Challenge 2012: Create innovative solutions that contribute to social good and will be self-sustaining; thereby shaping a vital York County.

Up to $20,000 in funds is available to the 2012 YorIT Social Challenge winner, so submit your video proposals today! The deadline for submission is no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, February 3. All videos and required supporting materials must be submitted via email to Challenge@yorit.org.

For detailed information on submission requirements, including video formats, visit yorit.org/challenge TODAY!

We are pleased to announce the 2012 York Federal Fellows! Four nonprofit community leaders will receive $5,000 each to complete professional and personal leadership development in the upcoming year.

Congratulations to: Lou Castriota, President and CEO of Leg Up Farm; Bobbi Anne Cavanaugh, Executive Director of York County Literacy Council; Eve Gardner, Executive Director of Healthy York Network; and Robin Rohrbaugh, Executive Director of Healthy York County Coalition.

Please read more about our Fellows by clicking the link below.

On December 10, 2011, the Community Foundation, and the nation, lost one of its most important advocates. Eugene "Struck" Struckhoff was Executive Director of Development and Senior Consultant for York County Community Foundation from 1992 - 2000. Struck's role in the creation of 140 community foundations, beginning with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and ending with York County Community Foundation, inspired his nickname "The Johnny Appleseed of Community Foundations."

Struck's legacy is far-reaching and undeniably great. He helped craft York County Community Foundation's Revitalization Initiative in 1992, which quickly brought the Foundation to $5 million in assets by 1995. Struck was also passionate about Dollars for Scholars, a scholarship program he helped found and then bring to York County. 

Struck was an author, a leader, and an inspiration, not only in York, but in Baltimore, D.C., and many other places where he led and helped build community foundations. York County Community Foundation was Struck's last stop on his community foundation journey, and we would not be where we are today without Struck's hard work, dedication, and innovative ideas. He inspired us all and will be sorely missed.

Struck's wife, Norma, and his family have asked that memorial contributions be directed to York County Community Foundation or to the Baltimore Community Foundation. Donations to York County Community Foundation will be directed toward the Eugene C. Struckhoff Fund in support of the Fund for York County.

Thank you, Struck - we will miss you!

During the week of November 12-18, 2011, York County Community Foundation will join more than 700 community foundations across America for Community Foundation Week. Community foundations represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. Every state in the U.S. is home to at least one community foundation - large and small, urban and rural - that is advancing solutions to a wide range of social issues.

York County Community Foundation has been creating a vibrant York County since 1961. Click here to read about our impact in our community through the generosity of our donors. 

Thank you to those who attended our Embracing Aging: A Commnunity Conversation with Dr. Ruth Garrett this morning!

Growing older impacts all of us as individuals, families, and as a community. Dr. Ruth Garrett, author and lecturer on issues of aging, addressed a crowd of about 120 at York College to dispel common myths of aging. Dr. Garrett stressed the importance of keeping the brain active as we age, as research has shown that those who simply go along for the ride tend to age faster than those who continue learning, pursue their passions, and engage with others. Dr. Garrett also provided examples of communities who have come together to help elders age well.

Also included in the program was a panel of local residents who spoke about their experiences of aging well. Described as role models, panelists included: Lousie Parker, age 81; Elmer Hull, age 85; Jackie Sandblade, age 71; Eric Sandblade, age 68; and Olive Padden, age 81.

The program was sponsored by the Community Foundation's Hahn Home Fund for Women and York College. Stay tuned for more educational events from the Hahn Home Fund for Women.

Once again it is time to celebrate the amazing work our area nonprofits do in our communities! The 12th Annual Nonprofit Innovation Awards, which was developed by the Central Penn Business Journal in partnership with the Lancaster County Community Foundation, York County Community Foundation, and The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, honors local 501 (c)(3) organizations and their executives that demonstrate innovation in their daily operations. 

Please take the time to nominate a nonprofit for a Nonprofit Innovation Award! The deadline for nominations is October 17. The awards breakfast will be held in February 2012.

This free event, sponsored by the Community Foundation's Hahn Home Fund for Women and York College of Pennsylvania, will bring together York Countians of all ages to look at ways we can embrace aging... for ourselves, our families, and our community. The event will feautre Dr. Ruth Garrett, a nationally known author and lecturer on the topic of aging, as well as a panel of local elders who will share their stories of aging well. Please RSVP by October 7 to saulbach@yccf.org.

