Saturday, February 24, 2024
MOON SHOT
The February Snow Moon was filtered by fog that delayed schools by two hours Friday morning. Hope’s Point church on Miller Ave. provided the back drop for The Addison Times. | photos by JACK BOYCE
Ellison Gift Precursor to Current Matching Opportunity
A Blue River Community Foundation fund in honor of Phyllis and Robert Ellison, above, has contributed to numerous local projects. | SUBMITTED
The Addison Times last week recalled Phyllis Ellison’s 1994 $10,000 gift to the Blue River Community Foundation. She was only getting started, and, thanks to a current Lilly Endowment triple-match opportunity, others can do the same by setting up a family fund.
Ellison made continual gifts to her fund, including nearly $205,000 of her estate. Although no donations have been added since her 2013 passing, the Foundation’s financial management has ensured her $237,483 has grown to a balance of $329,621. And that’s after giving $111,896 to 27 different local nonprofit organizations since 1996. (“Funds sit for two years to build a cushion before we start awarding grants from them,” BRCF executive director Jennifer Jones said.)
The Ellison fund is unrestricted, a bit of a misnomer, so it is often referred to as “community funds.”
“Unrestricted, community funds go toward the community, not to pay the salaries or bills of our organization. They are not unrestricted in that manner. Community funds are our flexible funds that allow us to address the ever-changing needs of the community. These community funds are flexible in the sense that the donor says, ‘Whatever the community needs, here’s the money,’” Jones said. “Every spring we have a competitive grant cycle for non-profits and these dollars also fund this program.”
To name a few of the 27 recipient projects the Ellison fund has contributed to, the Early Learning Shelby County - Early Learning Daycare facility, Girls Inc. for STEM programs and a virtual reality experience, start-up programming for Healthy Shelby County, the YMCA warm-water pool, vehicle maintenance at Shelby Senior Services, a new accessible transit van for Shares Inc. and stage renovations and sound system upgrades at The Strand.
“The Ellison Fund, like all endowments, will continue to provide this support to our community, in perpetuity,” Jones added.
Given the on-going Lilly Endowment GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) VIII opportunity, the local Foundation is looking to build their community unrestricted assets. Lilly is providing a triple match, giving $2 for every $1 contributed, either to an existing fund or the creation of a new one.
Typically, $5,000 is needed to create a fund, but with the match, a donation of $1,667 will, when combined with the match, meet the criteria.
“Some families like to create their own fund,” Jones said. “But you could also give $50 to an existing fund. Any amount will be matched and make a difference.”
BRCF can benefit from the match up to $293,000. With little fanfare, they’ve already reached $158,712, including recent end-of-year gifts and a couple of new funds.
“It’s a nice way to memorialize family members,” Jones said.
Some, such as the DePrez families, give to the Foundation at key milestones, Jones said. “It’s a really nice alternative to buying gifts.”
Those who create funds are listed on the Foundation's website under the Give To the Cause section under the Donor tab. Donors also receive fund statements so they know where their money goes.
“If you’ve been thinking about creating a new fund, now really is the time,” Jones said. “It’s a great way to keep people’s stories alive.”
Questions can be directed to Jones at jjones@blueriverfoundation.com or by calling the office, 317-392-7955.
NOTEBOOK:
A driver hit a utility pole at the intersection of S. Harrison and Hasecuster Lane last Friday. The primary factor cited on the report was “speed too fast for weather conditions.”
NATIONAL NEWS: The consumer price index indicates that car insurance rates are up 38 percent since the beginning of 2020. The reasons are myriad: Drivers are more dangerous, when cars are damaged it’s more and more expensive to repair them, and many parts of the country have simply stopped enforcing traffic laws, which means that actually dangerous drivers never actually get flagged to insurers. (Vox/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Shelby County’s Cindy Ramsey was elected Indiana Farm Bureau woman leader for District 8.
2004: Class A No. 7-ranked Southwestern girls defeated Northeast Dubois to win the regional and advance to semistate. Members of the team were Lindsey Cochran, Elizabeth Burbrink, Danielle Allen, Brittany Conkin, Kristen Hamilton, Sarah Goins, Lynsey Cangany, Stacey Cangany, Leslie Park, Elizabeth Gearhart, Abby Burgett and Casey Isley. Jonathan Titus was coach. Beth Hammond and Scott Steves were assistant coaches.
1994: Barbara J. Anderson received the Athena Award from the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce for her outstanding contributions to the community. She was recognized for her contributions with Girls Inc. and her efforts to help raise money for a planned new girls club facility at Morrison Park. Anderson had operated a concrete construction company after the death of her husband, Jim, and had worked with community service groups for many years. Thomas D. Hession was named Outstanding Citizen. He had come to Shelbyville in 1968 as a teacher and varsity football and baseball coach. He later left teaching for a position with the former Central Indiana Bank.
