The Tipp City Foundation is pleased to announce the unanimous appointment of Bill Wendel to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Tipp City has been Bill Wendel’s home for over twenty years. During that time he and his wife, Heather, have raised two children and have renovated a home in downtown Tipp City.

Bill has been an active member in our community through serving as a scout leader and the Tipp City Library Board of Trustees. Bill also founded and runs the annual Tippapalooza music festival, which benefits a local charity every year. As Bill says, “The organizations I have been a part of do a great job enhancing our community. And there are many other organizations that support our community in other ways. The Tipp City Foundation touches all of these organizations in a way that enables Tipp to be greater than the sum of its parts.”

Bill’s hands-on involvement in the community as well as his innovative spirit will serve the Foundation well in its mission to promote local community endeavors and advance charitable giving through an unwavering commitment for future generations.

The Tipp City Foundation continues to welcome new board members. If you’d like to join Bill and make a difference through the Foundation, please contact Foundation President Dee Gillis at 937-528-2482 or info@tippfoundation.org.

The Tipp City Foundation held its quarterly meeting in mid-September. The socially-distanced meeting was the first face-to-face time the board has had in 2020. Until then, the business of the group had been managed virtually. Since the beginning of the year, nearly $100,000 has been awarded.

Grants requests were broad in nature. Health and safety grants lead the awards with a significant grant to support mental health care for our citizens. Bethel Local Schools made a creative request for teacher care packages. Ultimately, nine organizations were chosen to receive 10 awards serving a broad spectrum of needs.  Grants totaled $24,744.95.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact grants will make. The additional support that donor advisors gave through their grantmaking is included.

COVID RESPONSE
Bethel Local Schools, $1,000.00, reinforces the work of the Social Emotional Awareness Counselor as attention is turned towards teachers’ needs.  Wellness care packages will be given to staff as they navigate the stress of teaching in the time of COVID-19.

ARTS & CULTURE
Downtown Tipp City, $845.00, spruces up the exteriors of downtown properties identified by the Façade Improvement Program. This grant is awarded through the Urban Stewardship Fund, established in 2009.

Tipp City Public Library, $2,000.00, adds flair to the public alley between the Library and Coldwater Café by supporting a large mural installation. Tipp City native and muralist Atalie Gagnet begins the project in fall 2020.

ENVIRONMENT
Tipp City Parks Department, $3,060.00, plants tree species like Kentucky coffee, buckeye and northern catalpa in public parks and curb lawns. Look for their beautiful color each fall throughout the city. This grant was awarded 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.

RECREATION
Tipp City Enrichment Program, $336.00 and Award Swap, enhances the summer activities offered to the children who attend this extended care program. Portions of an earlier grant not fully used by another organization were reallocated to support this request.

Tipp City Parks Department, $1,754.00, rallies man’s best friends at the popular dog park in Kyle Park, as they romp on new exercise equipment.  A jump bar, A-frame unit and stairways will be added to the play space.

SOCIAL SERVICES
Needy Basket of Southern Miami County, $3,500.00 and Award Swap,helps meet an expanding demand during the Holiday season. Baskets containing ingredients for a traditional Holiday meal will be distributed to an estimated 230 families. Partial dollars for this award represent the reallocation of a grant awarded earlier in the year that was not able to be used fully by another organization.  Additional support from the Dave Drake Family Fund and the Robinson-Walters Family Fund advisors rounds out support of this grant for a total of $5,500.00.

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, 34 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.

HEALTH & SAFETY
New Creations Counseling Center, Inc., $8,000.00, assists with counseling and psychiatric services for those with financial need. In the next year, this organization anticipates it will see 460 patients from the Tipp City, Bethel Township and Monroe Township communities over the course of over 2,300 sessions.  Additional support from Robinson-Walters Family Fund advisors rounds out this request for a total of $10,000.00.

Tipp City Fire and Emergency Services, $3,249.95, equips emergency vehicles with immobilization devices called Reeves Sleeves, which will be used to aid patients who have experienced trauma. This grant is awarded, in part, through the Safety First Fund, established by Chief Steve Kessler in 2017. Additional support from the Dave Drake Family Fund advisors rounds out this request for a total of $3,749.95.

