OICF Makes Exciting Report to Community

by Lin McNulty

OICF distributions in 2012. Through the third quarter of 2013 DAF distributions are $994,561.

“The past year,” says Steve Jung, Chair of the Orcas Island Community Foundation Board of Trustees, “has been a bell ringer for OICF.”

The mission of OICF is to foster philanthropy to enhance and preserve the quality of life on Orcas Island. Accomplishments during the past year were shared with the Orcas Island community on Tuesday evening at the Odd Fellows Hall.

“We do get criticism from some folks,” Jung continued, “for tooting our own horn too loudly, so let me just recite some facts:

• “Our funds granted to island nonprofits have continued to grow almost exponentially, and grants per capita of resident population are off the charts for Washington state norms: 99th percentile.
• Our endowment now exceeds a million dollars…very large for a community our size, and growing.
• We successfully took over management of our stakeholders’ funds from the Seattle Foundation earlier this year, resulting in improved efficiency and lower total fees.
• Our unique Cornerstone program, through which donors directly fund our operational and program expenses, will set new records this year for participation (over 60 donors) and total funding (over $120k).
• Our dental van program, providing free dental care to islanders in need, has been so popular that its funding is assured for several more years, even without any formal requests from us.
• During the past year, at least a half dozen island non-profits have asked us for assistance in dealing with critical organizational issues, and we’ve responded.
• Most importantly, we are recognized by our stakeholders–the island’s non-profits, donors, and citizens, especially the clerks at Island Market–as the go-to place to get things done on Orcas Island!
• In addition to check writing, OICF has cornered the market on actions that begin with the letter C: cooperating, collaborating, catalyzing, capacity building, creating coalitions, coaxing, communicating.”

Two projects of particular successful note were a definite part of the the evening’s celebration:

• DENTAL VAN:
Shortly after a needs assessment in 2010, it came to the attention of OICF that access to dental care was a deep concern for neighbors on Orcas. Many lacked either insurance or income to afford care, leading to serious pain and health issues. Lack of oral hygiene is linked directly to increases in heart disease, a rise in dementia, and difficulty in maintaining employment.

A remarkable collaborative effort of volunteers, organizations and donors aligned to launch the Dental Van program for our community has changed lives here on our island. Over the past 18 months, the van has visited Orcas 7 times. Over 150 patients have been treated and over $105,000 in care has been provided- truly life changing for so many neighbors. Initially, much of the care was literally pulling teeth. Many patients had not visited a dentist in over ten years. The group is hopeful that in the next year the focus can turn to preventative care.

• ONLINE GRANT CATALOG:
OICF Executive Director Hilary Canty made appreciative reference to a new online grant catalog that Kate Long developed for this years’ Annual Grants program, doubling the number of community members who contributed to Partners in Philanthropy. “This new capability makes our brand new Orcas Opportunities grant program possible,” she stated. “This online grant catalog will allow you to purchase items, such as a week of food for a family through the Food Bank, or equipment for the hatchery program at Moran State Park, or many other unique and helpful items as a gift for friends and family. We are looking forward to going live with this program in mid November, just in time for Holiday shopping!”