Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The CFO is hiring! ?? We're seeking a part-time foundation coordinator for the Aurora Area Community Foundation. This role will work with the CFO staff and the affiliate board to coordinate advancement and administration activities in the Aurora area. The person hired for this role will work closely with the Vice President of Affiliates as well as the AACF Board of Directors. The CFO offers competitive pay, paid time off and holiday pay to part-time staff members to help successfully navigate work-life balance. Moderate local travel is required, along with periodic travel to the Springfield office. Attendance at meetings and events required, as needed, in the evenings and on weekends. Learn more about this position, see other current openings and apply at https://lnkd.in/eUKWhpnV. #PhilanthropyJobs

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The CFO is proud to support youth mental healthcare in our rural communities ?? In partnership with the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation and Commerce Trust, the CFO granted a total of $250,000 to 12 school districts, school foundations and nonprofits. The grants support mental health initiatives for youth from birth to age 21 in rural communities across central and southern Missouri. ? The recipients of the Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grants are: ? Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation: $22,975 to host Family Mental Health Awareness events and Hope Squad trainings, and to provide additional counseling services during the school year and summer ? Children's Center of Southwest Missouri: $25,000 to provide salary support for a clinical child therapist at the Monett Center ? Community Counseling Center: $25,000 to establish Hope Squads, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, for the Perry County and Jackson school districts ? Fair Play R-II School District: $18,650 to expand student mental health services and support small group therapy sessions ? Howell Valley R-I School District: $13,500 to offer a mental health and health care exploration program for fifth- to eighth-grade students in partnership with Harvard Medical School ? Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation: $25,000 to provide accessible in-school counseling, mental health education and early intervention services ? Lafayette House: $25,000 to expand the Prevention Education Program through school-based interventions, community outreach and parent education in southwest Missouri ? Marshfield R-I School District: $19,923 to expand mental health services by hiring interns to work with the district’s current therapist ? Missouri Empowerment Project: $25,000 to hire three full-time clinicians to provide school-based therapy in the Mountain Grove, Ava and Lebanon school districts ? Poplar Bluff School District: $8,000 to certify the school’s current therapist in play therapy ? Southwest Missouri Community Alliance: $25,000 to implement Sources of Strength, a peer-to-peer suicide intervention program, in Newton and Lawrence counties ? West St. Francois County R-IV School District: $16,952 to create a sensory resource room, provide official training for the therapy dog and establish a calming closet Learn more about this grant program at https://lnkd.in/gxSE33bZ. #mentalhealth #ruralhealthcare #ozarks #grantmaking#youthmentalhealth

??Communities thrive on collaboration ??The CFO has granted $214,000 to eight collaborative projects in the annual Jewell Schweitzer Collective Impact Grant Program. Named in memory of the late Springfield philanthropist, the program funds innovative solutions to address Blue Ribbon and Red Flag issues identified in the Community Focus Report for Springfield and Greene County. In a similar spirit of collaboration, five families recommended grants from their donor-advised funds totaling $94,000, expanding the grant program by nearly 80%. The grants support the following collaborations: ? The Child Advocacy Center, Inc., in partnership with Springfield Police Department, Greene County Sheriff's Office and Greene County Juvenile Office: $28,178 to train a pool of court-certified interpreters to assist with cases of child abuse and other crimes involving children. ? Council of Churches of the Ozarks, in partnership with Lighthouse Family Resource Center, Messiah Lutheran Church and Seminole Baptist Church: $15,000 to conduct a feasibility study and develop a business plan for a child care center at Seminole Baptist Church. ? Drew Lewis Foundation, Inc, in partnership with Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Consumer Credit Counseling of the Heartland and Central Bank: $30,000 to provide affordable, quality housing for a low-income family through the Blue House Project. ? Drury University, in partnership with Springfield Missouri Public Schools, Ozarks Technical Community College and Republic Public Schools: $30,000 to provide living expenses and professional learning experiences for student teachers. ? Legal Services of Southern Missouri, in partnership with Greene County, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Greene County Family Justice Center and City of Springfield, Missouri’s Workforce Development: $28,322 to expand services at the Access Justice center. ? Missouri Empowerment Project, in partnership with Greene County Juvenile Office, Greene County Children’s Division and Family Therapy of the Ozarks: $30,000 to support the Bio Parent Advocacy Program. ? Ozarks Film Foundry, in partnership with Gillioz Theatre, Plotline, SATO48, Springfield Improv, Mosaic Arts Collective and Roberts Industrial Properties: $22,500 to renovate classrooms, equipment storage and a theatre to host filmmaking workshops and productions. ? Renew Missouri Advocates, in partnership with OACAC and Drew Lewis Foundation: $30,000 to address energy burdens by providing weatherization kits to low-income community members. To learn more about this grant program, the donors who helped fund these projects and donor-advised funds, please visit https://lnkd.in/g6rxABx9.? #collaboration #swmo #ozarks #SGF #philanthropy #grantmaking

