OIL CITY, Pa. — Bridge Builders Community Foundations, and its affiliate, Venango Area Community Foundation, will mark 40 years of service to the area on April 30, 2015.
The occasion will be celebrated with an open house and reception on April 30, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the office of Bridge Builders located at 206 Seneca Street in the National Transit Annex-Suite 10 in Oil City, Pa.
The reception will include light refreshments, memorabilia, and special video and personal presentations.
Executive director Trenton Moulin says, “This is a real opportunity for us to bring together all of our partners, donors, and community members to say thank you as well as to show them what philanthropy can do to change communities.”
To date, Bridge Builders has distributed $ 1,333,214.38 area grants and $2,060,237.23 in area scholarships.
Moulin says, “Our area is very generous as evident by the nearly $7 million we’ve received from individual donors.”
The Venango Area Community Foundation was founded on April 30, 1975. The first discretionary fund created in the Venango Area Community Foundation was started in June 1976 by Galena Rew Harrington and Mary E. Rew, both of Franklin, who were two local community volunteers who wanted to make a difference. They started that initial endowment with a gift and trust transfer totaling almost $80,000.
As an unrestricted discretionary permanently endowed fund the Bridge Builders Community Foundations’ board of directors and Foundation Distribution Committee may decide upon the use of this fund. Today that endowment still exists as the oldest continued endowment in Bridge Builders Community Foundations’ portfolio, and distributes approximately $5,000 annually to local causes every year.
It has taken many years to grow the Venango Area Community Foundation, and reach out to neighboring communities to create their own affiliates. Bridge Builders Community Foundations was incorporated in 2006 pulling the resources of the Venango, Clarion, and Forest Community Foundations together to leverage assets, fund management, and giving.
Bridge Builders Community Foundations executive director Trenton Moulin was brought on in 2010, and has worked very diligently at community outreach and creating visibility for local philanthropy.
According to Moulin, “There’s been real momentum over the last few years. We’re really reaching out and asking how we can help make a difference in this community while better serving donors in our area.”
Service to its many donors is key at Bridge Builders Community Foundations, as Bridge Builders Community Foundations works closely with attorneys, financial advisors, investment managers, trust officers, accountants, and other professionals to help their clients incorporate giving with their financial and estate plans.
“Donors tell us what they want to use their gift of money for, and our job is to see that it happens on their behalf or as advised by the donor.”
Momentum builds
Today Bridge Builders Community Foundations is a successful nonprofit with a focused vision and an impressive rate of giving. Presently, Bridge Builders Community Foundations manages over 125 different funds and almost $8 million in assets.
Moulin adds, “We’ve grown in over 40 funds and $2 million in assets from the previous year alone.”
Additionally Bridge Builders Community Foundations entered into an agreement with members of the Punxsutawney community to establish the Punxsutawney Area Community Foundation as an affiliate in June 2014.
More information is available at www.BridgeBuildersCommunityFoundations.org, or call 814-677-8687.
