The John’s Island Foundation hosted an outdoor version of its annual Donor Reception, co-chaired by Betsy Smith and Sarah Banks, so that contributors could get a glimpse of one of the ways their donations have helped local nonprofits.
Guests gathered at the Golf Club’s Market Terrace and the nearby bag drop circle, where several nonprofit vehicles had been parked. Each had been partially funded by the foundation, which provides capital investments for assets and infrastructure.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is building a personal connection with the nonprofits that support our community,” said Don Blair, board president.
The vehicles on site were the Mobile Clinic of the Visiting Nurse Association, the Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Mobile Grocery, two Indian River County Volunteer Ambulance Squad ambulances, and the Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy’s Fun Bus.
“Representatives of each of these remarkable nonprofits are here with their vehicles.
They’re ready to show you their capabilities and speak to you about their work. Please seek them out to learn how your investment is improving lives in Indian River County.”
To get a better feel for the nonprofits, he encouraged members to join one of the site teams, led by Francie Cramb and Theresa Kilman, who visit the nonprofits and access the grant requests.
“Last year, we supported 26 nonprofit agencies with a record $1.1 million in capital grants.
We expect to set another grant record this year. Your generosity makes that possible.
Although many charities have experienced declines in fundraising this year, we expect this year’s donations to the JI Foundation will be the same or modestly higher than last year,” said Blair.
While they will continue supporting a wide array of issues, Blair said their current focus is affordable housing.
“Of more than 3,200 counties in the U.S., Indian River is in the top 10 for income inequality. For many people here, housing is NOT affordable,” said Blair.
Some, he said, have a home but are just one unexpected expense away from homelessness, while others live in shelters, sleep in cars, camp in the woods or live on the street. He added that the most recent count of the county’s homeless population was 341, up 18 percent from last year, and of those, 85 were children and 30 were veterans.
“Those figures are almost certainly understated. Many homeless people don’t want to be found, especially parents who fear their children will be taken away by the authorities,” said Blair.
“I thought I knew what homeless people looked like. I was wrong. Today, a homeless person may be a checkout clerk at the supermarket, a waiter in a restaurant, even a teacher or a social worker. It’s likely we’ve all met some of these people. They are men and women – elderly, middle aged and young – representing every race and ethnicity.”
The good news, he said, is that there are “extraordinarily capable nonprofits here, working together on this issue. And they have capital projects on the drawing board that can make a real difference in this county.”
Last year, the John’s Island Foundation made their first Leadership Grant of $200,000 toward the construction of a triplex of affordable housing units.
“This year, we’ve begun to proactively seek new projects with similar or even greater scope. I’m confident that there will be opportunities in the next 12 months for us to fund, projects that will have a tangible impact on the housing problem in this county,” said Blair, before thanking donors for making a difference.
For more information, visit JohnsIslandFoundation.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
