The Hendricks County Community Foundation is celebrating 25 years of service to Hendricks County this year. In 1993, most people in the county had no idea what a community foundation was. However, a few pioneering citizens with a vision for our community opened the “Greater Plainfield Community Foundation.” The young organization operated with only volunteers until the first Executive Director, Deedee Daniel, was hired in 1994.
Although the new Foundation was small with few resources, the founders and members of the board personally canvassed the county, telling the story of this new organization and recruiting donors, board members, and volunteers. The Foundation grew in assets and county-wide reach and was renamed the “White Lick Heritage Community Foundation” in 1996. In 2005, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to rename the Foundation to clarify that it served the whole county and White Lick Heritage Community Foundation became the Hendricks County Community Foundation.
The Honorable Judge Jim Spencer, the President of the Community Foundation in 1996 and one of its founding members in 1993, commented on the progress and growth of HCCF, “From a humble small start, the Community Foundation has grown to assets of over $20 million. In 2020 it made $1.7 million in grants to nonprofits supporting Hendricks County and scholarships to local students. The hard work and dedication of staff and board members over the years certainly surpassed any of our expectations in 1993. It has been my privilege and honor to serve as a small part in the good this Foundation has provided to Hendricks County.”
To celebrate 25 years of service, HCCF is awarding 13 grants of $1,500 each to local nonprofits who received grants from the Foundation in 1996. For any organization no longer operating, the Community Foundation chose a similar nonprofit currently serving Hendricks County. The organizations receiving 25th Anniversary Grants are as follows: Brownsburg Education Foundation, B&O Trail Association, Family Promise of Hendricks County, Hendricks County Alliance for Diversity, Hendricks County Humane Society, Hendricks County Senior Services, Hendricks Regional Health Foundation, Main Street Plainfield, Mill Creek Community Schools, North Salem Revitalization, One Room School House, Plainfield Public Library, and Sycamore Services. Two additional grants were made in honor of HCCF’s first Board President, Jim Spencer and the first Executive Director, Deedee Daniel. Finally, a grant was made to HCCF’s Tri-Centennial Fund to commemorate the occasion and invest in the future of the county.
The Community Foundation started with a few thousand dollars, a handful of volunteers, and a shared passion for making the community better. Thanks to thousands of people all over Hendricks County who have found creative and impactful ways to give – from small $25 annual support checks to lifetime bequests – that vision has come to life and flourished. Individuals and families who love this county have invested their gifts in unrestricted endowment funds that enable HCCF to make grants to meet the community’s critical needs. Donors, great and small, helped fund the $535,000 in COVID response grants that HCCF poured into Hendricks County in 2020.
Anniversaries are a time to reflect. As the Community Foundation Board and Staff reflect on the last 25 years, they are grateful for many things. They are grateful for 25 years of visionary leadership by dozens of dedicated board members from every corner of the county. They are grateful for 25 years of faithful service from staff and hundreds of volunteers who have labored countless hours to make HCCF a healthy, sustainable organization with a bright future. Most of all, HCCF is grateful to be serving this great community through the gifts of generous donors and supporters who are passionate about making Hendricks County a vibrant, giving community.
The Hendricks County Community Foundation partners with generous people to realize their charitable goals while addressing community needs in meaningful and lasting ways. The Community Foundation manages assets of over $20 million in a collection of funds created by individuals, families, businesses and organizations for charitable purposes. In 2020, the Community Foundation gave over $1.6M in grants to charitable organizations and scholarships to local students. For more information, call 317-268-6240 or visit www.hendrickscountycf.org.
