Graduation is an exciting time, full of promise about what the future may hold. As this year’s Woodford County High School graduates look ahead to their bright future, the Woodford County Community Fund is also looking ahead to continue its work—investing in the future of Woodford County.
Founded in 2015, WCCF has awarded dozens of grants to organizations and projects that meet the needs of Woodford Countians, including Spark Café, Huntertown Community Park, Midway History Museum and Mentors & Meals.
Starting in 2025, the community fund’s second decade, its leaders will expand the reach—and the impact—of the organization.
“Our goal is to help our nonprofits and neighbors do what they do best: work together,” said Melissa Lippert Tomblin, co-chair of the WCCF Advisory Board. “We want to build partnerships between community organizations, leaders and donors—and accomplish things that none of us can do operating solo.”
To achieve their goal, WCCF board members are gathering ideas and support from across the county, in more ways than one.
“We’re all about collaborations—existing or new—and we want to help our neighbors find and fund solutions,” Tomblin said. “There are plenty of needs in Woodford County, and there are also plenty of talented, good-hearted people who are eager to address them.”
Woodford County Community Fund has an endowed fund of about $750,000, which is unspendable, but interest-producing. A portion of its yearly earnings is used by the board to address local needs. The board hopes to increase the WCCF endowment, especially when it’s compared to other community funds in the region, said Bob Rouse, co-chair of the WCCF board.
“We’re grateful to each donor who helped grow our endowment, but Woodford County has fallen behind some of the nearby counties,” Rouse said. “One of our neighbors is starting its fund with a $2 million donation, and another—Clark County—has amassed more than $9 million. The larger the endowment, the more it generates each year for the community. We’ve got some catching up to do!”
Give a ZIP! campaign
With a goal of reaching the $1 million mark for its endowment fund, the WCCF board has created the Give a ZIP! campaign. Starting today, May 22, Woodford Countians are asked to make a donation using their ZIP code as a guide, either 40383 or 40347, depending on where they live.
“You can make a nice gift—and a lasting impact—with a contribution of $403.83 or $403.47,” Rouse said. “If that’s more than your budget allows, you can donate $40.38 or $40.37—one time or as a monthly contribution. And hey, if you want to move the decimal point in the other direction, we’ll be thrilled to accept your donation of $4,038.30 or $4,034.70—or even $40,383 or $40,347!”
To support Woodford County Community Fund through the Give a ZIP! campaign, go to bgcf.org/woodford. Rouse asks that you give one of those amounts—and not round up or round down—because, “We’re in a friendly competition with our neighboring counties, so we might as well hold a friendly competition among (Versailles and Midway),” Rouse said. “When we tally up the score, we know the whole county will win.”
To learn more about the Woodford County Community Fund, visit bgcf.org/woodford. Or call Jane Higgins, BGCF’s liaison to WCCF, at 859.721.2349.
Editor’s note: Lucie Chandler is a boardmember of WCCF.