The deadline for 4Q grant submissions is December 1. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

Tipp library collaborates with Brunner Literacy Center to bring tutoring to adults
-Program made possible through a grant from Tipp City Foundation

An added service to the Tipp City area community is making its introduction thanks to the Brunner Literacy Center, the Tipp City Public Library and the Tipp City Foundation.

The Brunner Literacy Center, based in Trotwood, is collaborating with the library to bring literacy tutoring for adults to area residents at the local library.

The project was made possible through a grant from the foundation.

Tutors now are being recruited locally to work with students learning English, said Ashley Lackovich, executive director, Brunner Learning Center.

“We provide free, individualized, one-on-one tutoring to any adult in need of our services. Our tutors are volunteers, and we provide training and support for them so that they can best meet the needs of their students. Tutors and students meet as often as they like, with most meeting one to two times a week,” Lackovich said.

Tutors should be adults 19 or older who are ready to support another adult on an educational journey. The Brunner Learning Center will provide free tutor orientation and guidance.

The Tipp City collaboration was suggested after Brunner Learning Center representatives noticed last winter that two students and their tutors were meeting at the Tipp City library.

“Given that this is relatively far from our site in Trotwood, we wanted to think about ways to better meet the needs of adults in Tipp City. We reached out to several Tipp City community members who are friends of the Brunner Literacy Center, and through them learned about the rich immigrant community,” Lackovich said.

After talking with the library, the literacy center decided to apply for a grant through the Tipp City Foundation to expand services. “Thanks to the generosity of the Tipp City Foundation and the collaboration of the Tipp City Library, we're getting ready to support adults in the Tipp City community with literacy tutoring,” she said.

The library is a natural place for adults from the Upper Miami Valley with literacy needs and their tutors to meet, said Lisa Santucci, library director.

They will use library meeting space as well as the outdoor seating in the alley for their session. A Plexiglas screen was purchased by the library for safety use between a tutor and a client.

“This is a new relationship and one which I hope grows,” Santucci said. “I hope to be able to learn about adults in the area that need assistance and know that I can call upon Brunner.”

Anyone with questions or interested in the program is asked to contact Santucci at 937-667-3826 (ext. 201), email -  director@tippcitylibrary.org or Lackovich at 937-567-9600, email – alackovich@brunnerliteracy.org.

Grants Awarded by Tipp City Teen Leadership participants:

Brukner Nature Center for nature story time supplies for Tipp City preschoolers

CASA/GAL of Miami County for Caring Tree children’s Christmas gifts

Child Care Choices for Zoom host platform costs

Downtown Tipp City Partnership for signage

Give Medical Ministry for bathroom safety equipment

Miami County Dental Clinic for Traveling Smiles portable dental program for children

Tipp City Public Library for public art mural in alley

Tipp Monroe Community Services for Community Relief Program

Tipp Monroe Community Services for Lunch on Us free summer food program

Troy Miami County Library for Imagination library books for children in Tipp City and Bethel

The decisions faced by those living in a poverty situation often aren’t easy.

The message was brought home to young people participating in a poverty simulation during the Teen Leadership program through the Tipp City Chamber of Commerce and the Tipp City Foundation.

“Sometimes life isn’t fair,” said Richard Bender of the United Way of Miami County in talking with the high school students from Tipp City about the work of the United Way and then conducting the simulation.

The students were provided a series of scenarios and a list of choices faced when “living off of nickels and dimes” during a month, Bender said. In those times, he said, one little thing can upset the entire budget.

One scenario talked about a sudden illness by the person’s dog with the options of paying $400 to treat, $50 to put the animal down or to do nothing.

The students took turns discussing the scenarios and what might be the best of a list of less than desirable options.

The simulation was followed by discussions with Bender and Melissa Keller of the Tipp City Foundation about nonprofit organizations across the community that work to help people in many ways. 

