October CEO Blog 2023

The joy of learning, and of truly embracing lifelong learning, provides an enduring source of inspiration and fulfillment. Learning keeps our minds active, curious, and engaged, fostering a deep sense of purpose throughout our lives. Whether we are diving into the pages of a captivating book, learning a new language, exploring a hobby, or attending a class, there are so many benefits to lifelong learning. Here at the Community Foundation, we believe in the power and pursuit of learning and challenging ourselves. 

Just this month, members of our Board and staff attended the Philanthropy Forward conference in Columbus. This annual symposium brings together philanthropic leaders and community members to connect, learn and share new ideas, and build skills to advance philanthropy in Ohio. In addition to building meaningful relationships and attending interesting sessions, our very own Brittany “Britt” Lovett was honored with the 2023 Emerging Philanthropist Award. Britt’s exceptional contributions extend far beyond Lorain County, reaching across our region and state. We are immensely proud of her steadfast commitment to improving the quality of life in Lorain County and congratulate her on this well-deserved award.  

In the spirit of learning, we are excited to be a part of Lorain County’s strategic planning process. After just recently completing our own strategic plan, we are keenly aware of the value provided by gathering input from a wide variety of stakeholders when charting a course for the future. In addition to a survey that County residents are asked to fill out, you can participate in two upcoming Think Tank Workshops, taking place on October 30th and October 31st. We want as many residents as possible to share your hopes for the future via survey and/or in the workshops.  

There are some exciting changes happening internally here at the Community Foundation. We are saying goodbye to our longtime Scholarship Manager Angela Lee. Angela has been at the Community Foundation since 2004 and has been an incredible asset to our team, developing our scholarships program, and both the Youth Fund and African American Community Fund. We are fortunate that Angela is not going far, though. She is taking a new position with the Lorain County Urban League.  This past month we also welcomed two new team members, Aliah Kimbro and Grace Broom. Aliah, a Lorain native, is a seasoned journalist with deep community ties. Grace, from Wellington, has a strong community background as a former Youth Fund President. Aliah and Grace will support our new strategic plan and will also have the opportunity to truly design what their positions will entail. This is an opportunity for all of us here to rethink how we do things, how we can learn from each other, and what we can do better and build on our strengths. 

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who joined us for our Connect to a Cause announcement.  We are deeply grateful to announce that we raised a total of  $311,788, benefiting numerous non-profit organizations in our community. We are excited to continue to grow and evolve this fantastic event in 2024.  

Happy Fall, 

Cindy