By Nancy Bowman

The Tipp City Foundation has welcomed Bryan Blake and Glen McMurry to its board of trustees.

Blake said his interest in the foundation board is linked to the Ellen Cotterman Fund, which is focused on the arts. “I am excited to work with a foundation that has many similar funds,” he said.

Blake grew up in Columbus but came to the Tipp City area more than 38 years ago in his late teens. He has been a part of the community since that time. He is a project manager for Autocare, a division of Energizer Holdings.

Blake and his wife, Michele, have two sons. The eldest is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and coaches wrestling locally while the youngest is a freshman at Miami of Ohio.

His family, particularly his mother and father, inspired him to give back to the community and use what he has learned to benefit others, Blake said. “I bring energy, ideas and a willingness to be open minded to all opportunities,” he said. 

He has served on the Tipp City Restoration Board, Tipp City Planning Board, is past president of the Tipp City Area Arts Council and serves on the Tipp Monroe Community Services board.

“Our community is a vibrant fabric interwoven with many special individuals and organizations. I enjoy interacting with all of these unique individuals and helping to support the organizations,” Blake said.

“I am a very positive service-minded person, I love this community and see this organization as an opportunity to give back,” he said.

The second new trustee, McMurry, and his family have lived in the area for more than 30 years. His wife, Angie, is a graduate of Tippecanoe High School.

“The Tipp City Foundation is an excellent organization! Over the years, I have observed how it really makes a difference in our Tipp City community,” McMurry said.

McMurry grew up in Pretty Prairie in rural Kansas. He said Tipp City is very similar to that community. “Our children have opportunities to experience new things and broaden their horizons, while still enjoying the small-town setting,” he said.  

The couple has three children, a high school junior, a seventh grader and a kindergartner.

McMurry also pointed to a business community that is supportive of one another in good and bad economic times.

He attended Kansas State University, where he met his wife, and attended the University of Dayton School of Law.

McMurry remains a part of his family’s manufacturing business, serving as vice president of Nance Manufacturing in Kansas. He also is a partner in the law firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister focusing on business litigation and organization and serves as an adjunct professor at the UD law school.

He is a member of the Tippecanoe Canal Jumpers vintage base ball team and on the boards of Brukner Nature Center and Dayton Society for Natural History (Boonshoft). He is president-elect of the Federal Bar Association, a trade organization.

"I was interested in joining the Tipp City Foundation board because it gave me an opportunity to support the community that has been so supportive of my family,” McMurry said.

By Nancy Bowman

During the second quarter of the Tipp City Foundation’s grantmaking cycle, a special milestone was reached. Since its founding in 1943, the foundation has now awarded over $2.75 million in grants to the Tipp City, Monroe Township and Bethel Township communities.

The yardstick tallying grant awards is the most meaningful way the Foundation measures itself. It is the fulfillment of its mission as it commits to future generations. The recent milestone award enhances the visitor experience at the new Chamberlain Pond, east of downtown.

The meeting was the inaugural session for new board members Bryan Blake and Glen McMurry.

Several grant requests were in the running this quarter. Some organizations returned after several years without applying. In all, a broad variety of grants were awarded.  Ultimately, 12 organizations received 13 awards totaling $23,300.40.

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

ARTS & CULTURE

CISV Midwest Chapter, award, educates and inspires action for a more just and peaceful world by engaging local youth. Reengaging local involvement after the pandemic is the goal for this award. A Lucky 13 Fund award.

Frank E. Robinson Post 586 of the American Legion, $1,015, refurbishes the signage for this organization, which supports veterans. An Urban Stewardship Fund grant.

Downtown Tipp City Partnership, $1,250, spruces up the exteriors of downtown properties identified through the Partnership’s Façade Improvement Program. An Urban Stewardship Fund grant.

Tipp City Public Library, $1,000, explores the challenge of creating peace through literature. Creating a more worldly generation is the goal of this partnership between the Library, Schools, and Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Additional support from the Robinson-Walters Family Fund rounds out this request for a total of $3,000.

EDUCATION

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, award, creates a makerspace at L.T. Ball, which encourages creative exploration, engineering, building, inventing and purposeful play. A Tipp Giving Fund award.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $599, purchases a large green screen for filming classroom plays. A Youth of Tipp City Fund in memory of Sara Drexler grant. 

HEALTH & SAFETY

Bethel Township Fire Department, $6,350, promotes fire safety education by supporting the purchase of a new “smoke house”. A Safety First Fund grant.

Tipp City Fire and Emergency Services, $2,700, posts Stop the Bleed kits throughout Tipp City schools. These supplies would be used in case of a mass casualty event. We salute the Fire and EMS services for their preparedness and sincerely hope these kits will never be used. A Safety First Fund grant.

RECREATION

City of Tipp City, $1,886.40, improves the experience for visitors to the new Chamberlain Pond through the purchase of benches. Awarded through the Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund. Additional support from the Wahl Family Fund rounds out this request for a total of $2,395.40.