More than 40 of those organizations are supported by the United Way and many organizations receive funding for projects/programs through the Tipp City Foundation.

Even though the students might not be at an age yet where they can financially take a philanthropic role in their community, they do have something to offer. 

“You have your time. You can do things now that can make a difference,” Keller said.

The students also participated in a grant distribution exercise led by Keller and Jim Ranft of the Tipp City Foundation. 

Ranft discussed the foundation’s distribution committee of community residents who meet four times a year to consider grant applications. Among questions that committee asks is how many local lives are touched by the proposed project.

A series of grant applications submitted by nonprofit organization for consideration by the Teen Leadership participants was reviewed. The students asked questions about the applications before deciding how much to award. 

They had $5,000 to spend with each application seeking a $500 grant. Many nonprofits were seeking money to help make projects go forward after major fund-raising events for the year have had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s Teen Leadership program – the third - was restructured due to COVID-19, said Liz Sonnanstine, Chamber of Commerce executive director.  A smaller group of five students participated in a two-day program in late June. Previous programs lasted one week. This year, students participated in the poverty simulation, the grant distribution exercise and a city service project.

Grants Awarded by Tipp City Teen Leadership participants:

Brukner Nature Center for nature story time supplies for Tipp City preschoolers

CASA/GAL of Miami County for Caring Tree children’s Christmas gifts

Child Care Choices for Zoom host platform costs

Downtown Tipp City Partnership for signage

Give Medical Ministry for bathroom safety equipment

Miami County Dental Clinic for Traveling Smiles portable dental program for children

Tipp City Public Library for public art mural in alley

Tipp Monroe Community Services for Community Relief Program

Tipp Monroe Community Services for Lunch on Us free summer food program

Troy Miami County Library for Imagination library books for children in Tipp City and Bethel

Susan Southard will be discussing her book, "Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War", through a partnership with the Tipp City Library, Tipp City Schools, and Dayton Literary Peace Prize.Perhaps it was because many nonprofits were on hiatus in the last quarter. Perhaps it was because mid-cycle emergency grants had already been awarded. Whatever the reason, the smallest pool of grant applications in memory was considered at the Tipp City Foundation quarterly meeting in June.

Though small in number, the needs presented were profound. Ultimately, four organizations were chosen to receive four awards serving a broad spectrum of needs. Grants totaled $16,500.00.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact grants will make. The additional support that donor advisors gave through their grantmaking is included.

ARTS & CULTURE
Tipp City Public Library, $2,000.00, explores the challenge of creating peace through literature with author Susan Southard. “Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War”, (a history told through the eyes of Japanese teenagers), will be used in Tippecanoe High School in the upcoming year. This grant underwrites an interactive high school lecture by Southard to uncover her research process as well as her passion for disarmament issues. Creating a more worldly generation is the goal of this partnership between the Library, Tipp City Schools and Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Additional support was given from the Robinson-Walters Family Fund and the Tippecanoe Educational Endowment Fund.

RECREATION
Tipp City Parks Department, $4,500.00, repurposes an area near the Nature Center by building a 12’ X 24’ open-air picnic shelter. With easy access from the bike path, this will make a welcome rest stop. Additional support from Lucky 13 Fund advisors rounds out this request for a total of $5,000.00. This grant is awarded, in part, through the following funds established by nature and recreation enthusiasts: Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund, June Kyle Family Fund, and Outdoor Experiences Fund iho Abby Kessler Bowling.

SOCIAL SERVICES
Isaiah’s Place, Inc., $5,000.00, trains new foster families in Trust-Based Relational Intervention and creates sensory rooms in their homes. When children come from hard places such as neglect, trauma, or abuse, it alters their brain chemistry, which makes it difficult for them to trust caregivers and results in behavioral issues. TBRI training addresses the trauma by building trust. At any given time, Miami County has between 35 and 50 children in foster care.

