic Monday for Kids at LCC-Cottage Grove.” KVAL 9/05/12.

“Where Do Chicagoans Get Their Online News?.” Chicago Community Trust Press Release 9/13/12.

“Social Media Officer Joins Hartford Foundation.” Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Press Release 9/20/12.

“CFWNC Awards $75,000 to HandMade in America.” Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Press Release 9/19/12.

“Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to Launch Online Charity Drive, 'Valley Gives'.” Springfield Republican 9/19/12.

“Scholarships to Winthrop University Awarded to Seven Lancaster County Students.” Foundation for the Carolinas Press Release 9/12/12.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Secondary Subject(s): Education, Community Improvement/Development, Journalism/Media, Health, Science/Technology
Location(s): Asheville, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Hartford, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland, Springfield

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