The Montgomery County Community Foundation held its annual meeting Thursday at the Hoosier Heartland State Bank’s Success Center. President Marta Sweek presided over the meeting.
Following the standard items of business, outgoing and incoming board members were recognized; Outgoing board members included Sweek and Ron Dickerson, and incoming board members are Chris Cox and Gary Isenberg.
Sweek joined the board in 2018 and served two consecutive three-year terms. She served as secretary, vice president and then president of the board, as well as chair of the grants and distributions committee. Dickerson joined the board in 2017 and served two consecutive terms as well as an additional year to fill a vacancy. He served as treasurer, and served on the grants and distributions, governance and audit and finance committees.
The balance of the 13-member board includes: Tracey Barr, Brenda Lovold, Jack Grimble, Erin Gobel, Cathy Caldwell, Debbie Schavietello, Preston Bost, Anna Bravo-Moore, Wendy Feller, Sheila McCormick and Zach Hockersmith.
Since 1996, the recognition of outstanding volunteers has been a staple of the MCCF annual meeting. Two awards were presented, one to an adult and another, the Peggy Herzog Youth Volunteer award goes a young person.
The 2024 MCCF Volunteer of the Year is Nate Baldwin, nominated for his service to the Sugar Creek Players. Currently vice president of the board, Baldwin, a theater parent, strives to make Sugar Creek Players a better organization every day and always gives 110%. Specializing in computer technology at Wabash, he designs and manages the website and assists with the ticketing system.
His skills don’t end there. He offers his artistic skills to paint beautiful scenes for many of the productions and just recently directed a show himself. He’s even used his plumbing and electrical skills to keep things going.
Sweek presented Baldwin with a plaque commemorating his service and a $1,000 grant Sugar Creek Players in his honor.
Two other individuals were nominated and each received a certificate of recognition and a small gift. They included:
- Mike Everett, Crawfordsville District Public Library
- Mike has volunteered at the library for 35 years. He coordinates the library book sale, picking up materials from donors and offering them for sale. The proceeds of the sale serve to extend the library’s budget, and offerings such as the Summer Reading Program. In recent years, his marketing efforts have greatly increased sales. When he finds rare items, he sells them on EBay to better market them. His love for books stems from his father’s and his grandfather’s careers at RR Donnelley.
- Sarah Reed, Humans United for Equality
- Sarah has served as the volunteer treasurer for Humans United for Equality (HUE) for the past eight years. She oversaw its growth from a small gathering of passionate like-minded individuals to a fully-fledged 501(c)(3) organization delivering a multitude of services. She is a primary organizer of HUE’s annual Celebration of Unity. HUE now has two primary services, The Collective, which mentors to BIPOC youth and Immigrant Allies which addresses transportation and case management to immigrants. A life-long resident of Montgomery County, Sarah wants this to be a welcoming place for everyone.
Next up was the Peggy Herzog Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, which went to Jessica Bradley for her service to Volunteers for Mental Health in Montgomery County. Bradley is a high school board member and program volunteer for VMHMC. She works within her school community to involve a variety of volunteers who support VMHMC programs. She brings her youthful energy to the board and always exudes positivity and respect. She is both the legs and the wheels when it comes to getting things done in the southern half of the county, whether hanging hundreds of signs in school buildings or checking donation bins for the annual Christmas drive.
Sweek presented Bradley with a plaque commemorating her service along with a $1,000 check to VMHMC in honor of her service.
Other youth nominated were:
- Corbin Meadows, North Montgomery Key Club
- Corbin approached the co-sponsors of the North Montgomery High School Key Club with an idea to start a clothing closet called Thoughtful Threads for students in need. He asked if he could partner with Key Club to help get the word out and to ensure the project continued after he graduates. A leader from the start, he spoke with school administrators and gained their approval. He came up with the idea, the name, and motivated the student body’s participation through a clothing drive competition among advisory classes. His own past experience of need motivated him to want to help others.
- Emma Pack, Rainbows and Rhymes Preschool
- This second grader has already accumulated three years of volunteer service at Rainbow & Rhymes Preschool. Emma helps teachers, organizes supplies, cleans, re-shelves library books and helps set up for events. She is always eager to help and outside of the preschool, she also helps with community activities such as the Tri-Kappa Art Show, Crawfordsville Art Walk, and the Daddy Daughter Dance. She is also an ambassador at Nicholson Elementary School.
Sweek wrapped up the accomplishments of 2023 in which a record $2 million was awarded in grants and scholarships. A video capturing highlights of the past year was shown. Click here to view the video and here to see the 2023 Annual Report.