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            |  To the editor: 
 Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest impacts.
 
 A few years ago, the staff and board of directors for what was then 
			called the Sangamon County Community Foundation saw an opportunity 
			to better serve local residents by expanding our reach beyond 
			Sangamon County. It was a fairly clear goal made difficult because 
			of the organization’s name. So we changed the name.
 
 Today, the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln serves the 
			counties of Sangamon, Cass, Christian, Logan, Menard, Morgan, 
			Montgomery, and beyond.
 
 We are actively pursuing opportunities to help our communities 
			thrive and have already started to do so through a variety of grant 
			and scholarship programs.
 
			
			 The Vonderlieth Living Center Employee Scholarship Fund was 
			established by Joan Buckles and her two siblings in honor of their 
			father, Elva Dean “Ed” Oglesby who spent 11 years at the Vonderlieth 
			Living Center outside of Mt. Pulaski in Logan County before passing 
			away in 2005. The scholarship is available for Living Center 
			employees wanting to further their education.
 The World War II Illinois Veterans Committee has established the 
			World War II Illinois Descendants Scholarship, available for 
			descendants of World War II veterans throughout Illinois. Two $2,000 
			scholarships are awarded each year to high school seniors preparing 
			to attend college.
 
 Regionally, the Gerald F. and Luanna R. Kennedy Scholarship Fund 
			awards a scholarship to a graduating senior from Pana High School 
			who will attend a post-secondary institution, and scholarships are 
			given from the Sgt. John R. Dalhaus Memorial Scholarship Fund to a 
			senior graduating from Litchfield High School who wants to attend a 
			vocational school.
 
 In addition to scholarships, donor-advised funds provide a 
			tremendous opportunity to honor loved ones.
 
            [to top of second column in this letter] | 
            
			 
            When BJ Luxmore was killed in 2012 serving the United States Army in 
			Afghanistan, his family established the Bryant J. Luxmore Memorial 
			Fund. The fund helps to support the football and baseball programs 
			at Sherrard High School, as well as Illinois College’s baseball 
			program, where BJ attended and played. The fund also contributes to 
			organizations that are military-related, such as the United Service 
			Organizations and the National Infantry Museum. 
            The Leon Tryon Memorial Fund also honors its namesake, with a focus 
			on continuing Leon Tryon’s work with VisionWay Christian School in 
			Taylorville. Tryon helped found the school, which offers classes for 
			pre-K through high school students, and was extremely active in the 
			Taylorville Christian Church, serving as an elder.
 Some funds have a larger focus than a single community. The Looking 
			for Lincoln Heritage Coalition works with communities in 42 counties 
			across the state designated as the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage 
			Area, which contains a variety of attractions related to the former 
			president.
 
 Our organizational name change a few years ago was a small but 
			important step in better serving you – our community. No boundaries 
			can be placed on the impact of connecting you to the causes you care 
			about most.
 
 John Stremsterfer
 President and CEO
 Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln
 
 Through philanthropic services, strategic grantmaking and 
			community leadership, the Community Foundation for the Land of 
			Lincoln “connects people who care with causes that matter.”
 [Posted 
            
			August 8, 
			2016]
             
            
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