HEALTH & SAFETY
Miami County Recovery Council, $5,000.00, defrays operating expenses for Hope House, a residential opiate withdrawal management program. Located in Troy, it was the first facility of its kind in the Miami Valley. MCRC works closely with the courts, UVMC, employers and families looking for a safe location where a person can successfully withdraw from opiates or methamphetamine. The overwhelming majority of admissions are self-referrals.

The deadline for 3Q grant submissions is September 1. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937.528.2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

The famed musician Bono once said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.” I wonder if that’s what Barbara Bailey and Sonia Ewald had in mind when they decided to invest in the Tipp City Foundation back in 2014. That is when they began an endowment to aid with music, literature, and creative arts for the Bethel Local Schools. The guiding idea for the fund was to give back in a way that will last for generations. 

It was created in memory of their parents, Emmert and Jane Studebaker, long-time residents of Bethel Township. If you’ve lived in the area anytime during the last 75 years, you most likely have already heard their names.  Founders of Process Equipment Company in 1947, they were active in the community throughout their lives.  Emmert learned blacksmithing after retiring as Chairman from PECO and was one of the founders of Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil. While blacksmithing was a joy close to Emmert’s heart, after retiring as the CFO, Jane chose a different art form to master. She learned 2-harness loom weaving and gave many rugs to family and friends throughout the years. Both were involved in the upkeep of the log homestead they built, the Studebaker Historical Village, and played host to many civic groups and reunions. The couple also happen to be the grandparents of Heather Bailey, who sits on the Tipp City Foundation board.

While they were very active in many causes in the community, Jane and Emmert had a special interest--music. The couple had an appreciation of musical excellence and both Jane and Emmert played the flute. Jane was also the church organist for years at the West Charleston Church of the Brethren. Sunday evenings would sometimes find Jane and Emmert playing harmony together, with Jane on her organ accompanying Emmert on his flute. They played well into their golden years and derived much pleasure from making sweet melodies. 

It was while reading the foundation’s annual report that Barbara and Sonia realized they could honor Jane and Emmert’s love for music by starting an endowment to support arts in Bethel Schools. “It seemed such a natural fit since generations of our family have attended Bethel Schools over the last 150+ years,” commented Sonia. She added, “It seemed appropriate to give back to the school that has given so much to the Studebaker family.” 

With this, the Bethel Arts Fund was born. The fund can receive donations from anyone who wants to help support arts in Bethel Local Schools.  “It is one of several funds the whole community can support to benefit the school. The Bethel Arts Fund adds to the possibility that Bethel Students will have joyful experiences with literature, creative arts, theatre and music,” states Ewald. 

So the next time you’re zooming through Bethel Township….just think of Emmert and Jane and how their love of music still lives on today through the Tipp City Foundation and the community they loved. And, if you listen closely, you might just hear some sweet melodies that will bring a smile to your face and a two-step to your feet. After all, music can change the world!

Click Here to Support the Bethel Arts Fund

MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Tipp City Foundation is a member fund of The Troy Foundation. You can make a difference with your dollars in our community by:

• Donating online here.
• Making your check payable to the Tipp City Foundation and mail to P.O. Box 626, Tipp City, OH 45371.
• Setting up a fund or legacy plan by contacting Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

STAY CONNECTED
We'd love to stay in touch. Stay connected with the Tipp City Foundation by:

• Following us on Facebook or
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• WebsiteSending us an Email

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
All marketing activities of the Foundation is 100% underwritten by generous sponsors. Please contact us at info@tippfoundation.org for information on how your business or organization can become our partner in philanthropy. 

• Silver Sponsor - Thrivent Financial (Matt Buehrer)
• Bronze Sponsors - Advanced Machinery Companies; Dunaway Family Foundation; Dungan & LeFevre; Ever-Green Turf & Landscape; Gibson Law Offices; Monroe Federal Savings and Loan; New Carlisle Federal Savings Bank; Pickrel, Schaeffer and Ebeling; Unity National Bank
• Friend Sponsors - Captor Corp.; Edward Jones (Neil Nehring); Frings & Bayliff Funeral Home; Minster Bank; RSM US; Turnstone Financial; US Bank
• Media Sponsor - Tippecanoe Gazette

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