ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, INC.
ORANGE COUNTY
COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION, INC
Orange County Community
Foundation, Inc.
112 West Water St.– Paoli, IN 47454
U.S. Postage Paid
Paoli, IN
47454
Permit No. 115
Phone: 812.723.4150
Fax: 812.723.7304
One student from Orange
County has been named
recipient of the four-year,
full-tuition scholarship as the
Orange County Community
Foundation 2015 Lilly
Endowment Community
Scholar. Burton K. Gerkin will
receive full tuition to the
Indiana college of his choice
and a $900 yearly stipend for
required books and equipment.
Follow us on Twitter at:
@OrangeCountyCF
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Connecting People Who Care
with Causes that Matter
to Orange County.
Spring 2015
Non-Profit Org.
Like us on Facebook at:
Fb.com/orangecountycf
Visit our website at:
www.occf-in.org
Lilly Recipient
1
Wendell Gooch
2
Board Retreat
2
Share the Love
3
YC Philanthropy
3
Annual Report
3
The son of James and Jodi
Gerkin, Burton has plans to
attend an Indiana college to
study mechanical engineering.
A 2015 valedictorian graduating
senior from Orleans Junior
Senior High School, Burton
has been active in diverse
areas of service. His roles in
athletics include being a four
year varsity starter on the
Orleans Jr./Sr. High School
baseball team, a varsity cross
country runner, team captain
for the reigning sectional OHS
basketball team as well as
being named to the all
conference team .
While attending high school,
he was active in the National
Honor Society, Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, Pep Club,
and French Club serving as
President. Burton also
served as the Orleans Math
Academic Team Captain, and
led the team to the 2014
state finals. Outside of
school Burton worked
through the Boy Scouts of
America to reach the rank of
Eagle Scout and Patrol
Leader. He also serves as the
president of the Lucky
Dawgs 4-H Club, where he
is a 10 year member.
He has also worked as a
summer farmhand on the
Gerkin family farm raking,
baling, and storing hay.
During the school year he
tutors high school students
in mathematics. Burton is
also active at the Syria
Christian Church, volunteering
in their nursery, Wee
Worship, and at Children’s
Church. He is also an active
member of the Orleans
Christian Church youth
group.
“Having seen my mother’s
passion for her students’
success, I have come to
realize that having a passion
for anything that I do is very
OCCF would like to congratulate
Burton K. Gerkin on all of his
hard work!
important,” Burton stated in
his Lilly Scholarship application
essay. The OCCF Lilly
Scholarship Committee
believes that Burton will bring
this sense of enthusiasm to his
college education, as well as
to his career afterwards.
Burton is the 34th Lilly
Endowment Community
Scholarship recipient from
Orange County. Applicants
for the 2015 Lilly Scholarship
were required to hold an SAT
score of 1500 or above, rank
in the top 25% of their class,
receive an academic honors
diploma, and have gained
acceptance into an accredited
Indiana college. Applicants
were evaluated on academic
skills; character traits such as
integrity, responsibility,
honesty, leadership and
dependability; involvement in
community and school; and
financial need.
P age 2
It is with heavy heart that
we inform our readers that
one of the founding members of The Orange County
Community Foundation, Mr.
F. Wendell Gooch, passed
away on Saturday, March 21
at the age of 82.
S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
OCCF Executive Director,
Imojean Dedrick
lamented, “F. Wendell
Gooch was instrumental in
the creation of the
foundation. He and a small
group of board members
joined to create an
opportunity to offer
donors of smaller means
an opportunity to make a
philanthropic impact on
Orange County. Wendell
envisioned a better future
for Orange County.”
Wendell was active in
many local charitable
organizations, including
the First Chance Center,
Habitat for Humanity,
OCCF, the Humane
Society, Jubilee Health
Center, the Lost River
Recycling Co-Op, the
OCCF Youth Council,
and many others.
Throughout his life he
was known for his
generosity and spirit
wherever he went, but
thankfully for us he
decided to call Orange
County his home. Mr.
Gooch was an asset to
the community, and was
recognized for this by
OCCF as the Male
Philanthropist of the
Year for 2005. Just last
fall he was also
The OCCF board has had several training opportunities through the
month of March, starting with the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow
(GIFT) Bootcamp held on March 13. GIFT Bootcamp is a program
designed to give both community foundation staff and board members a
crash course in the intricate field of non-profit foundation work. By
learning more about gifts, grantmaking, and community leadership
together the program assures board members will be more equipped to
advance the philanthropic community of their county or region.
To further continue this education, on Friday, March 20, the OCCF staff
hosted an orientation and annual update meeting at the Spring Mill Inn for
local board members. The retreat and orientation are designed by OCCF
staff to help board members effectively carry out their responsibilities in
an increasingly complex world of philanthropy. The members of the
board are subject to a variety of responsibilities regarding the governance
of the Foundation and its impact on the Orange County Community.
