Indian River Community Foundation

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Ballet Vero Beach Produces Nutcracker on the Indian River Film

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Photo by: Kaila Jones

This year Ballet Vero Beach has produced a free live stream event of their 4th annual theatrical production of Nutcracker on the Indian River. The organization partnered with the Indian River Land Trust to have an authentic India River Lagoon backdrop. Dancers dressed as land crabs, sandhill cranes, gopher tortoises, and even a manatee represent the beauty of the community, even during an international pandemic.

Ballet Vero Beach’s Nutcracker on the Indian River Lagoon will be available for free streaming in English and Spanish from December 23rd at 7:30pm through to January 6th. Please click here for a complete broadcast and streaming schedule.

To learn more about the production and filming, please listen to the WQCS station interview by clicking here.

Community Foundation Awards $5,000 to Bike Walk Indian River County

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This giving season Indian River Community Foundation awarded a grant of $5,000 to Bike Walk Indian River County from the charitable giving account of an anonymous client. This donation will help Bike Walk carry out their mission to promote safe bicycling and walking as transportation and recreation for a healthier, more vibrant and connected Indian River County.

Bike Walk donates bikes to individuals who mostly use the lightly refurbished bikes as their primary form of transportation to and from work. The simple donation of a bike can help elevate an individual’s ride into work and promote timeliness and confidence. Bike Walk works with partner organizations such as Camp Haven, Crossover Mission, and Gifford Youth Achievement Center to find local individuals in need of a bike. Interested individuals can visit the “Need a Bike?” link on the Bike Walk website to access the necessary criteria and application.

In addition to providing refurbished bikes to hardworking individuals, Bike Walk also advocates for bike safety on our roadways. The organization was instrumental in planning the bike lanes currently being installed on North A1A. Many volunteers of the organization frequently bike the public roads to note public safety and communicate their concerns to the necessary parties. Click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

Please click here to learn about donating bikes or parts, or click here to donate online.

Community Foundation 2020 Annual Report Shows Success, Local Impact

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Indian River Community Foundation 2020 Annual Report

Indian River Community Foundation’s 12th year of operation was one that can be categorized as successful, albeit not in the way that we had planned.

After getting off to a relatively good start with a new strategic plan, a steady flow of new accounts, generous contributions from existing clients, several planned gifts from client estates, and progress on two important community projects focused on mental health and overall community needs, COVID-19 arrived and changed everything.

Despite these challenges, the Community Foundation still experienced growth in assets, achieved increased financial stability and delivered significant community impact.

Please click here to view the 2020 Annual Report.

Heal the Healers Now Program Helps Local Nurses with Stress

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The Heal the Healers Now program, which focuses on Transcendental Meditation, is now available to local nurses at the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. The first Transcendental Meditation course was recently provided to eight nurses at the Hospital. Through performing the courses, certified teachers Nancy Dudley and Sue Dudley were able to help local heroic nurses mange their stress.

The following are some words of gratitude from the nurses following the Transcendental Meditation course:

“Thank you so much for your generous contribution for this TM course for Nurses.  It has made a major change in the amount of stress I hold in my body, then before I took the course.  I really appreciate you.”  

“During this time of Covid and missing the human touch, this class has been able to help me with balancing my emotions and stressors.  It has helped me with centering myself…Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn this valuable way to settle myself.”  

The gift of the Transcendental Meditation course can be life-changing. Once learned, a student enjoys the benefits for the rest of their lives. The TM technique will continue to be offered to local nurses at the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital.

To contact the local women of the Transcendental Meditation Program, please click here.