Smart Giving
Fall 2013
a publication of the central new york community foundation
Say Yes Bolsters Young Scholars in this issue
Retirement Plan Giving: A Donor Success Story page 5
Habitat Welcomes Veterans Home page 9
When Rita Brush graduated from Henninger High School, she entered the next stage of her life with a shining hope for her future. As a Syracuse City School District student, she was eligible to take advantage of a Say Yes to Education Tuition Scholarship to attend a college or university at which she was accepted. She is currently taking advantage of that opportunity by attending Rita Brush on the campus of Onondaga Onondaga Community College, Community College where she is studying to be a surgical technician. Rita’s career choice is driven by her personal experience. While growing up in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood, Rita had to undergo a number of corrective spine surgeries. One day she hopes to be an orthopedic spine surgeon at Upstate Medical University, where the staff helped her through her own medical challenges. She credits Say Yes for helping make that dream a reality. “Say Yes is the reason I’m going to college,” she said. “I don’t think I’d be able to have a chance at my goals if it wasn’t for this program.”
New Partnerships Increase Offerings page 10
View CNY Arts & Culture Events All in One Place page 12
In December 2008, the Community Foundation approved the largest grant in its history - a $1 million grant over five years - in support of Say Yes scholarships for graduating students of the Syracuse City School District. This June, the Community Foundation’s board of directors approved the renewal of this grant, awarding an additional $1 million over the next five years to support the Say Yes scholarship promise while the Say Yes Scholarship Endowment is built at the Community Foundation to sustain future scholarship awards. In addition to funding the scholarship’s continuance, a portion of the Community Foundation’s grant can be used to support the OCC Summer Success Academy, an intensive program that prepares the most vulnerable incoming Onondaga Community College students for college coursework and future professional careers. Say Yes Syracuse is an historically unprecedented collaboration among diverse groups of Syracuse-area corporate, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to organize people, time and resources that support the city’s students. Its primary goals are to ensure that all Syracuse City School District students have the necessary support from pre-kindergarten through high school to graduate ready for higher education and that no financial barriers prevent them from attending college. To learn more, or to donate to the Say Yes Scholarship Endowment Fund, visit cnycf.org/sayyes.