PROFILES IN GIVING SPECIAL PROMOTION
Give Birmingham
Presented by
Featuring:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham; The Birmingham Zoo; Foundations Early Learning & Family Center; Hilltop Montessori; Jimmie Hale Mission; Junior League of Birmingham, Inc.; McWane Science Center; Parkinson Association of Alabama; The Arc of Central Alabama; The Dance Foundation; The Learning Tree, Inc.; and United Way of Central Alabama
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PROFILES IN GIVING SPECIAL PROMOTION
A COMMUNITY OF
GIVERS During this holiday season, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham celebrates our community of givers and the joy behind their giving. PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEAU GUSTAFSON
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is a network of individuals, families and businesses that have come together to leverage the power of collective philanthropy. We are grateful for our generous donors who are committed to giving back to the community. Together, we build a stronger, more vibrant future for our community.
SEEDING A FORCE FOR UNITY Building unity and a sense of shared fates: these are the central tenets of the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund and what founding donors, Gail and Jeffrey Bayer, believe are the key cultural shifts that must occur to allow all people to thrive in the Birmingham region. In response to the increasing divisiveness of the country, Gail and Jeffrey chaired the effort to bring Violins of Hope to Birmingham in April 2018. The unifying effect of Violins of Hope inspired Gail and Jeffrey to think about creating a more lasting effort to cultivate a greater sense of unity within our community. With the guidance of the Aspen Institute, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and community members, they decided to seed a Field of Interest Fund at the Community Foundation that will provide a permanent resource to
support education and grantmaking that fosters civil discourse and action toward addressing the most complex challenges facing the greater Birmingham area. “We are a fractured community and if we want all people to thrive, we have to understand that we have shared fates,” reflects Jeffrey. “That means bridging the gap of our differences, breaking down the barriers that separate us and finding common ground,” adds Gail. “The Community Foundation had the credibility, infrastructure, objective thinking, aligned vision and ability to reach across divided lines to help bring people together – it became obvious that they were the right organization to help lead this effort,” says Jeffrey. Gail and Jeffrey believe that Birmingham, particularly the city’s younger generation, is ready for change and rec-
ognize that for Birmingham to thrive and grow, all must thrive. Their goal for the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund is to foster the mutual understanding and respect needed for inclusive growth. “We purposefully didn’t name the fund the Bayer Unity Fund because we want the Fund to belong to the whole community,” says Jeffrey. “We chose ‘Instruments of Hope Unity Fund’ because we all need to be an instrument – an engaged actor – to seek common ground and create a stronger community that is diverse and unified,” adds Gail. “We hope that in providing the seed capital the Fund grows and with it the strength of its efforts and impact. Our goal is for the Fund itself to embody its goal and be a unifying force that everyone can be part of it, whether as a donor, a grantee or part of the dialogue.”
If you would like to be a part of the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund through a donation or would like to find out more about grant opportunities, contact Zhaundra Jones or Nicole Carpenter at 205.327.3800 or visit our website at cfbham.org/unity-fund.
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PROFILES IN GIVING SPECIAL PROMOTION
Gail and Jeffrey Bayer with Zhaundra Jones, Senior Program Officer at the Community Foundation, at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. The church was one of the venues for Violins of Hope Birmingham, a series of concerts featuring violins from the Holocaust that was made possible by support from the Bayers. Their work with Violins of Hope inspired them to establish the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund at the Community Foundation. B-METRO.COM
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PROFILES IN GIVING SPECIAL PROMOTION
A FAMILY OF JOYFUL
GIVERS Kathryn, Lindsey and Robert Ring at Smile-A-Mile Place. Smile-A-Mile provides year-round programing for children with cancer and their families. From the moment of diagnosis through the years beyond treatment, Smile-A-Mile serves as a supportive network, resource and place of respite for thousands of children and their families throughout their cancer journey.