Meet a young leader with Passion for Progress ???? Caleb Hatfield continually invests in a greater tomorrow — both for the community and through students he serves as a special education teacher at Joplin High School. Hatfield, a graduate of Granby High School and Missouri Southern State University, is in his first year of full-time teaching. While in college, he was a member of Ozarks Teacher Corps, a scholarship program through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. “I would say the Ozarks Teacher Corps really helped me be very community-minded,” he says. But he didn’t wait until graduation to begin serving. While completing his studies, Hatfield was involved in social service work and with Court Appointed Special Advocates, where he served as a supervisor. Those efforts gave him a unique perspective on people, particularly how to see them in difficult moments and troubling situations. “I don't think your trauma makes you who you are; it just kind of adds to it,” Hatfield says. “I also deal with a lot of kids with ‘behaviors’ — you don’t just act out without a reason. That’s a symptom of a larger issue.” Hatfield’s work varies day to day, and sometimes, by the minute. Rotating among classrooms, he serves kids and their emerging needs. If a kid is obviously struggling with schoolwork or other issues, for example, Hatfield says he can intervene and try to help. “I can kind of say, ‘OK, what's going on?’” he says. “‘Let’s go to the library,’ or ‘I’ll go make a cup of coffee.’” Ultimately, Hatfield hopes his teaching — which is augmented by in-progress master’s studies in social work and a potential law degree — about how we can meet people where they are. “We can’t go back and rewrite someone’s story,” he says, “but we can at least prevent someone else’s from turning out so bad.” Find more stories of community leadership at https://lnkd.in/gWcCe6zg. #CommunityLeadership #philanthropy #swmo #ozarks

Join our team! ?? We're currently hiring for the role of Director of Philanthropic Services, a position responsible for providing education and support to our nonprofit partners to maintain and nurture relationships while also providing other development related activities in alignment with CFO’s mission, vision and values. Some of this position's essential functions ~ ????Work with the Vice President of Development & Philanthropic Services and the Development team to manage and carry out development strategies and activities. ?? Develop and maintain close working relationships with existing nonprofit partners to provide strong and effective customer service and increase agency investment. ?? Orient new partner organizations into the program. ???? Plan and execute educational and professional development programming for partner nonprofits, including but not limited to board training and leadership group discussions. ?? Develop new agency partner relationships and funds in partnership with the VP of Development & Philanthropic Services and the affiliate department of the CFO. The CFO offers competitive pay, paid time off and holiday pay to staff members to help successfully navigate work-life balance. This position will be based in Springfield, Missouri, with some flexibility permitted for remote work. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/gPpgbZaE. #PhilanthropyJobs #nonprofitjobs

Attn. nonprofit partners! ?? We are accepting applications for several specialty grant programs made possible by generous donors who chose to support specific areas of interest. These programs, supported by field-of-interest endowments, are open now through May 15. The programs are open to 501(c)3 nonprofits or organizations with similar tax-exempt status, such as school districts, government entities and faith-based organizations: ? Hearld Ambler Fund for Senior Centers Grant Program: $13,000 is available to senior centers in the 18-county SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging service area. ? Lennie Cloud Fund for the Hearing Impaired Grant Program: $500 is available to a nonprofit within the CFO’s service area to assist individuals with impaired hearing through equipment, programming or training. ? William E. Eslick Fund for Southern Baptist Greene County Churches: $2,000 is available to support Southern Baptist churches in Greene County. Funding is available for church capital projects that also provide a benefit to the surrounding community. ? St. Francis Fund Grant Program: $2,800 is available to support animal-welfare needs in Springfield and Greene County. ? Smith Atwell Girls Recreational Grant Program: $500 is available to a project that empowers and encourages girls and young women in Greene County to be involved in athletic and outdoor recreational opportunities. ? Wounded War Veterans Grant Program: $2,500 is available to a project that serves the needs of wounded war veterans in southwest Missouri through equipment, programming or training. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/gTVHvQK6.