1984: Robert Stolmeier, of Chicago, was named new president of KCL Corp., replacing George Hobbs, who had been president since 1975. Hobbs would stay with KCL as treasurer and vice president of finances. Stolmeier was a Harvard University graduate and member of the KCL board.
1974: Shelby County received six inches of snow. Temperatures were expected to rise from single digits to the 50s within days.
1964: Police Lieutenant L.K. “Gene” Junken retired. In related board of works business, city attorney George Glass said there were no written rules and regulations regarding operation of the police department and that the mayor would be drawing up such rules and regulations soon.
Seventh grader Duane Sasher was named champion and Mickey Hinkle, alternate, at the Noble Township School Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Indianapolis Times. Judges were Lora Patterson and Letha Hendrickson. The winning word was “illiterate.”
1954: Larry Lee Larsh, 2, who lived on a farm just east of Pleasant View, was rescued by his mother and two neighbors from an abandoned ice box. His mom noticed he was missing from playing with his two brothers. After a 20-minute search, he was found. His lips were blue, and it was believed the only thing that prevented his death was a tiny water-escape pipe in the bottom of the box, through which a small amount of air was available. Immediately after finding Larry, members of the family turned the old refrigerator around with the doors facing a building, and the latches were removed.
1944: Police Chief Charles Goebel resigned. “For a long time it has been known that harmony was not present within the police department. The reason for the contention is beside the point,” The Republican said. The newspaper noted it was easier for the chief to step down than to replace all the officers, although, it was “the policemen whose contentions created the controversy.”
1934: CWA workers started repainting, redecorating and rewiring the Shelby County courthouse. They had already cleaned the walls, scraped and sanded woodwork and prepared wiring that complied with fire code.
Two oil paintings by Lee Moon, of Morristown, were presented to Shelbyville High School. The works were financed out of federal funds allotted for the assistance of artists in the Federal Works of Art project.
1924: During the Shelbyville-Martinsville game, the six young women who were telephone operators answered 3,000 calls in a single hour to the newspaper office looking for score updates. “The boards resembled Christmas trees, brilliant with lights of red and green. There was a constant pop, pop, BANG, and an occasional noise, a cross between an automatic pistol and a cannon cracker, as the fuses blew out and the repairmen were hastily summoned to put in new ones,” The Republican said.
1914: A major snow caused train delays. Several horses were stuck in snow drifts, causing students to be late to school. There were nearly 200 absences in city schools. The temperature was three degrees. City mail was delivered but rural routes were not. Interurban service was canceled.
OBITUARIES
Joyce Lynn Small, 76, of Morristown, passed away, Thursday, February 22, 2024, at Compass Park in Franklin. She was born April 8, 1947, in Indianapolis, the daughter of Richard D. and Margaret P. (Powell) Unger. On August 2, 1969, she married Lonnie Maurcee Small and he preceded her in death on November 6, 2021.
Joyce is survived by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Aaron and Jan Small of Canton, Georgia; nephew, Bart Small and wife, Nicole, of Atlanta, Georgia; great-nephew, Ford Small of Atlanta, Georgia; great-niece, Finley Small of Atlanta, Georgia; and several cousins. In addition to Lonnie, Joyce was preceded in death by her parents.
Joyce was a member of the Morristown Methodist Church, where she had served as administrator of the board. She was a 1965 graduate of Morristown High School. She also graduated from Indiana University, with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy, in 1969. Joyce was a Physical Therapist at Hancock Regional Hospital, retiring in July of 2012. She had also served on the Asbury Cemetery Board for over 35 years. Joyce was a very active member of the Order of Eastern Star, joining in January of 1973. She was the Past Matron of the Morristown Order of Eastern Star Chapter No. 316 and Ransford Indiana Masonic Home Chapter No. 605. Joyce was also a member of the Fairland Chapter Order of the Eastern Star No. 359. She also served as the Grand Matron of the Indiana Grand Chapter 1992-1993. She also served on the Board of Grand Trustees from 2012 to 2017. She was also a member of the Daylight Court No. 31 Order of the Amaranth, since 2007.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 1, 2024, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Frazier Chapel, 124 E. North St., in Morristown.
Order of Eastern Star services will begin at 1 p.m., Friday, the funeral service will follow, officiated by Brother Cleon Wright. Interment will be at Asbury Cemetery in Morristown. Memorial contributions may be made to the Indiana Masonic Home Foundation, PO Box 44210, 525 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46244-0210. Online condolences may be shared with Joyce’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.