Miamibucs, $2,500, fuels the “I Can” Triathlon for children with different abilities through the purchase of t-shirts and medals for up to 75 athletes and their buddies. A William’s Gift Fund grant.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami Valley, $1,500, matches local youth on a waiting list with mentors.

Isaiah’s Place, Inc., $2,000, increases retention of foster parents by hosting support events. Retention assures continuity for foster children, which leads to better outcomes. Awarded, in part, through the H. E. “Tiny” and Emma Drewing Fund.

Tipp City Youth Soccer, $2,500, replaces older goal nets in Kyle Park.

Quarterly grant deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15 each year. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

Members of the Foundation are Heather Bailey, Richard Bender, vice president, Bryan Blake, Mary Bowman, Diana Featherstone, treasurer, Dee Gillis, Joellen Heatherly, Bruce McKenzie, Glen McMurry, Patrick Reese, Jim Ranft, president and distribution chair, Julie Taylor, Jackie Wahl, and Bill Wendel, secretary.

The Tipp City Foundation is a component fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution or how to establish an endowment fund, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

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

By Nancy Bowman 

The Tipp City Foundation is marking its $2.75 millionth dollar grant award for amenities at the new Jesse Chamberlain Pond located east of the city on State Route 571.

The award is special not only for the financial milestone but for the foundation’s opportunity to again honor the late Chamberlain. He voluntarily served the foundation for more than 50 years, said Heather Bailey of the foundation.

“We have a very soft spot in our hearts for this new wetland area that has been named for him,” she said. Chamberlain died in 2021 at age 100.

The grant for $2,395 was awarded to the city of Tipp City for providing benches and trash receptacles at the pond.

The Tipp City Council voted to name the pond after Chamberlain following his death.

Finishing touches are being planned for the Jesse Chamberlain Pond, said Tim Eggleston, city manager.

The property is not a park, he emphasized. People can fish at the site at their own risk, if they wish, Eggleston said.

Motorized watercrafts are banned. The pond bottom is not flat and there are tree trunks and gravel areas of different heights designed to accommodate aquatic and wildlife, Eggleston said.

Work remaining at the pond by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes adding more gravel and a sign, which also will be a foundation project, Bailey said.

“Just some final touch ups and it will be done,” Eggleston said of the project started in 2021.

The wetlands area was created along the Great Miami River as part of the state Off-Channel Wetland H2Ohio Project.

The wetlands are created by excavating areas prone to flooding and then re-establishing a connection to the river channel. The areas are designed to restore fish habitat, improve overall water quality, expand off-river storage during flooding and reduce erosion to the river.

The Tipp City project cost of more than $250,000 was paid 100 percent by the State H2Ohio program, said Donnie Knight of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program. The city hired a contractor for the job but did not have any financial commitment, Eggleston said.

This project is designed to off load flood waters from the river and allow nutrients and sediments to settle out and be up taken by plants, Knight said. 

“It reduces stream scour in the river which provides benefits to fish, freshwater mussels and other wildlife as well as protection to lands downstream by reducing bank erosion,” he said when the project was initiated.

A majority of the foundation grant was awarded from its Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund. Funding also was provided from the advisers of the Wahl Family Fund, Bailey said.

By Nancy Bowman

Scams are nothing new, but they have increased considerably the last few years. Everyone is a target, but the elderly are among the favorites of scammers.

Two local organizations – the Tipp City Foundation and Minster Bank - have joined efforts to present an educational program on scams.

The free seminar, Become a Pro at Not Getting Conned, by scammers is open to the community. It will be held 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 15 at the Tipp Center.

RSVPs should be made by June 8, at Minster Bank at 1-866-646-7837 or minsterbank.com/RSVP.

The presenter will be Sylvia Pla-Raith, director of the elder justice unit for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

“The volume of scams has increased heavily over the past few years. With technological advances, we always see increased nefarious uses for that,” said Detective Sgt. Tony Smith of the Tipp City Police Department. He and Detective Michael Morgan listed the following most common scams:

-      Calling an elderly person and telling them that their grandchild is in jail. The scammers start by telling the grandparent the child does not want their parents to know to hopefully prevent them to reaching out to someone who might recognize the scam. The caller says money is needed for the grandchild to bond out of jail and often asks for upwards of $20,000 to post bond.

-      A caller will state that the victim’s computer or phone has been contaminated by a virus or has been identified as containing child pornography. In order to avoid prosecution or to release control of the device, they need to send money.

-      A victim will receive a call from someone identifying as an officer within the IRS or the Tipp City Police Department. The caller will tell them that they have a warrant for their arrest, and they need to send money immediately in order to cancel the warrant. To be clear, neither the IRS or the Tipp City Police Department will ever call and ask for money over the phone, the detectives said.