York County Community Foundation's Beautiful York Endowment Committee has selected Wallace, Roberts & Todd to create a Master Design Report to Reclaim Continental Square. The Beautiful York Action Plan, which was the result of two separate Beautification Summits held by the Community Foundation in 2004 and 2005, identifies the redesign of Continental Square into a vibrant, user-friendly town center as a high priority initiative.

The Women's Giving Circle of York County Community Foundation is seeking proposals from interested parties for programs/projects to address its program priority re: improving educational opportunities for York County students, especially for those at risk. Funding of up to $30,000 is available for one or more projects.

Download the RFP here.

YorkCounts and York County Community Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding indicating their intent to combine and create a stronger, more cohesive force for community improvement in York County. The two organizations will function as a combined entity effective immediately.

Read more about this exciting development as YorkCounts becomes as An Initiative of York County Community Foundation.

An endowment at York County Community Foundation will ensure that the traditional Christmas morning whistle concert that has come to mean so much to our community will continue for years to come.

Read more about the whistle concert and how to support the York Factory Whistle Fund.

We're holding our 2011 Annual Meeting at 5 pm Thursday, May 19, at The Yorktowne Hotel. Join us as we celebrate 50 years of creating a vibrant York County!

Our speaker will be Tom Wilcox, President and CEO of the Baltimore Community Foundation. Tom helped develop Invest in Baltimore, BCF's civic agenda that encompasses and measures coordinated efforts to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth and assure a high quality of life in Greater Baltimore.

RSVP to rsvp@yccf.org by May 13. We look forward to seeing you there!

At an event on April 8 at the Capitol Theater in downtown York, YorIT members voted to award $20,000 to Healthy World Cafe, a 21st century nonprofit restaurant concept in downtown York that plans to provide healthy meals made from local ingredients at a price the customer decides they can afford.

YorIT is an initiative of York County Community Foundation. Read more about the YorIT Social Venture Challenge here.

The public is welcome to join York County Community Foundation's YorIT members to view video presentations and hear live pitches from the three finalists of the YorIT Social Venture Challenge. Applicants were asked to prepare videos to share their creative ideas for attracting and retaining restaurants and retailers in downtown York. Admission to the event is free, and seating is limited, so get there early! To view the videos or for more information, log onto www.yorit.org/challenge/challenge.asp.

Several York nonprofits were recognized as finalists and winners at the 2011 Nonprofit Innovation Awards held yesterday at the Lancaster County Convention Center. Notably, YorkArts came out on top in the category of Brand Identity/Unique Marketing Campaign for its Creative York Cultural Resource Guide, York County Children's Advocacy Center won in the category of Collaboration for its SAFE Nurse Team Partnership, and Joanne Riley, President of the Cultural Alliance of York County, won in the category of Nonprofit Leadership Excellence. YorkArts and York County Children's Advocacy each received a check for $2,000 while Joanne Riley received a check made out to the Cultural Alliance for $1,000.

Nearly 400 people gathered at the Convention Center to celebrate the good works of the 35 organizations and nonprofit leaders being honored. It was a fantastic event that shows just how vital nonprofits are to the success of our communities. Great work by all! For a full list of winners, click the link below.

Four area nonprofits leaders have been awarded fellowships through the Community Foundation's York Federal Fellows program. The Fellowship provides the opportunity for personal and professional development. Read more about them and their goals for the fellowship year below.

Congratulations!

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of York County Community Foundation. We thought we would start the year off by sharing an image of our humble beginnings when Beauchamp E. Smith, our founder and first president, signed the papers that brought the Community Foundation (then known as the York Foundation) to life in December, 1961. The Gazette and Daily reported, “The formation of the York foundation, an organization which ‘has for its goal the community’s improvement through independent management of all types of gifts,’ was announced yesterday.” At the time, there were more than 150 community foundations nationwide; now there are more than 700! Pictured in the photo are (l-r): attorney Martin B. Ebbert, secretary; Beauchamp E. Smith, founder; and Ben Lavetan, vice president. Photo courtesy of The Gazette and Daily.

For 15 years, the Community Foundation's Robert R. Anderson Fund has awarded nearly $360,000 in scholarships to 85 students pursuing studies related to agriculture. We will be celebrating the 2010 Anderson Scholars at a luncheon on December 21 as we thank them for helping to shape the landscape of our future - and the dream of Dr. Isabel Anderson (pictured).

The Robert R. Anderson Family Fund was created in 1995 with a gift from the estate of Dr. Isabel Anderson. It was Dr. Anderson's desire to preserve and protect farmland and the farming way of life in York County. Click the link below to read more!

