Exposing youth to the performing arts resonates with area schools and nonprofits seeking grant support. Yet as organizational budgets pare down to provide just the “essentials” of an education, a need to find alternative financial support to fill the arts education gap is uncovered.  In the final grant cycle of the year, the trend of organizations turning to the Foundation for that support continues

Take time to notice the large number of students impacted by the grants. The relatively low cost per student is outpaced by the substantial influence the arts bring to bear. Donations from private citizens in the community are responsible for these arts-based awards and all other grants.

Why are the arts especially important for young learners?  Scientific evidence proves art enhances brain function. Further, research has proven that the arts develop neural systems that produce a broad spectrum of benefits ranging from fine motor skills to creativity and improved emotional balance.  Read about the investments the Foundation has made to fill the creativity gaps below.

Ultimately, 12 organizations were chosen to receive 16 awards serving a broad spectrum of needs and totaling $29,140.00. The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact grants will make.

Bethel Local Schools, $1,850.25, serves “a taste of Broadway” to 130 first graders via a field trip to see “A Year with Frog & Toad” at La Comedia Dinner Theatre. This production ties into classroom reading lessons.

Bethel Local Schools, $1,412.00, underwrites entry fees for students to participate in State science fairs and robotics competitions. This grant is awarded through the Radle Family Fund for Science Education, established in 2007.

Bethel Local Schools, $658.00, packs up 140 fifth graders and helps send them on an adventure to Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. This grant is awarded through the Radle Family Fund for Science Education, which supports conservation learning.

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, $500.00, tunes young learners into musical concepts while listening to live orchestral recitals. Over 540 Tipp City elementary students will experience these professional productions.

Downtown Tipp City Partnership, $1,809.00, spruces up the exteriors of downtown properties identified by the Façade Improvement Program. This award is awarded through the Urban Stewardship Fund, established in 2009.

GIVE Medical Ministry, $2,400.00, helps meet the demand for incontinence supplies for Miami County adults requesting assistance.

Needy Basket of Southern Miami County, $1,500.00, helps meet an expanding demand during the Holiday season. Baskets containing ingredients for a traditional Holiday meal will be distributed to an estimated 200 families.

St. John’s Early Childhood Program, $500.00, brings the Dayton Ballet on site with their Fairy Tales and Folklore performances. Over 70 children will participate in this program.

Seeds of Hope OH, $1,345.00, bridges a gap felt by foster and kinship families by supplying Basic Needs Bags to help get them off on the right foot.  Some foster placements come on very short notice and these bags contain essentials for success from the onset such as car seats, diapers and other basics. In the last eight months, 86 Miami County families (seven from Tipp City) have had needs filled through this new organization. This is the first award to Seeds of Hope from the Foundation.

Tipp City Enrichment Program, $3,000.00, connects first responders to this year-round childcare program by purchasing emergency communication equipment. Over 150 families in Tipp City are supported by this program.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,989.41, replaces outdated materials in the Mental Wellbeing Collection of the high school library with up-to-date topics and more current information. Over 800 students will have access to 75 new titles.

Tipp City Parks Department, $3,096.00, continues the partnership with the City to plant a tree grove in Kyle Park, which honors donors who establish endowment funds. This grant is awarded from the Lucille L. Milner Trees for Tipp Fund, established in 1998.

Tipp City Parks Department, $2,650.00, swings into action to purchase new playground equipment for Kyle Park. This grant was awarded through the Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund, established in 2008.

Tipp City Parks Department, $904.00, maintains Veteran’s Memorial Park. This grant was awarded through the Veteran’s Tribute Fund, established in 2013.

Tipp Monroe Community Services, $3,000.00, defrays the cost of the annual 5th grade excursion to Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio, for 100 children. This grant was the first ever awarded through the Outdoor Experiences Fund in honor of Abby Kessler Bowling, established in 2017.

Tipp Pride Association, $2,526.34, represents a payment towards the Foundation’s commitment of $75,000.00 to build a new stadium in City Park.

The deadline for 1Q grant submissions is March 1. If you would like information about how to apply for a grant, please contact Jim Ranft at (937) 528-2482.

If you would like to support the dreams of Roger Presley and Warren Miltenberger to keep nature in Tipp City as accessible as possible, please consider a gift to the Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund.

Caring for our natural areas is the role of one Tipp City Foundation endowment fund.  The Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund, founded in 2008, annually partners with the City of Tipp City’s work in the out-of-doors through the upkeep, maintenance, and preservation of public parkland and natural areas.

