Supporters of the John’s Island Foundation gathered at the John’s Island Beach Club to celebrate its 25th anniversary with an oceanside reception sponsored by local businesses. After enjoying music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, board president Don Steiner remarked on the vision of the late Ellie McCabe, who had recognized a need to fund the capital expenses of local nonprofits.
The foundation, which has distributed nearly $20 million since its creation, is the only funding group that exclusively provides grants for tangible capital needs, such as building renovations, major equipment, transportation, generators and computer systems.
“The generous support that our caring John’s Island members provide to help our Indian River County neighbors in need is terrific. Also, the amazing dedication and work done by over 100 social service agencies whose leaders devote their lives to helping others is amazing,” said Steiner.
“And frankly, these people are social entrepreneurs. They don’t get the same recognition that people get who start companies, but they have to build a following. They have to raise money.
They have to build a team. They have to differentiate themselves. And most of all, they have to show that they’re making a difference in the lives of people whom they support. And we go out and find the agencies that are doing the best job of all those things,” he added.
Commenting on how rewarding it has been to serve as a board member, work on site teams and learn about the various agencies they support, he encouraged others to get involved.
“Over the past four years, we’ve grown thanks to the dedication of our board, volunteers and the generosity of you and our supporters,” said Steiner.
Commenting on that growth, he said grants increased from $1.1 million in 2002 to $2.47 million this year, awarded to 24 local nonprofits. Additionally, average grant amounts have grown over the past four years from roughly $40,000 to just under $100,000.
Additionally, Steiner said that over the past three years, they have begun making Leadership Grants.
“Our first was $200,000 to the Coalition for Affordable Homes. Our second was $500,000 to Hope for Families, and $100,000 to the Habitat for Humanity Home Repair Program.”
This year, he said, they provided Leadership Grants of $500,000 to Habitat for Citrus Crossing where they’re building 32 homes; $200,000 to Childcare Resources toward the creation of its new downtown campus; and $200,000 to Treasure Coast Community Health to build a new pediatric center in the Oslo area.
“So, a total of $900,000 in Leadership Grants which, in addition to our Core Grants, are a very important part of having an impact in the community,” said Steiner.
“I think that it is important to let you know that we’re doing all that we can for homelessness, for childcare, for food security, for healthcare, for education, job readiness, senior care and veterans care. And we couldn’t do it without you.
“So thank you very much for coming here tonight. We want you to know how appreciative we are,” said Steiner.
As the sun set, a video was shown in which grant recipients described their work and expressed their own thanks for the support of the John’s Island Foundation.
For more information, visit JohnsIslandFoundation.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
