Phelps County Community Foundation joins CFO affiliate network

Image provided by: Phelps County Community Foundation

CFO’s 55th affiliate serves Rolla, surrounding communities

The Phelps County Community Foundation has officially joined the Community Foundation of the Ozarks as its 55th regional affiliate foundation. The PCCF recently completed the steps to become a CFO affiliate and now serves as the philanthropic resource for Rolla and surrounding communities in Phelps County.

The CFO will provide administration, fund management, grantmaking support and other services for the PCCF. Based in Springfield with offices in Cape Girardeau and West Plains, the CFO promotes place-based philanthropy through a network of more than 50 regional affiliates across central and southern Missouri. The PCCF joins the St. James Area Community Foundation and the Meramec Regional Community Foundation as affiliates of the CFO.

Efforts to establish a community foundation dedicated to Rolla and Phelps County began more than a year ago. The founding board first met in March 2023 and initially established funds with the Meramec Regional Community Foundation as it began its fundraising effort. A new affiliate must raise at least $30,000 for a community grantmaking endowment to join the CFO.

Significant support from TKD Foundation, Brewer Science, Southern Bank, Cohen Woodworking, Phelps County Focus, Investment Realty Inc., the Woessner Foundation, Phelps County Bank and other private donors helped raised more than $115,000 for the PCCF’s grantmaking and administration funds.

In its first year, the PCCF also embarked on the development of the Phelps County Impact Report, partnering with Missouri S&T to survey its community and identify Blue Ribbon and Red Flag issues. The report, published in January, will help guide the PCCF’s grantmaking.

“Seeing the Phelps County Community Foundation collaborate with local institutions, nonprofits and private donors from day one is inspiring,” said Winter Kinne, president and CEO of the CFO. “We welcome the Phelps County Community Foundation to the CFO family, where collaboration is a guiding principle.”

Marla Stevenson, community bank manager of Southern Bank in Rolla, serves as president of the founding board, which includes these community leaders:

  • Ben Tipton, board chair elect, president of Phelps County Bank
  • Richard Cavender, secretary, CFO board member and retired executive director of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission
  • Kim Day, treasurer, co-founder and president of TKD Foundation
  • Mike Woessner, board member, president of Investment Realty Inc.
  • Tracy Jenkins, board member, corporate relations representative at Brewer Science
  • John Money, board member, senior vice president at Phelps Health
  • Lorrie Hartley, board member, executive director of TKD Foundation
  • Nate Cohen, board member, CFO of Cohen Woodworking
  • Donald Dodd, board member, president of Phelps County Focus and Salem Publishing Co.
  • Bonnie Prigge, board member, executive director of Meramec Regional Planning Commission

“We appreciate the support from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to help us bring more charitable resources to Phelps County,” said Stevenson. “We’re so grateful to our donors for helping launch the Phelps County Community Foundation, and we look forward to the additional opportunities that come with affiliating with the CFO.”

To learn more, view the Phelps County Impact Report or donate to the PCCF, visit phelpscountycommunityfoundation.org.

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