Greater Greenfield Community Foundation provides update on its impact

The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation (GGCF) was created in 1985 to accept and administer gifts and bequests for the benefit of the communities in Adair County. Though we have supported many efforts in our nearly 40 years of operation, our biggest project by far is the disaster resulting from the May 21, 2024, tornado. Funds have come to the GGCF from all over America and we are committed to making thoughtful and sustainable decisions with those gifts.

Some of those donations are known in the foundation world as “restricted funds,” meaning they must be spent for purposes the donor identifies, and others are “unrestricted,” and the GGCF determines how they will be spent. For instance, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, located in Muscatine, Iowa, provided $75,000 almost immediately after the tornado with specific directions on how it could be spent. They asked that $35,000 be spent on children’s programming this summer. We partnered with ISU Extension, the Adair County Fitness Center, Adair County Conservation, and the Greenfield Public Library for many children’s day camps. Kids went to the Omaha Zoo, learned about drones, healthy food and how to prepare it, and many other fun activities. We bought season pool passes for many families and have provided a couple of free movie experiences at the Grand this summer. The remaining $40,000 from the Carver Trust was designated to be spent on health care. People who lost expensive pharmaceutical prescriptions, eye glasses, hearing aids, and more in the storm have applied for help with replacing those things. Additionally, some residents who were seriously injured had very high co-pays and needed help in meeting those. We continue to get requests for medical needs. We have also provided mental health support to local citizens. Should all the funds from the Carver Foundation not be spent on individual needs, the remainder will be given to the Adair County Hospital.

At the beginning of the recovery, we realized the need for a common form to keep track of people’s needs. Our director worked with Adair County Emergency Management to develop a common form serving multiple purposes. You must complete this form to secure funds from the GGCF. The forms have helped us get a general view of what the needs are and to know who needs help. The forms will be available through the end of the month, so if you had significant damage or medical issues you need help with that were caused by the storm and have not filled out a form, you can pick one up at either of our local banks in Greenfield or go to our website and download it: https://www.greenfieldiafoundation.org/tornado-relief-application. If you complete a form, please return it to FNB Bank, Union State Bank, the Chamber/Main Street office, the Greenfield Public Library, or mail it to the Greater Greenfield Foundation, PO Box 13, Greenfield, IA 50849. Thanks!

We have worked with other foundations and towns which have experience in responding to natural disasters and their experiences and advice have proved to be very helpful. The Margaret Cargill Foundation focuses specifically on natural disasters in the Midwest. They provided the GGCF with a grant to hire a case manager because, in their experience, that has proved to be an asset as disaster towns move forward (another example of restricted funding). Michelle Carns was hired with funds from the Cargill Foundation as our Case and Project Manager, and her work is invaluable. The Cargill Foundation alerted us that there will be significant expenses in years two, three, and four as the community gets back on its feet, and there are big projects that will require support from the Foundation, like tree replacements, long-term planning and implementation of those plans, accessing federal dollars which often require a match, and other things too numerous to list. So, while we have immediate expenses, we also want to be able to support Greenfield through the long-term recovery, and it is important to plan, save, and invest for that.

The city manager from Parkersburg, Iowa, a town about the size of Greenfield, which experienced an F-5 tornado in 2008, reported that their foundation gave $1,200 to people who lost their homes and $600 to those with major damage. We thought that Parkersburg’s approach to distributing funds was a good plan. We have used the Adair County Emergency Management designations to determine the levels of financial support in Greenfield. We have given those who filled out the questionnaire and lost their homes $3,000 and those with major damage $1,500 (these checks came from our unrestricted funds).

In total, the GGCF has distributed over $350,000 thus far in the Greenfield area to homeowners whose homes were destroyed or had major damage from the May 21 tornado. Our next efforts will focus on distributing $1,000 to renters who lived in homes designated as “destroyed” or “major damage” and to pay some medical bills for families with high deductibles or lost items like eyeglasses and hearing aids, not usually covered by insurance. We want to ensure we can address community needs as Greenfield recovers, so while the tornado is over, the effect on our community is not, and we fully intend to continue to fund raise, including reaching out to corporate donors, writing grants, and encouraging those who can to give to the GGCF, so the foundation can continue to support the recovery effort.

Our Executive Director is Jennifer Garside, and the Board of Directors includes Roleen Chiles, Chair; Stacie Eshelman, Vice-Chair; Paula Caldwell, Treasurer; Susan Olesen, Compliance Officer; and members Paul Croghan, Nancy Gross, Bill Mather, and Denise Speer.

Greenfield is a remarkable town, and we think it will be even better as we move forward. This is the first of regular columns related to the work of the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation. We hope you will read it and that it will answer some of your questions. If you think an issue might be helpful if addressed, please contact Executive Director Jenn Garside (greatergreenfield@gmail.com or 641-745-5904).