Connections Matter in Our Community
I recently saw research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that suggested individuals who feel a sense of security, belonging, and trust in their community have better overall health. When people feel a greater connection to their community, they are more inclined to take action to improve their health and the health of others. It was further explained that a key sign of community well-being is the value people place on—and how highly they prioritize—investments in health and well-being. Examples include investments in parks, youth mentoring and leadership, and improved accessibility for those with limited mobility. What better way to promote the health of our Lorain County community than by supporting our third annual Connect to a Cause taking place from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on September 15th.
This year’s Connect to a Cause will feature 74 local non-profit organizations in the focus areas of Health and Human Services, Arts and Culture, Education and Youth Development, and Strengthening Lorain County. This year is promising to be an exciting event, with the opportunity for Lorain County residents and businesses to support these wonderful non-profit organizations in our community.
We encourage you to mark your calendar so you can connect to the causes that matter most to you by making an online donation on September 15th. However, if you don’t want to wait, you can also mail a check or make a cash donation using this donation form any time before that date.
Another great way to support these amazing non-profit organizations is with your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) or Individual Retirement Account (IRA) using this DAF/IRA form. IRA’s can be especially helpful if you receive Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) that you would like to direct to a charitable purpose. If you are over 70 ½, an RMD that comes directly from your IRA administrator does not count as income, allowing you to create an “above the line” reduction of your adjusted gross income.
Just this week, a longtime donor and fund holder at Community Foundation completed the donation of a portion of her RMD to Connect to a Cause. Her IRA custodian limited the number of charitable beneficiaries she could mail checks to out of her IRA. By using Community Foundation and Connect to a Cause as an intermediary, she could support all of her favorite causes with one check. She shared the following with me:
“Connect to a Cause enables continued support of many organizations through an IRA, with the additional benefit of an increase in those donations through the Connect to a Cause prorated donation matching.”
No matter how you support Connect to a Cause, your dollars will create added leverage for all the participating organizations. Aside from the funds raised by donations from the community, these organizations will have the chance to receive additional match dollars and other potential bonuses throughout the day.
If you have any questions about supporting Connect to a Cause or would like to discuss other ways to support the causes that matter most to you, please visit our donor learning portal or contact me at 440.984.7390 to discuss further. We cannot wait to connect with you in September!
