African American Fund continues to make impact, deserves support

Five years ago six local families had an idea to establish a fund to help a group of residents. What’s been remarkable is the reach and impact the fund has had in the community.

The African-American Fund of Bartholomew County started in 2013 to improve the quality of life for local African-Americans by focusing on five key areas: education, leadership development, economic and career development, health awareness, and arts and cultural events.

The founders — Tom and Mary Harmon, Gil and Dawn Palmer, Dennis and Paulette Roberts, Charles and Lorraine Smith, Don and Shirley Trapp, and Ben Downing and Lori Thompson — raised the initial $10,000, which leveraged $5,000 from the Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, which administers the fund.

The founders pledged an additional $10,000 each year for the first five years, but through community interest and donations the fund currently has a balance of about $125,000.

Because of donations by local residents, the fund has not only helped African-Americans, but supported a wide variety of programs and initiatives in the community.

The fund has supported, among other things:

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities in Columbus
  • Arts for AIDS
  • Speakers and film showings at YES Cinema (including “Selma” and “Hidden Figures”)
  • Healthy cooking classes
  • A racism workshop
  • Leadership Bartholomew County scholarships

The fund’s efforts have fostered community dialogue and promoted diversity, and been done in collaboration with a range of community partners, including:

  • Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
  • Columbus Area Arts Council
  • Interfaith Forum
  • Columbus Area Multi-Ethnic Organization

Such positive efforts by the fund make it worthy of support by local residents, but there’s another good reason, too.

The fund has started a two-year matching campaign. It’s trying to raise $20,000 to leverage an additional $20,000 from an anonymous couple, which has agreed to match up to that amount.

Raising an additional $40,000 or more would help ensure the fund’s ability to support programs and initiatives for years to come, and on a larger scale. That would be a great benefit to the community.

The willingness of the founders to create the fund has been a good thing for the Columbus area. The willingness of its residents to provide continued support would be good, too.

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Gifts to the African American Fund of Bartholomew County may be made online by visiting the Heritage Fund website at heritagefundbc.org/donate/. Type “African American Fund” in the fund field.

Gifts may also be mailed to Heritage Fund at 538 Franklin St., Columbus, IN 47201.

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