FOUNDATION E-CONNECTIONS
Fall 2018
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CHANGING LIVES THROUGH PHILANTHROPY
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“Grace is defined as a gift that is given without being asked for and that has maybe not yet been earned. Felomena's Grace is meant to be a gift to those children who are grieving, so they can heal.”
Kevin Baker, Founder of Felomena’s Grace
Did you know that one in seven children lose a parent before they turn twenty? That singular event can create immediate financial, logistical and emotional hardships that can cause children to abandon their dreams and upend any future plans they might have had.
The Felomena’s Grace Fund was started in 2017 after Felomena Baker died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage, leaving behind her husband, Kevin, daughter and two sons. Faced with overwhelming grief for someone who had been the center of their lives, they were now faced with finding ways to make this new life work.
Kevin still had a job to go to. The kids had school. And they had to plan, cook, clean, do yard work, pay for college, get to and from sports, all while aching for the woman they loved.
O
nce things had settled back into a 'new' normal, Kevin had the idea to do something good for others.
After watching his children struggle with such a fundamental loss in their lives and knowing that other families wouldn't have the resources he had, Kevin decided to create the Felomena's Grace Fund to provide small grants to programs that support children who have lost a parent. His goal was to help soften the blow for children focused on grieving for the parent they've lost, while worrying about how to do things like pay for school or keep their lives moving forward.
You can follow the work of Felomena’s Grace on their Facebook page:
Felomena's Grace
.
Please email LeAnne Moss, RRCF Executive Director, if you are curious about how to open your own fund: [email protected]
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Community Member and RRCF Board Member Honored
Jim Sullivan, board member and long-time foundation supporter, was recently honored by the Tukwila community for his pivotal and twenty-four year involvement with the Senior Housing Assistance Group (SHAG) program.
The new
Sullivan Community Center,
named after Jim,
will serve the entire community as well as the seniors who locate at the nearby SHAG property called Tukwila Village.
We extend our congratulations to Jim for this great honor.
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THE NEXT CURVE
In 2009, a group of young professionals approached the Foundation to discuss how they could give back to the community.
After a brainstorming session, The Next Curve was created through membership fees as a fund within RRCF. Each year, Next Curve members vote on grants to local nonprofits to support operations.
Their 2018 grant cycle is now open.
Click
here
for an application.
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 2
nd
.
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League of Extraordinary Givers
We are now accepting nominations for individuals to join our League of Extraordinary Givers, a group of recognized citizens in the greater Renton region whose passion for making our community a better place to live is accomplished through generous donations of their time, talent and/or treasure to a variety of nonprofit organizations and charitable projects.
At our Celebrate! event on February 6
th
, 2019, the RRCF Board of Directors will award individuals in the following categories:
- Lifetime of Giving Award (Someone who has given of themselves to more than one nonprofit for over a decade or more.)
- Patron of the Year Award (Someone whose accomplishments stood out in 2017-18.)
- Rising Star Award (A younger or emerging individual who is making an impact in the philanthropic community.)
- Public Spirit Award (Organizations and/or individuals who have successfully brought multiple resources together to meet a philanthropic need.)
For more information and to access the nomination form, click
here
. Nominations are due December 3rd at 5 pm. For questions, contact
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Itemization or Standard Deduction under the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
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Our partners at US Bank have volunteered to share some information about the new tax law for your benefit.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017. This will be the first tax year under the new rules and it will cause some taxpayers to have to re-consider the question of whether to itemize or take the standard deduction when doing their taxes.
The Act increased the standard deduction amounts to $12,000 for individuals, $18,000 for head of household filers, and $24,000 for joint filers. This almost doubled what the deduction amounts had been. In addition to that, some of the deductions that could be claimed by an itemizing taxpayer were limited. State and local taxes are now capped at $10,000, mortgage interest is limited, and home equity loan interest is no longer eligible for a deduction.
The charitable deduction remained unchanged. Nonprofits were glad to hear that, but with the new structure around itemizations, it is likely that fewer people will choose to itemize in order to claim a charitable deduction, at least for smaller, annual gifts.
The good news for charities is that only about 30% of taxpayers itemized in 2015. So, there's always been quite a bit of giving that was not motivated by a tax deduction. And, for larger gifts, the deduction still provides an attractive benefit.
Watch this space for some thoughts and ideas about charitable giving under the new tax rules.
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Save the Date – Celebrate! The Love of Community on
February 6, 2019
This will be a special evening celebrating our 20 years of philanthropy and volunteerism in the Renton region. We're proud to have Dr. Dolores Gibbons and
Dr. Gary Kohlwes, two founding board members, as Honorary Co-chairs.
Registration for tickets will open in November. Please email LeAnne Moss if you are interested in volunteering, sponsorship, or being a table captain:
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J
OIN OUR CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY
Our Cornerstone program recognizes those who give $100 or more to sustain the Foundation. This critical support helps us with outreach and general organizational commitments that come with running the foundation.
You can participate with a one-time gift, or make monthly donations - $10/month adds up to $120 a year. When you
go to our donation page
, just put in the amount. Under the drop down list of funds, click on the first one you see:
RCF Programs and Services
.
Thank you very much!
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A REGIONAL NETWORK OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS
In mid-September, RRCF Executive Director, LeAnne Moss, and Board President, Rich Wagner, spent two days with approximately 40 other representatives from community foundations in the Pacific Northwest. Did you know there are 28 community foundations in Washington state? Each one has a unique purpose, but all of them are critical to building the health of their communities. In the future, we’ll be posting more information about how our collective work is helping to shape the health of our country.
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CONSIDER A BEQUEST
Join our Leadership Society and leave a permanent legacy for yourself or a loved one by naming RRCF in your will. Please contact LeAnne Moss, Executive Director at [email protected] or go to our website for recommended bequest language.
Click Here
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Interested in establishing a fund and making a difference?
Contact LeAnne Moss,
or call (425) 282-5199.
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Renton Regional Community Foundation
P.O. Box 820
Renton, WA 98057
www.rentonfoundation.org
425-282-5199
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