-      Another increasingly popular scam is targeting teenagers, Smith and Morgan said. The scammer will meet the teen on a social media platform and develop a relationship. Over time, they will send nude photos and ask the teen to send some back

Once they receive nude photos of the victim, they then demand money, or they will send the photos to their family and friends. The scammer will then, much like the others, demand money be sent through electronic means or gift cards.

“Getting snapped in the trap of scammers is an increasing problem for people. It's not a big city problem, it's an everywhere problem. The confidence of criminals grows with every technological advancement,” said Heather Bailey of the Tipp City Foundation.

"These scammers are smart, so people need better tools to stay ahead of the bad guys. This seminar is a way to help our citizens hang onto their savings,” she said.

Although the foundation typically funds the work of nonprofits delivering projects to the community, the seminar presented a different type of opportunity,” Bailey said.

The invitation by Minster Bank to jointly present the consumer affairs seminar was attractive, she said. “Our co-sponsorship is also personal for several on our board. Many of us know someone who has fallen into the trap of a scammer, and we stood by helplessly as it happened,” Bailey said.

By Heather Bailey

The Tipp City Foundation recently awarded over $33,000 in scholarships. Many awards went to graduating high school seniors while $8,000 went to renewable awards from prior years. Of the 61 endowment funds within the Foundation, 18 represent scholarships.

Often these funds commemorate inspirational values of the scholarship founder; when this is the case, applicants are measured against those standards. Winners are determined through a vetting process led by an independent body of judges. To read more about the stories behind each of the scholarship funds or to apply for future scholarships, visit www.tippfoundation.org.

Graduates from Tippecanoe, Bethel, and

Miami East are represented. 

Ernest Clay Back Scholarship for History – (not awarded for 2023)

Lester & Cleon Bowers Family Scholarship – Dottie Everett

Marlene E. Chapman Memorial Scholarship – Ameila Campbell

Jeanette C. Gaston Memorial Music Scholarship – Theodore Thompson

Gilmore Family Scholarship – Kaitlyn Dankworth

Sarah Gross Scholarship for Sportsmanship – Eliza Zweizig

Life is a Journey - Don't Stop Believing Scholarship – Cami Gingrich

Katherine G. Lobo Memorial Scholarship – Sean Nicholas

McKee Family Matthew 5:16 Scholarship – Makenna Gentry

Sarah Merritt Memorial Scholarship – (not awarded for 2023)

John and Louise Miller Memorial Scholarship – Lydia Brannan

Robert E. Nessle Memorial Scholarship – Max Colby

Elizabeth Spano Scholarship – Jillian Magato

Tipp City Rotary Club Scholarship – Lydia Brannan, Emma Davis, Connor Snider,

Tipp City Rotary Club Renewal Scholarship – Kylie Balkcom, Emily Graham, Alexander Holbrook, Alayna Liskey, Kailey Longo, Luke Norman, Noah McElhose, Alicia Miller

Tippecanoe Alumni Scholarship – Ayeva Tilley, Shelby Hept

Wenzlau Family Scholarship – Connor Snider, Kayla Williams

Willhelm Family Scholarship – Benjamin Anticoli

The Tipp City Foundation is a member fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to establish an endowment fund or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

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

By Nancy Bowman

Read Across America Week was celebrated earlier this month at Nevin Coppock Elementary School with local illustrator Liz Ball drawing students into the world of hidden pictures.

Ball, creator of the Hidden Picture Puzzles books, shared tips on developing a hidden picture using items associated with the students' and their teachers’ interests to grab the young people’s attention.

Read Across America Week is celebrated each year on or near March 2, which is the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.

The nationwide celebration of reading was created by the National Education Association in 1997 as a means to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading among young children, said Nancy Carus, a Nevin Coppock teacher. The Nevin Coppock Literacy Committee developed the local activity.

Ball was invited this year to demonstrate for kindergarten and first grade students the creative stages of developing illustrations.

The week’s theme, “We Can Be Reading Detectives,” was reflected in activities centered around the hidden pictures and mystery books.

“Students read with magnifying glasses, flashlights, solved clues of a mystery reader and dressed as their favorite book character. During Liz’s visit, students enjoyed having the opportunity to create their own hidden picture,” Carus said. “They were proud of their work and had fun finding the objects in the pictures Liz created.”

Ball said she first led students and teachers in an exercise where she made a personalized hidden picture for a teacher with students helping provide information on the teacher’s favorite things such as animals, hobbies and activities.

She then led students through a step by step how to make a hidden picture. “This is always fun, and their drawings are adorable!” Ball said.

She also allowed time for the students to ask her questions.

"Their enthusiasm, concentration on drawing and behavior made it a pleasure to be part of their day.  Besides helping with spatial skills, hidden pictures also improve eye coordination, memory retention and concentration--but kids (and adults) just look at them as fun,” she said.

The Read Across America Week project received funding through a grant sought from and awarded by the Tipp City Foundation.