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Montgomery, NY 12549
Ph: (845) 769-9393
Fax: (845) 769-9391
e-mail:
Admin@CFOC-ny.org

Contact:  Karen VanHouten
The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 845-469-4469
vanhouten@CFOC-ny.org

For Immediate Release:  June 26, 2006

Council on Foundations Recognizes
Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan
for Excellence

Chester-NY – The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan is being recognized as one of the first Community Foundations in the United States for having organizational and financial practices that are in accordance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. The Council on Foundations and leaders of the community foundation field created the National Standards to aid community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that would show the foundations’ transparency and financial responsibility in light of the increased public scrutiny of foundation practices. In addition, National Standards were developed to distinguish community foundations from other philanthropic vehicles, build the capacity of community foundations to carry out their missions, and assist the field with self-regulation in a manner viewed positively by the Internal Revenue Service.

“Adopting and adhering to high standards is the best way we can demonstrate our ongoing commitment to maintaining the trust of our donors and the entire community,” said Karen VanHouten, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.  “We are committed to reaffirming the honesty and integrity that are a hallmark of our Foundation.”

Intended both as a rigorous blueprint for internal organizational development and as a tangible set of benchmarks for external assessment of performance, the 43 National Standards address six key areas of community foundation operations: Mission, Structure and Governance; Resource Development; Stewardship and Accountability; Grantmaking and Community Leadership; and Donor Relation &  Communications.

U.S. community foundations serve tens of thousands of donors and administer more than $39 billion in charitable funds.  The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, created in 1999, is an effective and innovative local giving vehicle, one that combines maximum tax savings with maximum flexibility. The Council on Foundations is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership association of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and corporations.

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Contact:  Karen VanHouten
The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 845-469-4469
vanhouten@CFOC-ny.org

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS OVER $100,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS

Twenty-seven (27) Orange County students from ten (10) different school districts have received scholarships from endowment funds at The Community Foundation.  In total,  over $100,000 were awarded this year. Local families that care about education in their community established many of the scholarships.  Other scholarships were established to honor deceased loved ones as a lasting legacy.  Each scholarship has pre-determined criteria that a recipient must meet.  Often the criteria include academic performance, extra-curricular achievement and community service.  Additionally, specialized courses of study and/or career goals are determining factors.

“For some students these scholarships make all the difference in terms of their being able to afford to continue their education,” says Karen VanHouten, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.  In the Port Jervis School District, the Oscar Greenleaf Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded four (4) $10,000 scholarships.  “We are both fortunate and deeply honored to have the endowed Greenleaf Memorial Scholarship Fund that will continue to award scholarships to students from Port Jervis High School forever,” said Port Jervis District Superintendent, John Xanthis.

The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, a 501 (C)(3) non-profit public charity, was established in 1999 as a vehicle to promote philanthropy in perpetuity for charitable organizations throughout our region.  CFOS accomplishes this by assisting donors in executing their charitable intentions and encouraging them to make a difference in the community.  CFOS Executive Director Karen VanHouten added, “These locally-based endowed scholarship funds, established by caring individuals, are only one example of how endowed donor funds promote educational advancement and help support worthwhile causes throughout Orange County.”  

For more information about the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, call 845-469-4469 or e-mail the Foundation at Admin@CFOC-ny.org.

Partial List of Scholarships:

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Contact:  Karen VanHouten
The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan
845-469-4469 
vanhouten@CFOC-ny.org

Fred Harding
Orange County Land Trust, 343-0840

For Immediate Release:  May 17, 2006

Orange County Land Trust Opens Endowment Fund with Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

Orange County, NY – The Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) has created an endowment fund within The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan to provide a mechanism for further support of its mission to preserve fields, forests, wetlands, ridgelines and river corridors through voluntary land protection.  The Orange County Land Trust Endowment Fund was opened on May 17, 2006 with $50,000. This endowment fund will create an ongoing source of income for Orange County Land Trust and will build a pipeline of future planned gifts to the organization.

“The Orange County Land Trust is a private, not-for-profit organization.  Our desire is to expand the options available to our financial supporters.  The establishment of this Endowment Fund administered by the Community Foundation creates not only the opportunity to contribute to it, but also to create sub-funds containing the supporters’ name or memorializing a family member” explained Dr. Douglas McBride, President of the Land Trust “It is our hope the fund will grow substantiallyover the next severalyears, which will allow us to create a lasting endowment to assure the future of our organization.”

“We are finding that more and more nonprofit Boards are looking for ways to secure their organization’s long-term health and viability,” said Karen VanHouten, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.  Establishing an endowment fund with the Community Foundation is a critically important step towards that end. “Just as individuals need to make provisions for emergencies and their retirement, so does this community for its charitable organizations. We’re fortunate to have a community foundation in Orange County, and we encourage more donors and non-profits to take advantage of this opportunity,” she added.

