Committed To Community Story By Natalie Salvatore Photos Contributed By CFEA
Responsibility, Connect, Charity
T
hese words embody what the Community Foundation of East Alabama Inc. (CFEA) is all about. This nonprofit originally focused primarily on building and administering endowments, fostering funding for philanthropy efforts that targeted specific community needs and strengthening nonprofits. Now, CFEA’s mission statement is “to promote philanthropy by connecting people who care with causes that matter in order to serve the charitable purposes of our donors and the charitable needs of our communities.” Barbara Patton serves as the foundation’s president. The CFEA’s updated philosophy still works towards the organization’s overall goal of serving the community as a
local philanthropic center, Patton said. The program all began in 2007 when it was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The CFEA finds its history in the Envision Opelika Foundation Inc., which works to improve the quality of life of citizens in different communities that it reaches. After assessing the challenges citizens of the East Alabama region faced, the CFEA was born to expand beyond the Envision boundaries. Originally, CFEA focused on Lee County, as Patton and the board felt the connections were the strongest there, but the organization has since grown. CFEA then wanted to spread its success and accomplishments more broadly, so such charitable efforts could reach other regions in need. “Most community foundations begin with big investments,” Patton said. “We began with a committed board, but small investments.”
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LIVING TO SERVE
