October 11, 2017. Ron and Sue Ann Re’, forty year residents of Tipp City, were awarded the Philanthropists of the Year by the Tipp Foundation at its annual donor appreciation event on September 21st at the Eagle’s. Dee Gillis, of the Foundation, stated “Ron and Sue Ann work tirelessly and quietly doing many things for our community and helping to make it a better place to live and raise our families.”

Philanthropy is defined as the practice of performing charitable or benevolent action; the love of mankind in general—which is the definition of what Ron and Sue Ann Re’ do with their lives. Robert Terril, in his nomination of the Re’s stated, “the hours each has spent helping others, from the nights they were both searching out problems on bicycles in the alleys of Tipp City, to assisting little old ladies in their time of need, to helping various residents in their waning years, are countless.”
The Re’s have made significant financial contributions to the beautiful Veteran’s Memorial Park, and were instrumental in creating the Veteran’s Memorial Fund of the Tipp City Foundation.

But these examples are in addition to the countless incidents of unpublicized generosity the Re’s have given to the community. Ron has been active for over 25 years in the Tippecanoe Masonic Lodge, and served the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Miami County. Sue Ann is responsible for the Garden Club recognition beautification projects at the Tipp City Veteran’s park and volunteers on the Arts Council.

Sept. 19, 2017. The Tipp City Foundation held its quarterly meeting in early September. A portion of the meeting focused on the need for multi-year grants, matching grants and impact grants as a way to maximize grantmaking resources for the community. Partnering with local nonprofits, these initiatives are already evident as of this quarter’s grantmaking cycle.

Of the many grant requests considered, some were renewals of perennial programs while others were new. After lively discussion, final selections were made. Positive perspectives, music and recreation were among the projects supported.

Equipment upgrades at the Tippecanoe Family Aquatic Center received the largest of this quarter’s awards. Support of $20,000 over a 2-year period has been committed. Over the Foundation’s 74 years, the pool has a long history of backing through similar grants. As a salute to this long relationship, the inaugural grant from the Jim and June Kyle Family Fund was awarded.

Ultimately, 11 organizations were chosen to receive 12 awards totaling $30,535.61

The following is a list of the recipients, amounts awarded, and the purposes funded.

Bethel Local Schools, $801, packs up the 5th graders and helps send them on an adventure to Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. This grant was awarded through the Bethel Community Fund, established by the Bowman Family in 2013.

Child Care Choices, $1,500, purchases books for the Story Lady, volunteer educators who make more than 180 visits to childcare centers and home childcare providers during the school year. 2018’s emphasis is “Planting Seeds of Positivity”. The theme addresses the need to develop a positive perspective because setbacks and stress are part of everyday life.

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, $1,720, underwrites the expenses associated with bringing music to Tipp City and Bethel schools. Students will experience live orchestral performances and learn about musical concepts

Miami County Educational Service Center, $450, explores the pumpkin patches of Fulton Farms through the eyes of the students of this early intervention program.

Needy Baskets, $5,000, helps this agency meet an expanding demand at the Holiday season. Baskets for an estimated 200 families containing ingredients for a traditional Holiday meal will be prepared. This grant was awarded, in part, from the August Henke Fund.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Miami Valley Region, $1,000, aids families as they grapple with their child’s illness during their stay at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Last year, 26 nights of service were provided to families of the Bethel / Tipp City community.

St. John’s Early Childhood Program, $350, provides for a visit from the Dayton Philharmonic String Quartet. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” will be performed.

Tipp City Music Boosters, $1,675, rallies behind this parent-led organization to purchase a golf cart. Begun in 1926, there has been a Tippecanoe High School marching band every season except for a few during the Great Depression. Behind each of those bands has been the dedicated driving force of parents.

Tipp City Parks Department, $10,000, supports an upgrade to the Tippecanoe Family Aquatic Center with the purchase of play area equipment. This is a multi-year commitment and was paid for, in part, with a grant from the Jim and June Kyle Family Fund, established in 2001.

Tipp City Parks Department, $4,700, launches the partnership between the City and the Foundation to plant a tree grove in recognition of the Foundation’s 75th anniversary. Located in Kyle Park, this grove will honor donors who establish endowment funds. By the end of 2018, the grove will have 40 trees. As the number of funds expands, so will the size of the grove. The Foundation is very appreciative of the enthusiastic support shown by the City to bring this idea to life. This grant was awarded, in part, from the Lucille L. Milner Trees for Tipp Fund, established in 1998 to provide for the planting of trees in Tipp City’s urban landscape.

Tipp City Public Library, $2,339.61, projects movies under the stars via the purchase of a high definition projector, sound system and blue-ray player. Mmmmm….we can smell the popcorn already!