Executive Director, Imojean Dedrick stated, “With the addition of three
new board members we saw this as the perfect occasion to illustrate to
our board members the importance of what they do. We are committed
to assisting our board by enhancing their capability to provide effective
leadership and thereby strengthening the capacity of the community as a
whole.”
C OL U M N S
recognized by the OCCF
Youth Council at their
annual Golden Deeds
Awards banquet in honor
of his generosity.
Imojean concluded saying,
“He will be forever
remembered and truly
missed.”
In lieu of flowers the family
has requested contributions
be made to the F. Wendell
Gooch Fund, or the
Habitat for Humanity
Fund, both held at OCCF.
P age 3
$500,000 in matching
grant monies are
available for specific
funds held at OCCF.
This past fall the Lilly
Endowment announced
an amazing matching
grant opportunity as
part of its Giving
Indiana Funds for
Tomorrow (GIFT)
Initiative. Through the
initiative, up to
The Orange County
Community Foundation
Youth Council
(OCCFYC) recently
wrapped up its annual
Philanthropy Education
Series for the
2014/2015 school year.
Throughout this four
part series, OCCFYC
members from all
three county school
systems go to their
respective school’s
fourth grade classes
Every gift to the
Foundation’s “Share the
Love” Fund will be
matched at up to 100%
by Lilly Endowment. That
means that your gift of
$20 could provide $40 to
the fund. A gift for $100
may be increased to
$200. Or a gift of $1,000
and teach the fundamentals of philanthropy. YC
members demonstrate
the importance of giving
of your time, talent, and
treasure for the common
good through activities,
worksheets, story telling
and games.
Although the series has
been around for nearly a
decade, it recently
received an overhaul.
“Each school system
could place $2,000 into
the fund that provides so
much for so many
throughout Orange
County. There is simply
no better time to give, and
no better opportunity to
help.
Be sure to check out
our “Orange Slice”
ad in the upcoming
months to see our
progress in meeting
our goal of
$500,000!
always had their own series
with their own unique
lessons.” OCCF staff
member Kelsey Roach
explained, “This year we
updated the lesson plans
with new material and
arranged it so that each
school is doing the same
lesson at the same time.
This this coordination
allows YC members to discuss the lessons as a group
and continue to grow in
their own philanthropy.”
Billy Chastain
Todd Hitchcock
Miles Flynn
Larry Hollan
P age 2
It is with heavy heart that
we inform our readers that
one of the founding members of The Orange County
Community Foundation, Mr.
F. Wendell Gooch, passed
away on Saturday, March 21
at the age of 82.
S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
OCCF Executive Director,
Imojean Dedrick
lamented, “F. Wendell
Gooch was instrumental in
the creation of the
foundation. He and a small
group of board members
joined to create an
opportunity to offer
donors of smaller means
an opportunity to make a
philanthropic impact on
Orange County. Wendell
envisioned a better future
for Orange County.”
Wendell was active in
many local charitable
organizations, including
the First Chance Center,
Habitat for Humanity,
OCCF, the Humane
Society, Jubilee Health
Center, the Lost River
Recycling Co-Op, the
OCCF Youth Council,
and many others.
Throughout his life he
was known for his
generosity and spirit
wherever he went, but
thankfully for us he
decided to call Orange
County his home. Mr.
Gooch was an asset to
the community, and was
recognized for this by
OCCF as the Male
Philanthropist of the
Year for 2005. Just last
fall he was also
The OCCF board has had several training opportunities through the
month of March, starting with the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow
(GIFT) Bootcamp held on March 13. GIFT Bootcamp is a program
designed to give both community foundation staff and board members a
crash course in the intricate field of non-profit foundation work. By
learning more about gifts, grantmaking, and community leadership
together the program assures board members will be more equipped to
advance the philanthropic community of their county or region.
To further continue this education, on Friday, March 20, the OCCF staff
hosted an orientation and annual update meeting at the Spring Mill Inn for
local board members. The retreat and orientation are designed by OCCF
staff to help board members effectively carry out their responsibilities in
an increasingly complex world of philanthropy. The members of the
board are subject to a variety of responsibilities regarding the governance
of the Foundation and its impact on the Orange County Community.
Executive Director, Imojean Dedrick stated, “With the addition of three
new board members we saw this as the perfect occasion to illustrate to
our board members the importance of what they do. We are committed
to assisting our board by enhancing their capability to provide effective
leadership and thereby strengthening the capacity of the community as a
whole.”
C OL U M N S
$500,000 in matching
grant monies are
available for specific
funds held at OCCF.
recognized by the OCCF
Youth Council at their
annual Golden Deeds
Awards banquet in honor
of his generosity.
Imojean concluded saying,
“He will be forever
remembered and truly
missed.”
In lieu of flowers the family
has requested contributions
be made to the F. Wendell
Gooch Fund, or the
Habitat for Humanity
Fund, both held at OCCF.
