Point of View: Multiplying the power of every local dollar given

Each community foundation is a public charity that focuses on supporting a geographic area by pooling donations to meet community needs

Community Foundation Week is Nov. 12-18.

Community Foundation Week is Nov. 12-18.

By Mike Miller

For the Homer News

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, what was already a difficult life for homebound seniors across the country became even more difficult. The final days, or weeks, or months, for shut-ins can be dark and depressing, especially in winter months. Isolated from the community at-large, the realities of COVID-19 only exacerbated the problem.

But here in Homer, the community came together to help relieve some of the darkness for homebound seniors. Through a grant from the Homer Foundation, one local nonprofit, the Homer Council on the Arts, started an ingenious program named “Art from the Heart,” in which 141 local school students created art work for shut-ins to bring some light to their days. Teachers related the students’ profound care as they made these personal gifts and letters of encouragement. Thirty-three artists were part of five commissioned performance projects, also created for isolated seniors. It was a wonderful act of kindness, made possible by the pooled community donations that are the backbone of every community foundation.

This story — along with the countless others like it — demonstrates the importance of community foundations in this country, which are uniquely situated to improve their regions through supporting innovative solutions and creating powerful partnerships. Each community foundation is a public charity that focuses on supporting a geographic area by pooling donations to meet community needs. From Nov. 12 to 18, we celebrate Community Foundation Week each year, a time when we can share and reflect on the stories of impact over the past 12 months. Though you may not yet know your local community foundation, you’ve likely felt its impact.

That’s because The Homer Foundation and more than 1,000 other community foundations across the country help to bring donors and residents together. Community foundations work to support the efforts that will help the places we call home continue to flourish and grow.

As the very first community foundation ever started in Alaska, The Homer Foundation serves the communities of Ninilchik, Anchor Point, Homer, Seldovia, Port Graham, Nanwalek and every place in between. We are an independent foundation laser-focused solely on the Southern Kenai Peninsula, and since 1991 we’ve been connecting your generosity to community need.

As we enter the giving season, millions of people from every background will be looking to give back to the communities that have supported them. They’ll also look to ensure that their heartfelt giving — however they choose to give — will have the most impact. That’s why so many of them will choose to give to a community foundation, where their dollars are pooled with millions of others for serious impact.

A gift to your local community foundation is an investment in the future of your community. We like to say that community foundations are “here for good.” At The Homer Foundation, we don’t think about the next election or business cycle, we think about the next generation and the ones after that.

That can seem a daunting task, but it’s the only way to ensure that dollars given today are still making a difference 50 years from now. During Community Foundation Week, we hope you’ll join us in recognizing our collective impact and the difference we can make together.

For more information on The Homer Foundation, please visit homerfoundation.org and find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Mike Miller is the Homer Foundation executive director.

More in Opinion

Nick Begich III campaign materials sit on tables ahead of a May 16, 2022, GOP debate held in Juneau. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: North to a Brighter Future

The policies championed by the Biden/Harris Administration and their allies in Congress have made it harder for us to live the Alaskan way of life

Soldotna City Council member Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings participates in the Peninsula Clarion and KDLL candidate forum series, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at the Soldotna Public Library in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: I’m a Soldotna Republican and will vote No on 2

Open primaries and ranked choice voting offer a way to put power back into the hands of voters, where it belongs

Shrubs grow outside of the Kenai Courthouse on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Vote yes to retain Judge Zeman and all judges on your ballot

Alaska’s state judges should never be chosen or rejected based on partisan political agendas

A vintage Underwood typewriter sits on a table on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Homer News in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Point of View: District 6 needs to return to representation before Vance

Since Vance’s election she has closely aligned herself with the far-right representatives from Mat-Su and Gov. Mike Dunleavy

The Anchor River flows in the Anchor Point State Recreation Area on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Help ensure Alaskans have rights to use, enjoy and care for rivers

It is discouraging to see the Department of Natural Resources seemingly on track to erode the public’s ability to protect vital water interests.

A sign directing voters to the Alaska Division of Elections polling place is seen in Kenai, Alaska, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Vote no on Ballot Measure 2

A yes vote would return Alaska to party controlled closed primaries and general elections in which the candidate need not win an outright majority to be elected.

Derrick Green (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: Ballot Measure 1 will help businesses and communities thrive

It would not be good for the health and safety of my staff, my customers, or my family if workers are too worried about missing pay to stay home when they are sick.

A sign warns of the presence of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales at the Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, July 10, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Could an unnecessary gold mine drive Cook Inlet belugas extinct?

An industrial port for the proposed Johnson Tract gold mine could decimate the bay

Cassie Lawver. Photo provided by Cassie Lawver
Point of View: A clear choice

Sarah Vance has consistently stood up for policies that reflect the needs of our district

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Point of View: Ranked choice gives voters more voice

The major political parties are not in touch with all Alaskans