A local leader with a Passion for Progress ?? Matthew Kostelnik didn’t end up where he started — even though the director of the Eldon Area Chamber of Commerce is, in fact, from Eldon. It’s a different place than when the married father of two graduated from high school, and certainly altered from many years ago, when the railroad and a major manufacturer were significant employers. And while “adapting to those changes is hard,” he says, considering how best to evolve a place for the future can also lead to good things. “I would say the goal for Eldon is not to be stagnant,” Kostelnik says of the community, which has worked to redefine itself for future growth. Part of that shift is finding new employers (like Quaker Windows, which came to Eldon in recent years) but also increasing focus on year-round employment and tourism. A new draw will soon be Rock Island Trail State Park, a rail-to-trail pathway linking Eldon with other communities across mid-Missouri. Kostelnik’s own path is built on change. After college, the 31-year-old chamber director worked for the Eldon school and coached basketball. He later worked in flooring, which led to community betterment work in nearby Camdenton. Those chapters helped him reach the Eldon chamber office, a “train depot” that was built with support from the Eldon Community Foundation. “When a business comes and talks to me about something, I understand where they’re coming from,” he says. Those efforts are ones Kostelnik really puts his heart into making successful. “This is my home, and you want your home to do well,” he says. “If I do end up staying here for the rest of my life, I want my kids to have a good hometown to live in and to be a part of.” Find more inspiring stories of community leadership at https://lnkd.in/gWcCe6zg. #CommunityLeadership #ruralphilanthropy #ozarks #swmo

Join us in celebrating Rural Schools Collaborative's 10th Anniversary ?? ?? It has been a great honor to have collaborated from the beginning with RSC in supporting our region's (and nation's) rural educators, students and advocates. Please take a few minutes to enjoy this video and learn about the incredible impact RSC has had — and will continue to have — on rural education in our country. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gMdGc_i7. #RuralEducation #ruralphilanthropy #ozarks

The future of philanthropy in the Ozarks isn’t just ahead — it’s happening now ?? In small, rural communities, it’s easy for young people to overlook what makes their hometowns truly special. Many feel they must leave to chase opportunity elsewhere, fueling the “brain drain” that challenges Ozarks towns. But at February’s Youth Empowerment Project Conference, students from Springfield and five rural communities explored the concept of “placemaking” — reimagining their hometowns as dynamic, engaging spaces brimming with possibility. Keynote speaker Dr. Marcos Silva, executive director of RGV LEAD, delivered an empowering message: “I want to challenge the idea that you are future leaders: you are leaders now, if you want to be.” Addison Jones and Laura King of Better Block SGF built on that message, reminding students that they are the experts on what their communities need. Jones and King hosted an interactive session to spark ideas about “third places” — social hubs beyond home and work that foster connection and creativity. In many small towns, third places are scarce. Hailey Lewelyn, a Gainesville High junior, reflected on the reality for her peers: “There’s really only a gas station in town where people hang out after class, so it was fun to share ideas and imagine something different.” As the day wound down, Bailey Pyle and Nia Howard of Burrell Behavioral Health's Be Well Initiatives led the groups through an interactive mindfulness exercise. Pyle tied the exercise to space and safety: "There's a lot of mental strain in constantly assessing your environment for threats." By giving young people the tools to dream and create, YEP inspires them to shape the future of their communities. Founded in 2001, YEP has chapters across the Ozarks, engaging high school students in its four philanthropic tenets of education, service, grantmaking and fundraising — helping them turn big ideas into real impact. Learn more about YEP at https://lnkd.in/gfbVdxmt. #youthleadership #youthphilanthropy #youthempowerment #philanthropy #ozarks #SGF