Guest Column: Community Foundation 2012, the Stitching in the Quilt

By Hilary Canty, OICF Executive Director

2012 was a year of great accomplishment for our local community foundation.  Nearly $600,000 in grants were distributed by the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) over the past year, through direct grants to island nonprofits, our Donor Advised Funds and Partners in Philanthropy.  Grants went to a wide variety of organizations and projects, from the Food Bank, the Library, and the schools, to Orcas Center, the Museum, OPAL Community Land Trust and many more.

In addition, OICF enhanced its efforts to identify emerging problems, address unmet needs and convene key groups and individuals to find solutions.  Two years ago, for example, our island-wide needs-assessment pointed to significant unmet needs in the area of medical and dental health.  As one immediate step, in partnership with six other island organizations, OICF arranged to bring a Medical Teams International dental van to the island four times in 2012.  Our island dentists and hygienists volunteered their skills and time, treating 120 islanders, most of whom had significant (or emergency) dental problems.  The dental van will return for four more visits in 2013, thanks to funding from generous donors and the wondrous organizational skills of Rita Bailey and Barbara Ehrmantraut.

This fall, the OICF Board developed a new strategic plan focused on three primary goals for 2013-2015:  (1) increase philanthropy to support the Orcas community, (2) lead community-wide efforts to address critical unmet needs, and (3) grow our capacity for creativity and responsiveness so that OICF and island nonprofits can evolve and  thrive.

OICF also established an Investment Committee, and transferred over $5.5 million under our stewardship to new management.  This shift has allowed us to lower the fees charged to our fund holders and to improve reporting and access, with the potential for improved returns.

We have come to think of our community as a giant patchwork quilt, with the pieces made up of all the island’s organizations, donors, and volunteers. Some of the quilt’s squares are frayed and there are gaps and needs that are not being met, or are met only imperfectly.  OICF is the stitching in the quilt.  Our task is to keep track of the pieces:  to bring people together to solve problems when there is a gap, or when one or more pieces show signs of unraveling.  We strengthen the many organizations that shoulder the burden of keeping our community functioning.

As OICF grows stronger, so does the support we provide.  OICF looks at the whole island, worries about the whole island, and finds solutions for problems that affect all our lives, one gift, one stitch, at a time. We are a community that cares for each other, neighbor helping neighbor, and together look forward to even greater accomplishments in 2013.