Teaching Our Youth to be Charitable

September is back to school month for many homes, and the student led CACF Youth Advisory Committee is excited for another year of grant-making and volunteering in the Community.

Experts believe that no age is too young to introduce giving to your children. Teaching our youth to be charitable can be rewarding. Learning about giving and helping others gives our youth a feeling of empowerment in an uncertain world where unexpected and sometimes frightening events happen too often.

For the past 3 years, I have had the privilege of being an adult advisor to the CACF Youth Advisory Committee. Whether it is reviewing grant applications or working at a Celebrity Servers Nights at Culver’s, I found our Youth members are ready and willing to make an impact in our community.

Our Youth Advisory Committee students range from 8th grade to 12th grade. Their mission is to meet the needs of the youth of the Cadillac Area by enhancing the awareness of opportunities, dedicating themselves to service projects, and providing information and resources through cooperative leadership and financial support for projects that improve the community. Read more

Profits Funding Passions ~ Celebrating 30 years of Philanthropy

Thirty one years ago, a small group of community members, who had a vision, met to discuss the possibility of creating a Community Foundation for the greater good of the Cadillac area.

On June 29, 1988, the Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Michigan Department of Commerce, and the first Board of Trustees was formed. On that same date a request for status as a 501 c3 nonprofit was filed with the United States Internal Revenue Service, and the Cadillac Area Community Foundation was officially created!

Almost immediately, the citizens of the community were asked to donate to the Foundation, so that the money could be permanently endowed, and the earnings (PROFITS) from those donations could be reinvested into the community. Read more

Story telling – donor impact

Foundations are increasingly asking their donors to tell their story about why they invested funds with their local Foundation. These stories are educating our community members, businesses, organizations, and even our children about giving.

A philanthropic message from a friend, one-to-one, will make more of an impact than a receptionist on the other Read more

March is Reading Month

Literacy is one of the most fundamental skills necessary for a successful future. Reading plays a critical role in a child’s cognitive growth and development. Data has shown that learning to read at a young age can increase a student’s ability to remember facts, comprehend information and be successful in both school and a career.

In 2013, our local Imagination Library was founded as a collaborative effort between charitable business owners, philanthropic donors, the Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School Read more

Putting our Strategic Plan to Work

In the fall of 2017, the Foundation Board of Trustees, myself, and Lyn Jenks, Consultant from the Council of Michigan Foundations began to outline our strategic direction for the Foundation.  Our first task was to look at our mission statement, which we revised to read:

“The Cadillac Area Community Foundation enhances the quality of life for all people in our community through philanthropy – connecting donor gifts with the needs in our community.”

Read more