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Foundation working to improve community

It’s hard to believe that the Community Foundation of Marquette County has been making the area a better place to live for more than a quarter century.

That’s the case, though, as the foundation celebrated 26 years of service to the county Tuesday evening during a gathering at Northern Michigan University.

More than 300 people – including foundation board members, supporters and donors – crowded into the Great Lakes Rooms for the annual donor appreciation celebration.

Those donors should be recognized, too, as they have helped build a huge community fund that assists a wide range of community members through donations to various organizations.

What started out 26 years ago with about $30,000 in donations has grown to a foundation with about $13 million in assets, according to the CFMC’s 2014 annual report.

Since its creation, the foundation has distributed more than $4 million. In 2014 alone there were about 100 non-profit organizations that received more than $750,000. Those organizations were located in Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Gwinn and Powell Township.

In addition to recognizing donors at Tuesday’s gathering, the foundation also presented its annual catalyst awards.

Included in this year’s award recipients were: In the local business category, Range Bank for its employees exceptional volunteerism in the community; in the local service club or organization category, the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee for its efforts at improving the community’s appearance; in the individual category, NMU professor Roxin Zhang for his involvement in and dedication to the Superiorland Soccer Association; and in the youth category, NMU student Courtney Olgren for her involvement in fundraising for the Michigan Arthritis Foundation.

In addition to providing funding for local organizations and recognizing worthy community involvement, Dr. Dan Mazzuchi spoke at the gathering and explained another positive aspect of the foundation.

As president of the Trillium House board – an organization working to establish an inpatient hospice care facility in Marquette – Mazzuchi said grants that the organization received from the foundation not only providing start-up funds, but also “validity and the confidence to continue.”

That confidence to continue is obviously evident in the foundation itself, and those who launched and maintain it deserve a standing ovation from the community.

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