Recently, grants from this fund have included projects to…
Expand the walking path around City Park with a 180’ addition
Quench the thirst of folks on the go (and their 4-legged pals) by purchasing pet-friendly drinking fountains in Kyle & Canal Lock Parks
Build the Canal Lock Park pavilion and equip it with a picnic table, grill and bike rack
Support equestrian trails with the purchase of an information kiosk, mounting block, hitching rail and other amenities for riders
The Parks Department relies on this partnership to fill in financial gaps for amenities sometimes not in the budget. The Roger Presley Nature Trail is a project the City plans to turn to the Foundation for next.

To support the Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund or learn how the Tipp City Foundation impacts the Tipp City and Bethel communities, please visit www.tippfoundation.org.

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We have a new look! Thanks to Rob Bertke at Bertke Creative for updating our website and to The Troy Foundation for making online donations to the Tipp City Foundation effortless. Check it out here!

For the second straight quarter, grant requests presented to the Tipp City Foundation weighted towards supporting pressing emotional and behavioral health issues.  Two of the grant awards – Hope House and Hope Squad – are new initiatives to the Foundation. As is often the case, the needs within the community outweigh the available dollars to award.

Some of the grant awards listed represent urgent social issues to our region. Opioid addiction services and teen suicide prevention could not be more critical to a healthy community. The Foundation is proud to support those on the front lines addressing these crises.

Ultimately, six organizations were chosen to receive eight awards totaling $17.890.00. The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact grants will make.

Bethel Local Schools, $3,850.00, helps send 70 students to Nashville in Spring 2020 to participate in the Nashville Heritage Festival. The visit includes the opportunity to participate in a masterclass with musical clinicians.

Miami County Recovery Council, $3,000.00, defrays operating expenses for Hope House, a residential opiate withdrawal management facility. Located in Troy, it is the only facility of its kind in the Miami Valley.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Miami Valley Region, $1,000.00, aids families as they grapple with their child’s illness during their stay at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Last year, 43 families from the Bethel/Tipp City community benefitted from their support. Services include a bite to eat, a place to do laundry and a private spot for a quick shower…all while staying close to their hospitalized child.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $3,000.00, supports Hope Squad in the high school, promoting mental wellness, hope and a positive environment towards suicide prevention. This peer-based program is the first of its kind in Miami County.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $540.00, buys the middle school’s Academic Quiz Team new buzzer systems for practice and competition. 

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $500.00, invites Madcap Puppets to a one-week Artist in Residency program at Nevin Coppock Elementary School. Blending world literature, fine and performing arts and storytelling, kindergarten and 1st graders will have hands-on experiences with an art form dating back to 5th Century BC.

Tippecanoe STEM Education, Inc., $1,000.00, upgrades the high school science department equipment to more closely reflect what students will encounter in college and on the job. Specifically, Vernier LabQuest2 Bluetooth-enabled sensors will now round out the testing lab. 

We Care Arts, $5,000.00, opens the doors for young people with profound physical and developmental disabilities as they participate in Transition to Work and after-school classes. This learning is available year-round in Downtown Tipp City and in Tippecanoe High School during the school year.

The deadline for 4Q grant submissions is December 1. If you would like information about how to apply for a grant, please contact Jim Ranft at (937) 528-2482.

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A few months back, I went to one of those big to-dos. You know the type, one of those events people plan for and talk about for some time. This event was the Diamond Jubilee of the Tipp City Foundation, the anniversary and celebration of a group of individuals originating 75 years earlier, with the sole purpose of creating a great community through a variety of endeavors for many folks whom they’ll probably never know. It happened out at the Willow Tree Inn west of town.

We’ve all been to events like this in the past, where the speakers ramble on like an auctioneer at farm sale or my 10^th grade civics teacher giving a discourse about the three branches of government. The type of night where your mind contemplates the hundreds of other things you could be doing, but only have the time to think about doing them when you’re attending a party. And then there are the buffets, which are usually nothing more than reheated ravioli, cheeses sticks, and a small salad bar. Given these experience at past events, usually I’m quite comfortable sitting in the back listening to those long-winded speakers, having a strong run at the buffet, and then quickly calling it a night.

When I arrived, it was the typical experience. There were people socializing, engaging in small banter, imbibing in the spirits of adult beverage, all the while surveying the items available on the buffet catered by the Greenfire Bistro.