Like many ten year olds, Kathryn Ring is full of energy and giggles, but spend a few minutes with her and you will be struck by her maturity and sweetness of spirit. Kathryn’s parents, Lindsey and Robert Ring, recently opened a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation. Their professional advisor recommended the Foundation for the convenience of keeping track of all their giving in one place but they quickly turned it into an opportunity to share their passion for giving with their daughter. The Rings set aside a portion of their annual giving for Kathryn to choose how to give. “We wanted her to experience first-hand seeing the needs of the community and the importance of helping others,” says Robert. “We believe that by involving her in giving at a young age, it will become a lifetime habit.” Kathryn embraced the challenge and began researching giving opportunities. She knew several families that were dealing with cancer so she wanted to focus on children’s cancer. With the help of Nicole Carpenter, Director of Donor Stewardship at the Community Foundation, she decided to contribute to research projects of the most critical need at Children’s of Alabama and Smile-A-Mile’s hospital outreach program for children with cancer. 68
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“I wanted my gift to be for kids with cancer,” says Kathryn. “I wanted to support research because it affects the most people and some cancers don’t have a cure yet, which is especially hard for those kids and their families. I also wanted to donate to Smile-A-Mile because kids that are in the hospital should be able to do the same fun things as other kids.” With her generous heart and infectious smile, Kathryn is an inspiration to her friends, teachers and parents. “She has a passion for helping other people and her friends and teachers recognize it,” says Lindsey. “We know this about her, but it makes us happy that others see that as well.” For the Rings, their fund at the Community Foundation helps them incorporate philanthropy into their family life supported by the deep local knowledge and broad connections of the Community Foundation staff. If you are looking for ways to help your child think about philanthropy consider the following: Take your children to visit and volunteer at a local nonprofit organization. Talk to your children about where you give and
why, and include them in decisions related to your giving. Help your children budget using separate piggy banks for “save,” “spend” and “share.” On their birthdays or special holidays, allow your children to make a donation to their favorite charity in celebration of that day. Like the Rings, you can open a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation and allow the entire family to participate in giving decisions.
PROFILES IN GIVING SPECIAL PROMOTION
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER BIRMINGHAM Founded in 1959 and created by and for the people of Greater Birmingham to exist in perpetuity, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is the largest foundation in Alabama. The Community Foundation is a permanent resource that leverages philanthropic investments and connects philanthropists, nonprofits, leaders and citizens to build a stronger more vibrant future for our community. Together, with our partners, the Foundation serves Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby and Walker Counties.
The Community Foundation’s Lora Terry with Eddie Friend, one of the original Catalyst Fund donors and Tanya Shunnara, a member of the inaugural class of Catalyst Fellows.
VISION, MISSION AND VALUES Our vision is for a just, prosperous and unified region where every person is empowered to reach their full potential. The mission of the Community Foundation is to ignite passion for transformational change in our community. Our values are to lead, inspire, innovate and include.
GENEROSITY IS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Community Foundation in 2009, a group of generous donors who cared deeply about the Birmingham region came together to launch the Community Catalyst Funds. This special pool of assets was designated to support transformational, catalytic projects throughout our region. In the ten years since, the Catalyst Funds have helped with revitalization efforts in downtown Birmingham by funding Birmingham Lights, the light installations in the underpasses that connect the north and south sides of town; have been integral in spurring the move toward regional cooperation by funding the Together We Prosper study and subsequent cooperation efforts; and helped drive innovation in the region by providing seed funding for Innovate Birmingham. “The Community Catalyst Funds have substantially increased investments available for targeted, high-impact work,” says
Christopher Nanni, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “The foresight of my predecessor, Kate Nielsen, alongside these Catalyst donors to invest in such a unique project has allowed the Foundation to lead the region to continued growth and success and truly transformational change.” As part of their strategy for the next ten years of investment in our community, the Catalyst Fund recently introduced a Catalyst Fellowship Program. Led by the Foundation’s Vice President of Philanthropic Services, Lora Terry, the program pairs some of our community’s most dynamic young leaders with the Foundation’s Catalyst Funds. “The goal of the program is twofold,” says Terry. “It will train the next generation of leaders to utilize the power of philanthropy to better our community while also working to identify and develop projects for potential investment from Catalyst Funds.”
The inaugural class of the Catalyst Fellowship includes ten emerging leaders in the region: Grant Brigham, ARC Realty; Kaija Flood, TheraNest; Kendra Key, Maynard Cooper & Gale; Bernard Mays, Jr., UAB; Chaz C. Mitchell, City of Birmingham; Tanya Shunnara, Sirote & Permutt; John Smola, Alabama Power; Jeff Sokol, Acacia Partners; Mashonda S. Taylor, Woodlawn Foundation; and Whitney Wright, Cook & Bynum. They have committed to a two-year program that includes education focused on philanthropic strategy and community knowledge, research around community issues and the opportunity to learn from community leaders. Thanks to the generosity of this group of thoughtful donors the next generation of philanthropists will have the community knowledge and understanding of the history and effectiveness of charitable initiatives needed to continue to drive catalytic change in our region.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Through the years, we have helped thousands of families and businesses achieve their charitable goals and built a permanent source of community capital for our region. You can visit our website at cfbham.org or contact us at 205.327.3800 for more information about opening a fund or supporting the work of the Community Foundation. B-METRO.COM
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