Your generosity is a vessel of hope.

“The biggest misconception about homelessness is that they are lazy and they don’t want something more. If you look at the foundation, the main reason for homelessness is trauma. Far and away. Nothing else comes close. Everything else you see, drug use, alcoholism, mental health- all those things stem from trauma, almost universally. Even when they’re getting their act together, the trauma shouts so loud.”

-Rob Spaulding, Executive Director of the Christian Center Rescue Ministries

In the midst of the sometimes-deafening shout of trauma, hope is possible. Passion and commitment is evident as Richard Harvey describes the life-changing activity that takes place in the Eleos Center daily. “It is part of our mission to restore hope and dignity,” Harvey says.

Your generosity provides safe and secure spaces for young children to develop a foundation for a lifetime of learning and a passion for literacy. 

Founded with a mission to nurture the whole child, St. John’s Early Literacy Preschool believes in inspiring lifelong learning through a passionate commitment to early childhood education. Over the years, the staff has served countless children and been a vital resource to Madison County. Parents have often reported that their children enter kindergarten ahead of their peers, equipped with foundational reading skills.

In order to serve more families, St. John’s recognized that the facility required updates.

Your generosity delivers fresh produce and household goods to help thousands of Madison County families  

Operation Love Ministries is a collective of churches, organizations, and community members, and has dedicated itself to serving those in need, providing “Help for Today & Hope for Tomorrow.” Over the 40 years as an organization, Operation Love has depended on volunteers to pick up donations. This has often required multiple vehicles and, often, large delivery fees. Andrea Baker, Executive Director, recalls filling her personal vehicle to the brim with ham on one occasion.

A Community Impact Grant from the Madison County Community Foundation provided funds for Operation Love to purchase its own truck for large food loads and business donations.

Your generosity provides support, scholarship, and sisterhood for single moms.

“It’s like a family.”

A young mother sits in her beautifully decorated apartment and looks forward to the next step in her journey: the opportunity to receive a post-secondary education. The ‘family’ that Anisha is referring to is the Anderson Scholar House, a remarkable program that empowers single mothers to break the cycle of poverty through education and comprehensive support.  

Briana Price, Executive Director of the Heartland Scholar House Program, and her dedicated team passionately provide access to housing, weekly coaching, advocacy, and life skills training to encourage mothers to succeed and achieve life-long self-sufficiency.

A Community Impact Grant from the Madison County Community Foundation provides funds that support a scholar in the program for three years.

The office at the Madison County Community Foundation was filled with excitement as Dan and Misty Novak, along with their grandson Camden, established the Zachary J. Novak Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Madison County Community Foundation.*

This scholarship fund was created to honor the life of their son, Zachary Novak. Zachary, a Highland High School graduate with Academic Honors in 1999, pursued his passion for music at Anderson University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2004. He continued his studies at Indiana University. In 2006 he tragically passed away, along with several of his classmates in an airplane crash, just before receiving his Master of Music degree posthumously.'

Your generosity provides academic coaching, individualized care, and stability for the youth of Madison County.

Anderson First Church of the Nazarene has consistently worked to uplift its community, especially its youth, for well over a century. The people of the church have exercised an active commitment to reach outside of the walls of the building and make a lasting impact.

The Bridge Tutoring Initiative was recently launched as part of the mission of the church and the student department. Bridge Tutoring provides individualized attention for middle and high school students. Joseph Claus, AFC’s passionate Youth Pastor, states that the recruitment and execution of the program was nearly flawless. He attributes this to the dedication of the program director, Dianna Stankiewicz, and partnerships that AFC has with local schools and the homeschooling community.

A Community Impact Grant from the Madison County Community Foundation

 provided funds to recruit top-notch tutors and mentors who are passionate about making a difference.

Your generosity plants gardens, develops skills, and revitalizes neighborhoods.

The people of South Meridian Church of God have made a conscious decision to actively be a conduit for relationships and support in the Avondale neighborhood in the heart of Anderson. Led by Cherilyn Horning, the Community Development Director, South Meridian seeks to embody the principles of asset-based community development, engaging neighbors to identify their dreams and talents. "We ask what they want to do and what their interests and gifts are," Cherilyn explains, emphasizing the foundation of their approach.

Your generosity inspires advocacy, awareness, and change.

“I literally used to think differently...S.T.A.N.D. brought me to discard biases and inspired me to be a better person overall.”
—Larissa Follmar, S.T.A.N.D. Treasurer

In October 2023, Kerah Walker, a junior student at Lapel High School, decided to take action to build an environment where all students feel respected and included. Several other students with a similar passion joined her and they began the work of creating a mission statement for a new student club.

Your generosity builds kindness, teamwork, and self-worth in the children of Madison County.

“I am strong! I am healthy! I am kind! I am creative! I am brave!”

A group of elementary school children shout powerful words of affirmation over their lives.

“I am ready for the challenge! I can do hard things! I am full of love! I am thankful for the day!”

With each word, the volume, energy, and conviction increases.

“I am Important! I am Enough! I am ME and that’s the best person to be!”

Your generosity funds dreams that change lives and families.

Loranda Cunningham and her family were surprised to learn that a fund that her great uncle opened as a legacy gift at the Madison County Community Foundation has nearly doubled in size and grown to nearly one million dollars since it was opened in 2006. The family assumed that the funds had already been distributed. What they did not realize is that when James “Bob” John and his wife, Phyllis, set up the fund, their goal was for it to make a significant impact in the lives of as many students as possible for years to come. They expressed to Madison County Community Foundation that they wanted to allow the fund to grow until it would be able to sustain itself and provide scholarship money for students whose families may struggle to send them to college.

Your generosity builds confidence and inspires positive lifelong skills in children that will impact the community for years to come.

“What do you think about bringing the Tiger Reading program back?”

This question was presented to Leigh Bivens, an English Teacher and cheer coach at Alexandria-Monroe High School in 2022. Marty Caroll, Alexandria-Monroe’s basketball coach remembered the Tiger Reader program from the 1990’s that was established by Coach Garth Cone and got the idea that he and Bivens could establish the program again together. The program had been discontinued for over 20 years due to funding.

Your generosity provides a beacon of hope for many Madison County residents battling cancer.

“Cancer does not discriminate.”

The passionate and dedicated staff and volunteers at Little Red Door Cancer agency provide resilience and support when cancer unexpectedly hits the residents of Madison County. Since its inception in 1945, this organization has pursued its mission: to make the most of life and the least of cancer.

Mandy Pietrykowski, Director and CEO of Little Red Door, is persistent and passionate about living out the mission and impacting as many lives as possible, and the needs are endless. Pietrykowski says, “Without the support of funders, we couldn’t do the programs that we do.”

A Community Impact Grant from the Madison County Community Foundation provided funds for an ongoing project aimed to address two critical needs: transportation and nutrition.