If you missed the Women's Giving Circle's first ever Gifts That Give Hope gift fair, don't despair! You can still shop online through the end of the month and choose from a variety of "gifts" that will benefit our local nonprofits. And with gift options from $10 - $100, there is something for everyone's budget. So this year, give a thoughtful gift and let a friend, colleague, or loved one know you're really thinking about what is important to them, and support your local nonprofits in the process.

Go online to make your purchase (through PayPal) through December 21, 2010. The Women's Giving Circle is a program of York County Community Foundation.

If you work for an area nonprofit and are interested in learning more about our grants programs for 2011, then our Grant Information Session is a must-attend event. We'll provide you with information on grants available in 2011 and the process for submitting proposals. Even if you have attended past sessions, there will be updates you won't want to miss.

Please RSVP to saulbach@yccf.org by Monday, January 17, 2011.

Do you want to be part of something BIG? YorIT, the Community Foundation's group of budding young philanthropists, is looking for the next BIG idea for York. And there's funding for it! All those with game-changing projects, including ideas from both for-profit and nonprofit entities, that can lead to contagious, sustainable growth in Downtown York are invited to attend an information session on Dec. 14. Specifically YorIT will support collaborations, ventures, and initiatives with the potential to be catalysts for economic development that attract or retain retailers and restaurants in Downtown York.

To learn more about the Social Venture Challenge and the exciting program included for the evening, click on the link below. No RSVP is neceesary!

Jim Zarfoss was all about giving back to the community he loved. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation from 2004 until his death, Jim also served as chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee from 2006-2010, as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee in 2006, and as Secretary of the Board in 2009. He also served on many other local boards, including Memorial Hospital, York County Chamber of Commerce, and the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center. To commemorate Jim's generosity to the local York community, his family asks that you please increase your contributions in his honor to your favorite nonprofits. 

Jim's lifelong involvement in the York community touched so many lives, and he will be missed greatly. Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones. Read Jim's full obituary here.

Join nonprofit staff and board members from across York County for a special workshop on nonprofit alliances and collaborations. Learn about the benefits of collaboration, the various levels of collaboration, and common myths about nonprofit mergers. You will also learn the right time to consider a merger and where to start.

Our guest speaker is Tom McLaughlin, author of Nonprofit Mergers and Alliances. The workshop is sponsored by the Community Foundation, Cultural Alliance of York, and the United Way of York County.

RSVP to saulbach@yccf.org by October 10! Space is limited, registration is REQUIRED! Continental breakfast will be served.

This year, the Community Foundation is partnering with Family First Health to fulfill our commitment to the United Way's Day of Action. We will be collecting non-perishable food items to distribute to the families served by Family First Health. The ultimate goal is to provide families with a bag of food so that they can create a meal at home and bring the entire family to the table.

If you will be visiting our offices between now and September 10, please make sure you bring an item to donate! Here's a list of requested items:

• baby food - any brand, any stage
• Good Start Formula - powder or concentrate
• baby cereal - any brand, any kind
• 100% juice
• baby crackers or snacks
• boxed cereals
• canned fruits and vegetables
• dry pasta - any kind
• jarred pasta sauce
• rice
• peanut butter
• jelly
• tuna
• canned soup
• condiments
• flour
• sugar
• granola/cereal bars
• coffee/tea/cocoa

Thanks for your help!

The Community Foundation awarded 156 grants worth a total of $1.53 million to benefit York County in the first six months of 2010. Click below to read more details about several of the grants. With your generosity, we can surpass this total for the second half of 2010. Give us a call at 717.848.3733 to find out how. We look forward to hearing from you!

We all get caught up in our vacation plans, and why not? We know we'll be able to kick back and relax, at least for a little while. But before you go, make sure you add "Give to the Community Foundation" to your to-do list. Planning your giving through the Community Foundation this summer will make you feel good even if you do forget your sunscreen! So give us a call - 717.848.3733 - or donate online, and make your summer great!

If you're a landowner in York County, you'll want to check out this series of FREE educational workshops that offers environmentally friendly techniques for residents to help make their properties more GREEN.

Farm and Natural Lands Trust of York County, York County Community Foundation, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay bring you Preserving York County - 2010 Landowners Educational Workshops. These workshops will touch on issues such as residential woods management; rain gardens and rain barrels; native plants; organic lawns; and others. All workshops are free, but registration is required. Click below for details and to register!

Join the Community Foundation for our Annual Meeting on May 20. Our guest speaker is Feather Houstoun, President of the William Penn Foundation. You will hear firsthand about the Foundation's direction and plans for the future, and of course, we will look back at 2009. Be among the first to view our 2009 Annual Report!

