LAWRENCEBURG, Ind., December 14, 2018 – The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF), Inc. recently awarded a $1,000 Lauren Hill Make A Difference Grant to the James B. Wismann Youth Encouragement Services Home, Inc. to support its work with youth.
As a part of its 20th Anniversary Celebration, DCF is awarding 20 proactive grants of $1,000 each to charitable organizations in Dearborn County throughout 2018. Each of the Foundation’s 15 volunteer Board members is recommending a grant. Five lucky attendees at DCF’s 20th Anniversary Dinner in late July also were randomly drawn to recommend a $1,000 grant.
Dearborn Community Foundation Board member Cherie Maddin, right, delivers a $1,000 grant check to Amy Phillips, Executive Director of the James B. Wismann Y.E.S. Home. The DCF grant funds will support the Y.E.S. Home’s work with youth.
The $1,000 grant to the Y.E.S. Home was recommended by DCF Board member Cherie Maddin of Aurora. “I believe in the Y.E.S. Home’s mission to help children who need guidance, discipline and nurturing during difficult time when their families are struggling,” said Maddin. “I also like the fact they help parents by offering classes to address issues they may be experiencing.”
The Y.E.S. Home, located in rural Dearborn County, is a residential group home for youths ages 13-18 that provides a structured, nurturing environment for abused, neglected and abandoned children. The YES Home instills hope and empowerment in a safe environment, offering choice and respecting life experiences.
Maddin has learned more about the Y.E.S. Home and its good works through her husband Ken’s work on the South Eastern Indiana Board of Realtors (SEIBR). The organization has supported the Y.E.S. Home through fundraisers over the years, she said.
“We are very fortunate to have this local facility,” said Maddin. “Our youth are our future. As legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, ‘Young people need models, not critics.’”
For 20 years, DCF, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt public charity, has helped donors’ dreams come true by safeguarding endowments for the community through contributions large and small. Grants awarded by the Dearborn Community Foundation support the needs and interests in Dearborn County in the fields of Art, Culture and Humanities, Community and Public Benefit, Education, Environment and Animal Protection, Human Services, Public Safety and Youth Programs.
In January 2009, DCF received the nation’s highest philanthropic standards for operational quality, integrity and accountability: the seal of approval from the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations Program operated by the Council on Foundations (COF), a national professional association based in Washington, D.C. DCF was reconfirmed for the National Standards by the COF in 2014.
To learn more about DCF, call 812-539-4115, stop by the office at 322 Walnut Street in Lawrenceburg, or visit the Foundation website at www.dearborncf.org. If you are interested in making a contribution to DCF, visit our website’s “Give Now” page to donate on line and to learn other giving options.