The Orange County Land Trust will encourage its members and others to look at the Endowment Fund as they consider their longer term charitable giving options.  “Every dollar that the endowment fund receives will enhance the ability of the Land Trust to accomplish its mission” stated Fred Harding, the Land Trust’s Executive Director.  “That means that the Orange County Land Trust will continue to be the driving force in land conservation by creating preserves for public use; protecting open space through conservation easements; cooperating with local, county and state government in land planning; protecting river corridors and providing public access for boating and fishing; and initiating educational forums on land use issues. 

For more information, to make a gift to the Orange County Land Trust Endowment Fund, or to open a charitable fund of your own, please contact either Karen VanHouten at the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan at 845-469-4469, or visit the website at www.CFOS-ny.org; contact Linda Gette at the Orange County Land Trust at 845-343-0840 or visit their website at www.oclt.org.

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Contact: 
Karen VanHouten
The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 469-4469
vanhouten@CFOC-ny.org

Jacques Levine 343-8981
For Immediate Release:  June 26, 2006 

Orange County Land Trust Opens Endowment Fund with Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

Orange County, NY – Jacques Levine, a prominent Middletown businessman, has established a charitable fund to support the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) endowment fund held within The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.  He has established The Jacques and Florence Levine Subfund  of the Orange County Land Trust Endowment Fund to provide a mechanism for further support of the Orange County Land Trust’s mission to preserve fields, forests, wetlands, ridgelines and river corridors through voluntary land protection.  The Jacques and Florence Levine Subfund was opened on June 5, 2006.  An annual grant from the fund will create an ongoing source of income for Orange County Land Trust and will help strengthen the pipeline of future planned gifts to the organization.

“The Orange County Land Trust is a private, not-for-profit organization.  Our desire is to expand the options available to our financial supporters.  The establishment of this new subfund by longtime supporter Jacques Levine and his late wife, Florence, demonstrates how others can support the recently created Orange County Land Trust Endowment Fund. 

“I created The Jacques and Florence Levine Subfund as a way not only to memorialize my late wife, but as a mechanism to support the Land Trust and ensure the future of the organization and its mission,” said Jacques Levine. 

“We are finding that more and more individuals are excited about support their favorite organizations’ long-term health and viability,” said Karen VanHouten, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.  Establishing an endowment fund with the Community Foundation is a critically important step towards that end. “Just as individuals need to make provisions for emergencies and their retirement, so does this community for its charitable organizations. We’re fortunate to have a community foundation in our area, and we encourage more donors and non-profits to take advantage of this opportunity,” she added.

Every dollar that the endowment fund receives will enhance the ability of the Land Trust to accomplish its mission,” said Lou Mills, Founder of the Land Trust, who added, “Jacques was there when we created the Land Trust.  The Orange County Land Trust continues to be the driving force in land conservation in the county.” 

For more information, to make a gift to The Jacques and Florence Levine Subfund or the Orange County Land Trust Endowment Fund, or for donors interested in simply establishing a charitable fund of their own, please contact Karen VanHouten at the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan at 845-469-4469 or Linda Gette at the Orange County Land Trust at
845-343-0840.

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Contact: 
Karen VanHouten
The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, 469-4469
vanhouten@CFOC-ny.org

Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan TO ADMINISTER WILDFOERSTER ENDOWMENT FUND

     The Frederick B. and Dorothy A. Wildfoerster Endowment Fund have been established with the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.

     “The fund was created to award scholarships to local honorably discharged veterans interested in pursuing a degree in architecture or a related field,” said Karen VanHouten, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.  “Awards will be in the amount of $500 per semester and awardees will be chosen by a committee of family and close friends. Establishment of this endowment within the Foundation will ensure the scholarships are awarded in memory of Frederick & Dorothy Wildfeorster in perpetuity.”

     The Wildfoersters grew up in Orange County New York and greatly enjoyed the area.  After serving in the second World War and earning sharpshooter designation despite losing a limb, Fred graduated from Harvard with both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in the field of architecture and design.  The firm of Paver and Wildfoerster was a powerhouse of design in the Middletown area in the 1970s and 1980s, having a reputation of providing excellent architectural services in an extended local area.

     The Community Foundation is honored to administer this fund, designed to help a veteran realize his or her dreams in the field of architecture.  To make a tax-free contribution to this fund, or learn more about the work of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, please call 845- 469-4469 or visit at www.CFOC-ny.org.

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Headlines:

Council on Foundations Recognizes
Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan
for Excellence

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS OVER $100,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS

Partial List of Scholarships

Orange County Land Trust Opens Endowment Fund with Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan (1)

Orange County Land Trust Opens Endowment Fund with Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan (2)

Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan TO ADMINISTER WILDFOERSTER ENDOWMENT FUND

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All material © 2006 The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.