June 26, 2007 - Volume 16, No. 26

a Winkler Company publication

Also featuring photos from our monthly supplement...

'Willow Grove'

Little Exchange raises $26,000 for CMC

Oakwood residents, who volunteer at The Little Exchange, gather around to present a $26,000 check to The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. L to R The Little Exchange Board President Judy Gottman, Pat Parrish, Vice President for Development at Dayton Children’s Duke Haddad, Sharon Killworth, Linda Snyder and Nancy Kussman.

At its annual meeting, The Little Exchange Foundation Board President, Judy Gottman, of Oakwood, presented a check for $26,000 to Duke Haddad, vice president for development at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. This donation represents continuing support of the Family Resource Center at the hospital.

The Family Resource Center is located at the hospital and serves patients and their families who yearn to educate themselves about various topics such as symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, etc. The center offers internet research as well as extensive printed material. Usage of the center has increased steadily over the past five years and inquiries come to the experts at the hospital from across the country.

Since 1957, The Little Exchange Foundation has donated nearly $1,400,000 to Dayton Children’s. The Foundation operates The Little Exchange, a fine gift shop located at 45 Park Avenue (just off Rte. 48 South/Far Hills Avenue) in Oakwood. Staffed primarily by volunteers,

Board President Judy Gottman noted, “We are thrilled to again make a significant donation to Dayton Children’s. Every time someone shops for a gift at The Little Exchange, they are in fact giving TWO…one to their friend or family member and one to Dayton Children’s as all of our proceeds go to the hospital.

OSEF partners finances with Dayton Foundation

To better serve the students, teachers and staff of the Oakwood City Schools, the Board of Trustees of the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation has voted to place its financial operations under the umbrella of The Dayton Foundation, the regional community foundation of the Greater Miami Valley area. This new partnership will enable the Board to focus its efforts more fully on growing the monies available to support teacher grants and program initiatives, and to more closely maintain relationships with donors.

Over the last 15 years, the Foundation has broadened students’ learning opportunities by awarding over $330,000 in quality grants, funding projects such as: innovative technology and equipment for Science and Math; the Accelerated Reader program for elementary students; on-site master teachers and technology to improve writing skills; and the Lange School Playground challenge, to name just a few.

The Oakwood Schools Education Foundation provides students and faculty with diverse and distinctive opportunities, which go above and beyond the reach of the district’s normal operating budget. Pursuing its mission, “Enhancing Excellence
through Philanthropy,” the Foundation provides significant annual support for quality initiatives, including teacher and administrative grants, scholarships, and special wish list items.

“The Oakwood Schools Education Foundation will be considered a component fund of The Dayton Foundation, yet will continue to operate with the same local autonomy, brand identity, board members, and grant-making procedures,” said Trustee Bob Curry. “The Dayton Foundation will provide backroom and professional support for us, including the necessary investment, financial and accounting oversight, tax reporting, and administrative functions for greater efficiency and effectiveness.”

Ten other educational funds have aligned successfully in a similar manner with The Dayton Foundation, including the Miamisburg Schools Education Foundation, the West Carrollton Education Foundation and, most recently, the $14 million Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship Program.

Please contact the Foundation’s offices at 937-229-5332 if you have questions.

OSEF – Dayton Foundation merger Q&A

Q. Why is the Oakwood Educational Foundation moving financial operations to The Dayton Foundation?

A. In an effort to better serve the students, teachers and staff of the Oakwood City Schools, the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation is becoming a component fund of The Dayton Foundation. This new partnership will enable the Board of Trustees to focus its efforts more fully on growing the monies available to support teacher grants and program initiatives, and maintaining relationships with our donors and the Oakwood community.

The Dayton Foundation will provide backroom and professional support for us, including the necessary investment, financial and accounting oversight, tax reporting and administrative functions. The Oakwood Schools Education Foundation will be relieved of legal, financial, investment review and reporting duties. We thereby achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Q. Will the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation have less impact or influence?

A. Not at all. While considered a component fund of The Dayton Foundation, the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation will continue to operate with the same local identity and autonomy, phone number and web site, administrative assistant, board members and grant-making procedures.

Q. Who will manage the Foundation’s funds?

A. The Board of The Oakwood Schools Education
Foundation will be able to select from a list of more than 50 investment advisors approved by The Dayton Foundation. National City Bank, which is approved by The Dayton Foundation, currently manages the Foundation’s funds, following an investment policy determined and approved by the Foundation Board. The pooling of funds within The Dayton Foundation will result in lower fees paid to the asset manager. The Dayton Foundation completes an annual review of compliance with asset allocation and other policies, and provides reports on fund performance including professional, independent comparisons of asset managers.

Q. Are other school districts involved with The Dayton Foundation?

A. The foundations of 10 other districts are currently component funds of The Dayton Foundation. In addition to the support previously listed, grant making resources, scholarship assistance and planned giving expertise are also available.

Q. How is the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation Board structured?

A. The Board is comprised of up to 19 volunteer trustee members who are appointed to three year terms which may be renewed. They are complemented by other volunteers who serve on Board sub-committees responsible for fund raising, community events, marketing and communications, and finance.

Q. To whom and how are grants awarded?

A. The Resource Allocation Committee of The Oakwood Schools Education Foundation solicits requests for grant proposals twice per year from Oakwood teachers and administrators. Before being accepted for consideration by the Committee, each grant must be reviewed and approved by the teacher’s or administrator’s principal and the district superintendent.

The Resource Allocation Committee meets and discusses each grant application thoroughly. Grants approved by the Committee for funding are then submitted to the full Foundation Board for its review and approval. The Committee and the Foundation members pay particular attention to the focus and reach of the grant request, as well as its creativity and innovation in keeping with the Foundation’s mission of enhancing excellence through philanthropy. Since inception, over $330,000 has been awarded for creative, quality grants.

Most grants are made for one-time projects. Funded grants focus on several recurring themes: literacy, academic competition, innovative teaching methods and science/ technology.

The Foundation is also responsible for several Funds created by community members for special purposes, usually recognizing achievement or to encourage further study in special fields of interest. These funds will be considered under The Dayton Foundation and managed in the same way.

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