Indian River Community Foundation

Building A Better Community Through Donor-Driven Philanthropy

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Head, Heart and Hands Distributes $198,350 to 26 Local Nonprofits

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Head, Heart, and Hands of Indian River Club has awarded their annual grants, decided by a local advisory board. Twenty-six organizations were recipients of a total of $198,350 in grants.

The Head, Heart and Hands Community Outreach program, formed in 2013, utilizes a multi-faceted approach. The “Head” focuses on learning more about community needs, the “Heart” through philanthropy and the “Hands” through volunteerism.

Indian River Community Foundation is proud to partner with Head, Heart and Hands of Indian River Club to process and distribute annual grants. 

Community Foundation Grants $6,500 to Vero Beach Lifeguard Association

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Eric Toomsoo, Dr. Timothy McNamee and Shaun Dibble of the Vero Beach Lifeguard Association, and Jeff Pickering, Indian River Community Foundation CEO. 

The Vero Beach Lifeguard Association is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote lifeguarding and water safety in Vero Beach and the surrounding communities. Indian River Community Foundation was able to fulfill a public safety need by supplying the funds necessary for a new ATV. The new vehicle will help Vero lifeguards patrol the beach in a more effective way and save lives.

Please visit the Vero Beach Lifeguard Association’s website for more information.

Community Foundation Awards Matching Grants Totaling $77,000

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The Buggy Bunch. From left: Ashley Lombardo, Courtney DiPietro, Calista Milliman, Teresa Pastor, Jeff Pickering of IRCF, Jamie Miller, Sue Carter, Sue Bartl, Jennifer Graves, Christa Goldsmith, Leslie Bowen, Tara Wright, April Muller and Ryan Cobb.

Indian River Community Foundation continues to award multiple matching grants to local organizations from the Community Enrichment Fund.

Matching grants are funds conditional on the nonprofit’s ability to raise an equivalent amount of funds. This type of grant allows Indian River Community Foundation to double the impact of the grant awarded.

The following organizations were recently awarded matching grants:

To read more about our grants and current competitive grant opportunities, please visit our Grants Page. A Nonprofit Grantseeker Orientation is held virtually on the second Tuesday of every month for local nonprofit leaders to learn about our grantmaking process.

Photo Identifications in this Article

The Buggy Bunch: Ashley Lombardo, Courtney DiPietro, Calista Milliman, Teresa Pastor, Jeff Pickering of IRCF, Jamie Miller, Sue Carter, Sue Bartl, Jennifer Graves, Christa Goldsmith, Leslie Bowen, Tara Wright, April Muller and Ryan Cobb. (Photo Credit: Maureen Nicolace)

Vero Beach Theatre Guild: Jeff Hall, Jill Hargrave, Lisa McNamee of VB Theatre Guild with Jeff Pickering, CEO of Indian River Community Foundation. (Photo Credit: Maureen Nicolace)

Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee: Randy Old and Mary Singer of Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee with Jeff Pickering, Indian River Community Foundation CEO. (Photo Credit: Maureen Nicolace)

Community Foundation Awards $200,000 to Six Local Nonprofits

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Youth Guidance Program:

(Vero Beach, Fla.  – December 16, 2020) Indian River Community Foundation awarded grants totaling $200,000 to nonprofit charitable organizations serving Indian River County.  The grants were reviewed by a Grants Committee comprised of volunteers Pat Brier, Toni Hamner, Dale Jacobs, Ed Massey, Sandy Rolf, and Larry Salustro. 

The grants were awarded from the Community Enrichment Fund, and included the following:

While most of the Community Foundation’s grants are awarded by clients through donor advised funds, Indian River Community Foundation’s competitive grant program is made possible through the generosity of anonymous donors to several grantmaking funds, including the Community Enrichment Fund.  These valuable resources support the Community Foundation’s mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy.

Whole Family Health Center. Photo ID: Jeff Pickering, CEO of Indian River Community Foundation, with Marie Andress, Carly Pye, Christina Martinez, and Sophia North of Whole Family Health Center.

Indian River Community Foundation was established in 2008 with a mission of building a better community through donor-driven philanthropy.  With assets of approximately $80 million in 183 charitable giving accounts, the Community Foundation and its clients have awarded more than $73 million in grants, mostly to nonprofit charitable organizations located in Indian River County, Florida.  Visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org to learn more.

Photo Identifications in this Article

  • Youth Guidance Program: Jeff Pickering with Sudan, Lea, Zaire and Phil Barnes, Executive Director.
  • Senior Resource Association: Karen Deigle, Senior Resource Association President/CEO; Robert Paugh, President of Bill Bryant & Associates; Shawn Callaghan, SRA Director of Programs; and Jeff Pickering, CEO of Indian River Community Foundation. 
  • Samaritan Center: Jeff Pickering with Katy Ryan, Renee Bireley, Vania Bartee, Cindi Seipel, Vanessa McGriff of Samaritan Center; and Frankie Chevere, CEO-Executive Director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Palm Beach, Inc. 
  • Crossover Mission: Antoine Jennings, Cathy De Schouwer, and Shala Edwards of Crossover with Jeff Pickering. 
  • Veteran’s Council of IRC: Front Row L to R: Jeff Pickering, Jim Romanek, Executive Director, and Martin Zickert, Chairman of the Board. Back row L to R: Ken Dale, Treasurer; Samantha Brackett, Director; Curtis Holden, Vice-Chairman; Carroll Oates, Director; Sam Kouns, Director.
  • Whole Family Health Center: Jeff Pickering with Marie Andress, Carly Pye, Christina Martinez, and Sophia North of Whole Family Health Center.

Intern Outings- VBMA

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By: Alexander Sylvia

The Vero Beach Museum is pretty much heaven for local kids that like art, and I was definitely one of those kids. Not only do they offer one of the only free interactions with fine art in the county, but they also offer a wonderful summer camp for children interested in art. They have a lovely permanent sculpture garden in both the front and the back of the building, as well as permanent fixtures throughout the museum. The real gem of this museum is the temporary exhibits. Currently, the museum is featuring a very interesting exhibit by Korean artist Chul Hyun Ahn entitled: New Light. Chul Hyun Ahn is a light artist and has created a wonderful exhibit of illusions using light and mirrors. I strongly recommend checking it out. There are also some absolute treasures in their permanent collection, like the statue of a horse made of sticks. If you do end up checking it out, ask someone there to hold one of the spare sticks to see how the statue was made, it’s pretty shocking!

Visit!