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Foundation Offers Holiday Giving Ideas

Have you ever considered giving a holiday gift to your community? Oceana County nonprofits have made a list and you can check it twice! As part of its philanthropy leadership, the Community Foundation for Oceana County (CFOC) annually invites area nonprofits to tell us which projects and purchases can only happen with the financial support from the community.

Over 115 “wishes” were submitted and can be found at www.oceanafoundation.org/community-wish-lists.  The overall list is divided into those costing less than $500, $500-$1,500, and over $1,500.

“This is the seventh year we’ve posted these wish lists and the enthusiasm keeps going up. Nonprofits need the help more than ever and these wishes help to cover those extra items beyond their strapped budgets. Last year we had over 30 wishes met, often by folks looking for holiday giving ideas. It’s exciting to see this platform catch the interest of so many. I’ve received calls already from people wanting to help out and the lists were just posted to our web site last week,” said CEO Tammy Carey.

One of those 30 fulfilled wishes last year was for Virtual Reality headsets for Walkerville Public Schools students.  Principal Joe Conkle explained, “Our kids love the opportunities that come with this technology – from being able to visit places without leaving the classroom, to participate and play in a safe and secure environment.”

You can support a wish in your town, your school, your favorite nonprofit or cause.  There’s likely a wish that’s just perfect for you. One area resident told us this story when deciding to support board books for babies, “I have such a love for reading books. When I was quite young, probably around 4-5, my mother would take my sisters and I to the library every Saturday. My mom loved to read, and she instilled that same passion in my sisters and me. My wish is to do the same for kids of all ages!”

The Foundation encourages the greater community to check out the posted wish lists, and then contact the nonprofit directly to support a wish.  Just let the nonprofit know that you saw its wish posted on the Foundation website. If you have an advised fund in the Foundation, you can make a grant directly from your Fund to support one or more wishes. You can also contact us directly to facilitate your support of multiple wishes.

The Foundation envisions an Oceana where everyone has access to resources to thrive. It receives and manages contributions from donors and organizations and provided $693,215 in grants and scholarships in 2019. For more information about granting a wish, establishing a fund at the CFOC or otherwise supporting it, call Ms. Carey at 231.869.3377, visit www.oceanafoundation.org, or check out www.facebook.com/oceanafoundation.