Bath Community Fund reaches $250,000 goal one year, one day after founding

Thanks to the collective contributions of 85 founding donors, Bath Community Fund achieved its initial $250,000 fundraising goal just one year and one day after it was founded. The fund’s “For Bath, Forever” endowment campaign officially exceeded its Founding Donors goal with $251,314.53 in gifts and pledges from individuals, families and companies all over Greater Akron.

Founding gifts to Bath Community Fund ranged from $25 to $50,000. Ultimately, it was a $25,000 matching challenge grant issued by former Bath residents Roger and Judy Read that pushed the fund over the top. The Reads, who lived in Bath for many years and were instrumental in founding Bath Community Fund, promised to match the next $25,000 gift to the campaign. On June 18, 2015 – exactly one year and one day after BCF was founded – Bath residents Phil and Peggy Lloyd stepped up to meet that challenge.

“Our good friends Roger and Judy Read, who don’t even live in Bath any longer, made a plea for us to match their donation, so we did,” said Phil Lloyd. “Bath is a very nice community with a nice culture. It feels good to support Bath Community Fund, which will, in turn, support that culture in the future.”

Established in June 2014 by a group of local residents, Bath Community Fund is a charitable fund dedicated to enriching Bath Township for generations to come. Annual grants to qualified nonprofit organizations will be used to respond to community needs, help the less fortunate, enrich local arts and culture programs, and preserve the historical and environmental legacy of Bath. The fund is an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, a permanent endowment of more than $191 million.

During Bath Community Fund’s first year, fund leaders have worked diligently to educate Bath residents about their new community fund through neighborhood gatherings, speaking engagements, one-on-one conversations, targeted correspondence and the media. Now, with the Founding Donors campaign completed, the fund’s advisory board is working on its next goal – raising $1 million by Bath’s bicentennial in 2018.

“Our plan is to step up outreach and educational efforts in the next year to ensure that Bath residents understand the value and benefits of a community fund,” said Jody Miller Konstand, BCF Advisory Board chair. “We are also looking forward to putting BCF’s Grants Committee to work so they can begin to explore the exciting possibilities for the fund’s first grants and determine where BCF can make the biggest impact in our community.”

Growing the endowment to $1 million means Bath Community Fund could grant $50,000 back into the community each year, Miller Konstand said.

“Having the funds to make a difference year after year in the community we live in and love is our ultimate goal. That’s why we created Bath Community Fund and why we’re passionate about growing the endowment,” she said.

To learn more about Bath Community Fund and how you can contribute, contact Jody Miller Konstand at 330-618-4477 or jmkmedia@msn.com, or visit www.akroncf.org/BCF.

About Bath Community Fund

Established in 2014 by a group of committed Bath residents, Bath Community Fund is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the Bath community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of charitable giving. The fund is committed to responding to community needs, helping the less fortunate, supporting local nonprofits, and reinforcing and preserving Bath’s historical and environmental legacy. The fund is currently embarking on an endowment campaign to raise $1 million by Bath’s bicentennial in 2018. For more information, contact Jody Miller Konstand, advisory board chair, at 330-618-4477 or jmkmedia@msn.com.

About Akron Community Foundation

Celebrating 60 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. Today, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $191 million with a growing family of nearly 500 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $124 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.

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