Community Impact Fund brings personal touch to giving
When James McCarthy, MD, MHCM, director, Pediatric Orthopaedics, first started biking to work through Avondale, he didn’t expect to be philanthropically inspired along the way. Yet, in March, he found himself with 15 of his colleagues—-each who had donated $1,000—deciding which programs would receive all or part of their pooled gifts to help kids in our neighborhood.
“Charitable giving is such a personal decision,” McCarthy says. “But when you find something you truly believe in, it can be such a gratifying experience. That’s why I helped launch the Cincinnati Children’s Community Impact Fund, so my colleagues and I could directly help to improve kids’ lives in at-risk neighborhoods like Avondale.”
The idea behind the Community Impact Fund is simple—to participate, each donor gives a minimum of $1,000 to the fund, which equals one vote. All gifts are pooled together. Then, once a year, project leaders are invited to present their funding needs to the fund members. All members vote on which project(s) will receive funding.
This spring, the Community Impact members awarded their inaugural funds to two projects—the Rockdale Groom Room and the Avondale Angels. The Rockdale Groom Room will use their award to stock their shelves for a year, giving students at Rockdale Academy access to a hair stylist/barber, school uniforms, hygiene products, and other necessities. The Avondale Angels, a group of Little League teams and mentoring program for kids 3-15 years old, will use their award to help fund uniforms and more this season.
“When I learned about the fund, I was immediately all in,” says Susan Wade Murphy, MSN, RN, assistant vice president, Patient Services. “I thought the idea of helping to choose where the gifts would make the most impact was so meaningful.”
The Community Impact Fund is an ongoing effort, and all staff are invited to participate. For 2017, donations will be accepted through December 31 and must be designated to the Cincinnati Children’s Community Impact Fund. The next vote will take place in the spring of 2018. Your $1,000 donation to the fund qualifies you for membership in The William K. Schubert, MD, Society, which offers special benefits.