Please RSVP to rsvp@yccf.org by May 14 or call us at 717.848.3733. We can't wait to see you there!

The Community Foundation is hosting an energy seminar, Cut Energy Costs, Brighten the Future, on Thursday, May 27, at our offices in York. If you work for a nonprofit, municipality, or school, or are an architect, designer, or contractor, this workshop is for you! This workshop will teach you how to assess a building's energy usage and develop energy savings strategies - and isn't that what we all need in today's world?

You will also learn about the Community Foundation's revised Energy Conservation Program and how to receive assistance (for nonprofits) from our nationally known energy consultant, Marcus Sheffer.

Register today! Questions? Call 717.848.3733.

The Community Foundation is the recipient of the latest $5,000 grant from Moxie, an award-winning advertising and communications firm in York. Moxie will help us create a new brand identity as we head into our 50th anniversary in 2011. The Moxie Grant Program provides two $5,000 grants per year to help nonprofits in South Central Pennsylvania promote their efforts in making positive change in their communities.

Thank you, Moxie! We look forward to working with you!

The 2010 York Federal Fellows - James Debord of YorkCounts; Jeffrey Myers of Penn State York Cooperative Extension, York County; and Stephanie Seaton of the York City Human Relations Commission - are ready to embark on their year-long journeys of professional and personal development. We wish them luck!

Please read more about the new Fellows and the program.

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Jane Conover will be joining the staff effective March 1 as Vice President of Community Investment. Jane comes to us from the YWCA of York and replaces Bryan Tate, who was named Vice President of Philanthropy in November.

Please join us in welcoming Jane! For more details, click on the link below.

By now we have all heard of the terrible earthquake that has devastated Haiti. Much of the country's infrastructure has been destroyed, which means that basic human needs - food, water, shelter - cannot be fulfilled. Early estimates indicate that up to one-third of Haiti's 9 million residents have been impacted in some way. As many as 100,000 people have died and thousands have been injured.

If you are a Community Foundation donor advisor and want to help the people of Haiti, please call us at 717.848.3733 or go directly though one of the relief organizations below. You can click on the organization's name for more details on their efforts. Please note that some of these websites are experiencing heavy traffic and may be temporarily unavailable.

American Red Cross

CARE

Catholic Relief Services

Salvation Army

United Nations Central Emergency Relief Fund

York College's Nurse Managed Centers have been able to remain open this January thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation. The Centers serve the elderly and physically and mentally disabled patients in several York City neighborhoods. Audra Johns, the Centers' director, stresses the need for continuity of service, which benefits both student nurses and the patients. Read more in the York Daily Record!

(Photo courtesy of York College)

York County Community Foundation recently awarded $32,000 in grants to strengthen local nonprofits.

• $10,000 grant to Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area
• $1,000 grant to the North East Neighborhood Association
• $10,000 grant to York College of Pennsylvania's Nurse Managed Wellness Centers
• $1,000 to Susquehanna Senior Center
• Up to $10,000 to the York County Rail Trail Authority

Congratulations to these deserving nonprofits! Please click on the link below to read more details about the grants.

York County Community Foundation held its 2009 Anderson Scholars Luncheon at the Agricultural & Industrial Museum on Monday, December 21, 2009. This annual event is held to recognize the Anderson Scholar recipients, whose dedication toward agriculture will help shape the landscape of our future. Since the Robert R. Anderson Family Fund was established in 1994 with a $1 million gift from the Estate of Dr. Isabel Anderson, it has awarded $328,250 in grants to 78 York County students, providing scholarship support for agricultural studies.

This year's Anderson Scholar recipients, pictured above from L-R (back row) are: Christopher Garner, Emily Kuhn, Amanda Hoffman, Jamie Lau, Cameron Shaffer, Alan Cornbower, and (front row, L-R) Fred Gouker, Kelsey McCleary. Not pictured are Lauren Delemar, Dustin Julius, and Randy Wilson. Congratulation to this year's Anderson Scholars!

At this time of year, our thoughts often turn to the richness of our relationships with family and friends as we plan for the holiday season. For many of us, it is also a time to plan our year-end charitable contributions in order to take advantage of tax deductions for 2009. 

As you contemplate your year-end contributions, please consider adding to the funds you have established at the Community Foundation or starting a new fund to fulfill your philanthropic passions. In addition, a contribution either from your Donor Advised Fund or done directly to the Community Foundation's Fund for York County would enable our Board to make grants that would have the highest possible impact right here in our own community.

