Billings Community Foundation 2014 Summer Newsletter

Billings Community Foundation
2014 Summer Newsletter
Message from Our President
Greetings,
Billings Community
Foundation thoroughly
enjoyed our annual
grants award dinner in
June as we awarded 14
grants totaling over
$15,000. In addition, we
celebrated the
outstanding charitable work of Obert Undem by
launching the Obert Undem Fund for Community
Vitality. It is special to be a partner in the amazing
work that is being done in this community by so
many caring individuals and their organizations. A
sincere thanks to our community sponsors and
our event sponsors!
We are honored and proud to have grown our
endowment funds to nearly $2,000,000; we
currently serve more than 35 organizations.
Project Hope
Billings Community Foundation is pleased to
hold an endowment fund for Project Hope,
located in Stillwater County. This is a
community service organization serving
Stillwater County's families in need.
Services provided by Project Hope include a
food bank and a thrift store. They furnish backto- school supplies to children and, in
coordination with Scottish Rites, shoes are
provided to kids in need. Other services are
holiday dinner groceries, May Day baskets for
seniors, and outreach donations for medical
emergencies and travel. The Lyle King Memorial
Scholarship is given annually to high school
students who have been community volunteers.
The Laughing Ladies Antiques and Thrift Store
are located at 424 Pike Ave, Columbus,
Montana, and are open Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday from 9am to 3pm and Saturday from
These groups and the recipients of our grants are
the center of our mission. We encourage
individuals and organizations to consider
endowment building as a major part of capacity
growth, thus giving a better sense of permanence
for the needed community services provided by
nonprofits.
12pm-3pm.
It seems that summer always goes way too fast,
so on that note, it is not too soon to contact
Billings Community Foundation to help with yearend charitable plans. There are so many
choices! Consider Donor Advised Funds, a
planned gift such as a Charitable Gift Annuity,
supporting one of your favorite nonprofits with a
contribution to their endowment fund held by
BCF, or our very own BCF Endowment Fund.
Annual Awards Dinner Re-Cap
My sincere compliments to all the hard-working
volunteers and nonprofit groups of the greater
Billings area for your dedication to your mission
and community. I also give a heartfelt "thank you"
to all the donors who support Billings Community
Foundation and our endowment funds.
Have a great last month of summer!
Colleen Weast
Cash donations may be sent to Project Hope,
PO Box 1443, Columbus, MT 59019. Food,
clothing, housewares etc. may be dropped off at
the store.
The annual Billings
Community
Foundation (BCF)
Awards Dinner
was held on
Wednesday, June
4, at Prescott Hall
on the campus of
Rocky Mountain
College. This year
was especially
Mayor Tom Hanel and
exciting! Not only
BCF Board Member
did 14 nonprofits
Teresa Darnielle.
receive grants
from BCF, but the
dinner also honored Obert Undem, a long-time
philanthropic leader and a founding member of
BCF.
A Message from ZooMontana:
The dinner was
graciously
sponsored by
First Interstate
Bank, Dennis
and Phyllis
Washington
Foundation,
Avitus Group,
Karin and Bill
Lucas, Jack
Nickels, Doug
Osborne/Mass
Mutual Financial Honoree Obert Undem and BCF
Board Treasurer
Group, Ralph
Carolyn Yampradit.
and Tancy
Spence,
Stockman Bank, and Colleen Weast.
ZooMontana was grateful to receive a gift of
$4,000 from Billings Community Foundation to
aid in the construction of a new trout pond. The
new pond will feature running water, a deep water
pool, informative signage, and a feeder to engage
The dinner began with opening remarks by BCF
board chair Colleen Weast, introducing the BCF
board members and special honorees, Ginny
and Obert Undem. Board member Jack Nickels
acted as host for the grant distribution, assisted
Let your good work begin with us
children. The addition of this pond will not only
help beautify the Zoo, but add a new, important
educational component to the visitor's visit.
Proper fish and watershed etiquette is an
important component to the messaging of
Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks and will be
integrated into the new exhibit.
by board treasurer Carolyn Yampradit.
Jack Nickels then shared the history of Obert
Undem, from his Montana roots, through his
days in Arkansas and now, as a philanthropic
leader and Director of Planned Giving at Rocky
Mountain College. Community leader Barb
Skelton then followed Jack with touching
comments about Obert as a leader and as a
warm and caring individual. Obert's comments
were short and most gracious. He, as expected,
felt he did not deserve this recognition and was
touched by this honor.
ZooMontana Executive Director Jeff Ewelt and
BCF Development Associate Suzanne McKiernan.
This gift supports ZooMontana's ongoing
education efforts as a means to improve science
literacy in collaboration with local wildlife districts.
The goal of the Montana Trout Pond is to promote
environmental stewardship by providing an
appreciation and a hands-on understanding of the
local ecosystem and the role of humans in it.