But this night was different. For starters, the food was good—real good. But even after I observed the enticing shrimp cocktail, which was calling my name like fried chicken at a family reunion, the funniest thing happened. I got a sense of a stronger community. One in which neighbors care for one another, legacy donors instilling support through gifts for future generations, and the common good is the goal of all. I heard some people talking about the new football stadium (the Foundation has supported it with its largest grant ever) and what it will mean to the community. I talked with one man who just retired and is looking forward to spending more time around town. He spoke to me about the great things the Tipp City Foundation is involved with and which he also supports. I even spoke with some people who I hadn’t seen in years, but happily acted like we were old friends.  As the night wound down, I congratulated Matt Buehrer, a local businessman, who was recognized as philanthropist of the year and we had a great conversation.  In fact, it seemed like the night ended all too quickly.

In the end, I found myself staying late to help clean up and stacking folding chairs. This reminded me of why I usually don’t enjoy these events, but it also gave me time to reflect on why this one was special. And that’s because all of us who had been there had gathered together because we had each been touched in one-way or another by the Tipp City Foundation’s generosity.  Whether it is the bike “fix-it” station, doggie fountain on the bike trail, the expanding tree grove in Kyle Park, the senior citizen center by the post office, the Tipp City Foundation truly has touched all of us. In fact, I’m sure it’s touched you too!

In my mind, I am wondering what their plans will be for next year. I sure hope they’ll have some more shrimp cocktail.  I’ve got my calendar open.

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The history of the Tipp City Foundation is an example of how one person’s investment in their community can grow into a major component of the area’s quality of life. The seed for the future was planted in 1943 when the Tipp City Foundation, a community trust, was born thanks to a $1,300 gift from Ed Timmer. This was the Foundation’s first endowment fund.

The fund grew during the early years and in 1950 the first legacy gift was received from the estate of Emma Henke Warner. This gift was in memory of her father, August Henke who, when he passed in 1923, was known as “Tippecanoe’s Oldest Man.” The gift gave life to the August Henke Comfort for the Needy Fund.

Handwritten succinct minutes of the Foundation’s Distribution Committee available beginning in 1950 tell of votes to support community programs such as Tipp City Youth Inc., the Women’s Relief Corps, the Band Club, and the Home School Club. Initial awards ranged from around $200 to more than $1,000 per year by the late 1950s.

By the 1970s, the list of community supported projects continued to grow with a 1974 meeting including approval of $500 for clinic beds for Tipp City schools and $50 for Tipp City bikeways.

In 1987, the estate of Helen Timmer presented the Foundation with a check for $1 million. Mrs. Nel Rodenberg said that Helen Timmer wanted her money “to be used by the Tipp Foundation to do its best for Tipp City and help its people,” meeting minutes by Secretary O. Jesse Chamberlain read. 

The maturing Foundation expanded its offerings from the traditional trust option to include an option for endowments. Under the leadership of Chairman Jim Kyle, this somewhat complicated change was implemented in 1999 to accommodate growth.

Since that time, the Tipp City Foundation has celebrated a number of milestones including expanding their service area to include neighboring Bethel Township in 2000 and reaching an impressive $1 million in grantmaking in 2001.

The Foundation has also found creative ways to expand their connection to the community by introducing a new way of giving and a new way of saying thank you. The Legacy Society was formed in 2011 welcoming 11 members. A legacy gift to the Foundation is activated upon asset transfer after the donor’s death. The Foundation introduced a Philanthropist of the Year Award in 2013. The inaugural recipients were Bob and Jackie Wahl.

Meanwhile, the numbers kept growing. In 2014, the endowment fund assets exceeded $3 million and in 2016, The Foundation was proud to celebrate $2 million in grants distributed to the community.

The Foundation observed its 75th year in 2018 with a yearlong Diamond Jubilee celebration. Among activities was the Arbor Day dedication of a Tree Grove at the Tipp City’s Kyle Park. The tree grove honors those who have established endowment funds of $25,000 or more through the Foundation.

Over the Foundation’s first 75 years, $2.2 million in grants have been made and 43 endowment funds have been established.

Although the foundation has grown and undergone numerous changes over the year, its goal remains the same: To promote local community endeavors and advance charitable giving through an unwavering commitment to future generations.

Thanks to Nancy Bowman for researching and crafting this account of the Tipp City Foundation's history. 

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