To end your year on a giving note, call the Community Foundation at 717.848.3733 before December 31st and turn your passion into reality.

Congratulations to Bryan Tate, who has been named the new Vice President of Philanthropy at the Community Foundation. "Bryan is an outstanding community leader with a strong understanding of the needs of York County and a passion for how York County Community Foundation can have an impact in the community," says Bill Hartman, president.

Bryan moves into his new position immediately, and we know he will do a fantastic job! A search has begun for his replacement as Vice President for Community Investment. Details of the position and how to apply can be found in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Community Foundation and 13 Dollars for Scholars chapters have awarded more than $5.1 million in scholarships to 4,400 students in York County since the Dollars for Scholars program began in 1995!

The photo shows representatives from the 13 DFS chapters receiving a check from the Community Foundation in the amount of $168,682.

York County Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Bill Hartman has officially begun his tenure as president. Bill has hit the ground running and is anxious to continue learning about York County and how the Community Foundation can best fulfill its mission to preserve and enrich the quality of life in York County.

Please join us in welcoming Bill!

Our 2009 Annual Meeting brought thought-provoking comments from Steve Gunderson, head of the Council on Foundations, and the announcement of our new president, Bill Hartman, who will officially join us July 13. Thank you to everyone who attended - we are lucky to have such caring and dedicated people within our community.

Please click the link below to read the highlights of Steve Gunderson's talk. His comments should inspire us to partner together to preserve and enrich the quality of life in York County.

At our 2009 Annual Meeting, May 21, we announced our board members for 2009-2010. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all incoming as well as retiring board members for their dedication to the Community Foundation and to York County!

York County Community Foundation will hold its 2009 Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 21, 5 pm, at the Yorktowne Hotel. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear our guest speaker, Steve Gunderson, President and CEO of the Council on Foundations. Mr. Gunderson will discuss the challenges and opportunities that philanthropy faces in this tough economic climate.

To RSVP, email rsvp@yccf.org by Friday, May 15, 2009.

Spring is here, so take a walk or drive through York to view the sunny daffodils - all 125,000 blooming bulbs were planted by volunteers for York County Community Foundation's Daffodil Digs over the last four years.

Grab a daffodil map, get out, and enjoy time with family and friends!

York County Community Foundation is working hard to ensure the continued vitality of our community nonprofits in this difficult economic time. With that in mind, today we announced changes in one of our grantmaking programs that we hope will allow nonprofits to continue to meet community needs.

Please join us in welcoming Robert Newcomer as our Interim President. We are thrilled to have Bob on board and know that his background and experience will lead us smoothly through this transitional time. We all look forward to working with him at the start of the New Year!

York County Community Foundation seeks a top-notch individual to join our program and grantmaking team. Broad community knowledge, excellent coordination skills, and a proven track record a must. Click below for position description and application details. Deadline is October 24, 2008.

Curious about what nonprofit projects have recently received funding? Read more here and be inspired!

Come on out and enjoy nature with your friends and family! We need volunteers of all ages to plant daffodil bulbs for the 4th Annual Daffodil Dig.  Interested in signing up? Contact Kristin Byrnes Baker at kbaker@yccf.org or call 717.848.3733.

Want to learn more? Click here.

Head on over to White Rose Bar & Grill during the month of August, order a Hot Rock Dinner, and $1 of the proceeds will go to support the Community Foundation's Beautiful York Program. So let's all eat well for a Beautiful York!

Foundry Park on the Codorus, a newly renovated park in downtown York on the Codorus Creek at Philadelphia Street, is open and ready for SPLASH!, its summer series of events and concerts. Support for the renovations came from $250,000 in grants from the Community Foundation, a state grant, and many individual and corporate donors. Thank you all for your support in beautifying our city!

At York County Community Foundation's Annual Meeting on May 22, members of the board, community, and staff welcomed new board members who will be serving for the next three years. Also honored were five dedicated and passionate community leaders who retired from the board. Click below to read more.

In 2008, the Codorus Watershed Endowment of York County Community Foundation will help various groups implement their projects and will also remain a resource for watershed stakeholders.

Jake Romig, president of Ecostruction, LLC., is the new Project Coordinator and the Endowment’s primary consultant. Former Coordinator Genevieve Ray will continue to provide support on a limited basis. Contact Jake at Codorus@yccf.org 

is pleased to announce the selection of six community leaders who received fellowships of $6,000 each to complete professional and personal leadership development. Click below to read about our 2008 Fellows and their exciting projects.