P age 3
This past fall Lilly Endowment announced
an amazing matching
grant opportunity as
part of its Giving
Indiana Funds for
Tomorrow (GIFT)
Initiative. Through the
initiative, up to
The Orange County
Community Foundation
Youth Council
(OCCFYC) recently
wrapped up its annual
Philanthropy Education
Series for the
2014/2015 school year.
Throughout this four
part series, OCCFYC
members from all
three county school
systems go to their
respective school’s
fourth grade classes
and teach the funda-
Every gift to the
Foundation’s “Share the
Love” Fund will be
matched at up to 100%
by Lilly Endowment. That
means that your gift of
$20 could provide $40 to
the fund. A gift for $100
may be increased to
$200. Or a gift of $1,000
could place $2,000 into
mentals of philanthropy.
YC members demonstrate the importance of
giving of one’s time, talent, and treasure for the
common good through
activities, worksheets,
story telling and games.
Although the series has
been in existence since
2003, it recently
received an overhaul.
“Each school system
always had their own
series with their own
unique lessons.” OCCF
the fund that provides so
much for so many
throughout Orange
County. There is simply
no better time to give, and
no better opportunity to
help.
Be sure to check out our
“Orange Slice” ad in
Orange County papers
and on our Facebook page
to see the progress as you
help us in meeting our
goal of $500,000!
staff member Kelsey Roach
explained, “This year we
updated the lesson plans
with new material and
arranged it so that each
school would be doing the
same lessons at the same
time. This this coordination
allows YC members to discuss the series all together
as a unit and take more
ownership in the series. It
is so wonderful to see students teach the value of
philanthropy while actively
participating in it as well.”
Billy Chastain
Todd Hitchcock
Miles Flynn
Larry Hollan
ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, INC.
ORANGE COUNTY
COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION, INC
Orange County Community
Foundation, Inc.
112 West Water St.– Paoli, IN 47454
U.S. Postage Paid
Paoli, IN
47454
Permit No. 115
Phone: 812.723.4150
Fax: 812.723.7304
One student from Orange
County has been named
recipient of the four-year,
full-tuition scholarship as the
Orange County Community
Foundation 2015 Lilly
Endowment Community
Scholar. Burton K. Gerkin will
receive full tuition to the
Indiana college of his choice
and a $900 yearly stipend for
required books and equipment.
Follow us on Twitter at:
@OrangeCountyCF
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Connecting People Who Care
with Causes that Matter
to Orange County.
Spring 2015
Non-Profit Org.
Like us on Facebook at:
Fb.com/orangecountycf
Visit our website at:
www.occf-in.org
Lilly Recipient
1
Wendell Gooch
2
Board Retreat
2
Share the Love
3
YC Philanthropy
3
Annual Report
3
The son of James and Jodi
Gerkin, Burton has plans to
attend an Indiana college to
study mechanical engineering.
A 2015 valedictorian graduating
senior from Orleans Junior
Senior High School, Burton
has been active in diverse
areas of service. His roles in
athletics include being a four
year varsity starter on the
Orleans Jr./Sr. High School
baseball team, a varsity cross
country runner, team captain
for the reigning sectional OHS
basketball team as well as
being named to the all
conference team .
While attending high school,
he was active in the National
Honor Society, Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, Pep Club,
and French Club serving as
President. Burton also
served as the Orleans Math
Academic Team Captain, and
led the team to the 2014
state finals. Outside of
school Burton worked
through the Boy Scouts of
America to reach the rank of
Eagle Scout and Patrol
Leader. He also serves as the
president of the Lucky
Dawgs 4-H Club, where he
is a 10 year member.
He has also worked as a
summer farmhand on the
Gerkin family farm raking,
baling, and storing hay.
During the school year he
tutors high school students
in mathematics. Burton is
also active at the Syria
Christian Church, volunteering
in their nursery, Wee
Worship, and at Children’s
Church. He is also an active
member of the Orleans
Christian Church youth
group.
“Having seen my mother’s
passion for her students’
success, I have come to
realize that having a passion
for anything that I do is very
OCCF would like to congratulate
Burton K. Gerkin on all of his
hard work!
important,” Burton stated in
his Lilly Scholarship application
essay. The OCCF Lilly
Scholarship Committee
believes that Burton will bring
this sense of enthusiasm to his
college education, as well as
to his career afterwards.
Burton is the 34th Lilly
Endowment Community
Scholarship recipient from
Orange County. Applicants
for the 2015 Lilly Scholarship
were required to hold an SAT
score of 1500 or above, rank
in the top 25% of their class,
receive an academic honors
diploma, and have gained
acceptance into an accredited
Indiana college. Applicants
were evaluated on academic
skills; character traits such as
integrity, responsibility,
honesty, leadership and
dependability; involvement in
community and school; and
financial need.