Tippecanoe STEM Education, Inc., $1,000, supports the launch of the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics program. This regional event will be hosted at Tippecanoe Middle School and will attract over 25 teams from the area.

Since 1943, the Tipp City Area Community Foundations has awarded $2,015,724.44, as of December 31, 2016. Members of the Distribution Committee are Jim Ranft, chairman, Heather Bailey, president, Jim McKee, Claire Timmer and Jackie Wahl. Other trustees include Mary Bowman, Jesse Chamberlain, Joan Creech, Diana Featherstone, Dee Gillis, Dave Grim, Melissa Keller, Bruce McKenzie and Pete Schinaman.

The Tipp City Foundation is a member fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to apply for a grant, please contact Jim Ranft at (937) 667-1270. If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 667-4499.

For more information visit www.tippfoundation.org or Tipp Foundation on Facebook. 

June 15, 2017: The Tipp City Foundation held its quarterly meeting in early June.  Board members are actively planning long-standing projects such as the annual donor reception, as well as chiseling out details of several new initiatives.  The initiatives will be unveiled during its Diamond Jubilee in 2018, celebrating the Foundation’s 75th anniversary.

One project that wrapped up at the June meeting has two parts.  The Foundation has officially changed its name to the Tipp City Foundation effectively immediately.  Segueing into that change is updating the mission statement to: The Tipp City Foundation promotes local community endeavors and advances charitable giving through an unwavering commitment for future generations.

After the planning reports on initiatives, the board members settled into the grantmaking portion of the meeting. The volume of grants submitted was once again strong.  Of the 23 requests considered, some were renewals of perennial programs while others were new. After lively discussion, final selections were made.  Print media, sewing machines and thirsty dogs were among the projects supported.

Ultimately, six organizations were chosen to receive 14 awards totaling $17,576.56.

The following is a list of the recipients, amounts awarded, and the purposes funded.

Bethel Local Schools, $900, trains the trainer with the in-house implementation of No Red Ink, an online learning tool to improve middle school English learning.

Bethel Hope, $2,000, assists citizens in meeting basic needs during times of critical personal downturns. Needs met include food assistance, utility support, help with rent, and pharmacy aid. This grant was awarded, in part, through the Bethel Community Fund.

Tipp City Enrichment Program, $3,125, enhances the summer activities offered to the children who attend this extended care program.

Tipp City Parks Department, $1,360, contributes toward the purchase of a pet-friendly drinking fountain in Kyle Park. The Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund, established in 2008 to support the out-of-doors, paid for this support.

Tipp City Public Library, $3,000, upgrades the Teen Den with welcoming, comfortable furniture.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,590, enriches the science curricula for 1st grade students with visits from Boonshoft Museum’s Animals Alive ($430) and Motion ($1,160) programs.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,233, acquired sewing machines and dress forms, which will be used in the expanded fashion design class.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,050, treats 5th grade students to a performance of “Doktor Kaboom” at Victoria Theatre.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,013.19, prepares the high school engineering class for State competition with the purchase of VEX robotics, which introduces concepts of project planning, design, analysis and optimization.  This grant is a continuation of the STEM support given by the Foundations over the years.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $925, invigorates 4th grade social studies lessons with a field trip to see “The Wright Stuff: First in Flight” at Victoria Theatre.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $661.80, re-structures the middle school language arts classroom into reading stations stocked with print media.  Subscriptions to the Tippecanoe Gazette, Dayton Daily News, Sports Illustrated and Time are a few of the new resources that are available.  Teachers realized that real world knowledge was missing for some students when a high school student was heard to ask, “Who is this Al Queda guy?”

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $500, teaches the scientific method of inquiry to 9th grade biology students with the purchase of pulse oximeters.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $218.57, purchases Orton-Gillingham materials to support teachers previously trained in this dyslexia-focused course.

Since 1943, the Tipp City Area Community Foundations has awarded $2,015,724.44, as of December 31, 2016.  Members of the Distribution Committee are Jim Ranft, chairman, Heather Bailey, president, Jim McKee, Claire Timmer and Jackie Wahl. Other trustees include Mary Bowman, Jesse Chamberlain, Joan Creech, Diana Featherstone, Dee Gillis, Melissa Keller, Jim McKee, Bruce McKenzie and Pete Schinaman.

The Tipp City Foundation is a member fund of The Troy Foundation.  If you would like information about how to apply for a grant, please contact Jim Ranft at (937) 667-1270.  If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 667-4499.

For more information visit www.tippfoundation.org or Tipp Foundation on Facebook.