Thanks, Billings Community Foundation!
Jeff Ewelt
Executive Director, ZooMontana
Jeans Day Thank You
The Board of Directors would like to thank the
Billings Gazette and their Jeans Day program for
the generous donation of $1,056. The newspaper
serves as the facilitator of this program; all
proceeds benefit selected nonprofits in our
community.
On the last Friday of every month, local
businesses participate in Jeans Day by letting
employees wear jeans in exchange for a $2.00
donation. Those dollars are collected by the
business and turned over to the Gazette, which
BCF Board Members Katie Maehl,
Sara Beck er, and Karin Lucas
Preceding the dinner was a seminar, "Principles
for Good Governance and Ethical Practices,"
led by Dan Miller, CPA, Anderson ZurMuehlen.
"This was a memorable evening!" exclaimed
Colleen Weast. "It celebrated the very best in
our community: dedicated nonprofits serving the
needs of many on a very limited budget, and the
recognition of a philanthropic leader who
understands the importance of planned giving
and community involvement."
Congratulations to this year's grant recipients:
Beartooth Humane Alliance
Better Billings Foundation
Big Horn County Library
Big Sky Senior Services
Billings Family YMCA
Broadview Community Center Inc.
Community Hope Inc.
Help for Homeless Pets
Helping Hands in Hardin Food Bank
Family Tree Center
Friends of Pompeys Pillar
Tumbleweed Program
Yellowstone CASA
distributes them to a different nonprofit each
month. BCF was the nonprofit recipient for the
month of April. Jeans Day is a long-standing
project of the Gazette.
ZooMontana
If your business is interested in being a part of
Jeans Day, or if your nonprofit is interested in
being a recipient, please contact Evelyn Noennig
at 657-1226.
Thanks to the Billings Gazette for their generosity
and involvement in the community!
BCF Welcomes Two New
Board Members
Joy Culver
Joy is a CPA and Partner at Eide Bailly, with
more than 25 years of public accounting
experience. She performs a variety of consulting
services for agri-businesses, real estate
companies, medical facilities, and other privatelyowned businesses. Joy lives in Billings with her
husband and has two daughters. Recent
volunteer highlights include service with Billings
Preservation Society, Moss Mansion House
Museum, Bair Family Museum Trust Advisor and
Yellowstone Art Museum. She is a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, Montana Society of Certified Public
Accountants and is former president of the
Yellowstone Valley Estate Planning Council.
Don Roberts
Don is a retired oral surgeon turned rancher. He
has served four, two-year terms in the Montana
House of Representatives. While in the House,
he served as Vice-Chair and Chair for Health and
Human Services and, in his last session, served
as Chairman of Appropriations for Health and
Human Services. During his 35 years in Billings,
Don has been involved in many organizations
including the board of Montana Audubon
Conservation Education Center, Rotary, the
Billings Symphony, and Yellowstone Art Museum.
Don has also been recognized by the American
College of Dentists. Don is a third-generation
Montanan. He is married to Carol and they have
three daughters.
Board of Trustees
Colleen Weast
President
Kathryn Maehl
Vice President
Carolyn Yampradit
Treasurer
Karin Lucas
Secretary
Ralph Spence
Immediate Past President
Obert Undem
Vice President, Planned Giving
Teresa Darnielle
Assistant Vice President, Planned Giving
Don Allen
Doris Barta
Sara Becker
Joy L. Culver
Jack Nickels
Doug Osborne
Don Roberts
Welcome, Joy and Don, to our team!
Advisory Board
2014 Community Sponsors
Bill Milton
Sarie Mackay
Lynda Moss
Lisa Reid Perry
Melanie Schwarz
Development Associate
Suzanne McKiernan
[email protected]
_______________
Are you interested in more information?
Do you want to get involved with BCF?
Please contact us!
Billings Community
Foundation
P O Box 1255
Billings, MT 59103
406-839-3334
www.billingscommunityfoundation.org
Lifetime Endowment Donors
$75,000-above - Billings Region Visionary
Cynthia Foster
$10,000-$24,999 - Billings Region Patron
Spence Family Foundation
About BCF
Billings Community
Foundation is a
nonprofit, taxexempt community fund
governed by local
citizens promoting
philanthropy and
charitable giving. Our
mission is to enhance
the capacity of donors and charitable
$1,000-$4,999 - Billings Region Promoter
Bill & Karin Lucas
Mark & Teresa Morse
$0-$999 - Billings Region Booster
First Interstate Bank
Sara Becker
Jason & Kathryn Maehl
Joseph & Suzanne McKiernan
Jack Nickels
Ray & Beverly Sandness
Obert & Virginia Undem
Colleen Weast
organizations to meet the needs of the greater
Billings community.
Tom & Carolyn Yampradit
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