September 2011
In This Issue:In Times of CrisisIn Times of CrisisThe staff of The Community Foundation arrived at work on September 12, 2001 to find the phone ringing off the hook. There were inquiries from local foundation directors, CEOs of corporations, the top brass of The Washington Post and individual donors. But they all spoke with one voice and posed a common question: “What can we do to help?"  Terri Lee Freeman 
Survivors’ Fund: The Community Response to September 11
The events of September 11 are forever etched in our collective memory: the collapse of the Twin Towers, the crash site in Pennsylvania and, in our own home town, the smoldering Pentagon building. Community Foundation President Terri Lee Freeman holds on to another image: thousands of envelopes filled with heartfelt expressions of support that poured into the Foundation for the victims of the Pentagon attack. Born of adversity in September 2001, the $25 million Survivors’ Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region reflected the caring spirit of 12,000 donors—from families who sponsored lemonade stands and bake sales to major corporations and foundations contributing millions of dollars. The country’s largest charity devoted exclusively to supporting the long-term needs of families affected by the September 11 attack on the Pentagon, the Survivors’ Fund is also the largest project undertaken by The Community Foundation in its nearly 38-year history. The Foundation’s response to September 11 was consistent with the leadership role it plays as the region’s public charity. “We moved quickly to galvanize resources, attention and support on behalf of individuals in need,” says Freeman. “If anything, setting up the Survivors’ Fund has made us think harder about how we channel resources from those who have them to communities who need them.” Daniel K. Mayers served as Chair of the Survivors’ Fund Governance Board throughout the life of the Fund. Under his leadership, the Fund aided 1,051 individuals through financial support and case management services, provided by our partner, Northern Virginia Family Service, and documented its experience so that leaders in the foundation and nonprofit fields who may face future tragedies can build on its model. You can read more about the history and impact of the Survivors' Fund here. A former Community Foundation Board of Trustees Chair who has been involved in civic and philanthropic activities in the nation’s capital for 50 years, Mayers says the Survivors’ Fund “represented philanthropy at its best. Donors’ contributions, compassion and hope helped sustain the Fund and, in turn, helped sustain the survivors of that terrible day.” Mayers sees parallels between the Survivors Fund and the Foundation’s more recent Neighbors in Need Fund— the region’s largest fund specifically designed to help safety net organizations who are providing “the basics” to vulnerable families and individuals struggling to survive the economic crisis. Since it was launched in 2008, hundreds of donors have contributed to Neighbors in Need which, in turn, has made 215 grants, distributing $4,255,810 to 118 nonprofits, helping some 100,000 people in the region. “Both the Survivors’ Fund and Neighbors in Need illustrate the extraordinary generosity of the Washington community in times of emergency,” says Mayers. “In both cases, sound stewardship over the funds has been a priority.” “Should there be an unanticipated emergency down the road,” he added, “I am confident that the people of Greater Washington will stand tall and once again be prepared to act.” Reflecting back on the tragedy of 10 years ago, and the outpouring of support that followed, Mayers recalled a letter that was sent in with a donation after September 11. It read: “We are part of the huge family that knows none of the victims, yet are family all the same.” Washington Post, Marriott Corporate Funds
 Of the hundreds of funds set up at The Community Foundation, many have been established by corporations headquartered in the Washington region or local companies to meet their charitable goals. In some cases, the funds have been established in response to a natural disaster (such as Hurricane Katrina) by such companies as The Washington Post, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, Lockheed Martin, ManTech International Corporation and CarMax. For instance, The Marriott & Ritz-Carlton Disaster Relief Fund–Hurricane Katrina was established in 2005. More than 2,800 Marriott associates, their families and communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were impacted by Katrina. “As the levees broke and the nation struggled to realize the immense scope of this disaster, our corporate headquarters was overwhelmed with offers to help from fellow associates, customers and our corporation’s business partners,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. Within days, the Marriott & Ritz-Carlton Disaster Relief Fund was established at The Community Foundation to meet immediate basic needs. Contributions came from the Marriott family as well as franchisees, suppliers and guests. Associates from around the world donated cash and vacation to help their fellow associates. According to the Fund’s five-year report to the community, The Community Foundation’s “experience and expertise in electronically distributing funds enabled Marriott to get support to our associates quickly and efficiently.” In total, the Fund raised $5.6 million for Katrina relief to support people in the Gulf Coast Region. “My dad always said, ‘If you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers and the customers will keep coming back,’” said Marriott. “This belief has remained the foundation of our business and guided our response when Katrina hit.”  Like Marriott, The Washington Post established a disaster fund at The Community Foundation after Katrina when employees mobilized to help colleagues working for the Post’s subsidiary, CableOne, along the Gulf Coast. Remaining funds have been used in recent years to assist employees working in areas hit by floods or tornadoes, such as Florida and Missouri. The fund is seen as a way for employees to help colleagues through difficult times. In addition to contributions from Washington Post staff, donations have come from the Philip L. Graham Fund, and from Mary Graham and other members of the Graham family, which owns The Washington Post Company, from companies The Washington Post does business with and other individuals. “In the event of another large scale disaster, we will raise money and replenish the Fund,” says Ann L. McDaniel, Washington Post Senior Vice President. “The Community Foundation has made it easy for The Washington Post and friends to fulfill particular charitable goals on a continuing basis,” said Boisfeuillet Jones, Jr., Chairman of The Washington Post Company (who also serves as Treasurer of The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees). “Most importantly, the money gets to our employees promptly,” adds McDaniel. “The gratitude within our community is noticeable. Not only have we received lovely notes from people who have benefitted from the grants, but this philanthropic effort makes everyone in the company feel better. They are proud to work for a company that responds to unforeseen emergencies in this way.” American Red Cross in the National Capital Region
The American Red Cross is part of the very fabric of our country. And while most people know the organization for its work organizing blood drives and mobilizing volunteers during large scale disasters, the 130-year-old organization does far more than that to help individuals, families, companies and others in our community every day. “We respond to several hundred local disaster incidents a year,” says Linda Mathes, Chief Executive Officer of the organization’s chapter for the National Capital Region. Everything from floods to fires. “Our region has one of the highest rates of everyday fires in the country,” says Mathes. “As we speak, someone is losing their home, and the Red Cross will be there for that family. Everyone knows about our work during major disasters such as those that occurred in Haiti and Japan. The service we provide in our community every day—responding to fires; training people in life-saving CPR techniques; greeting the wounded, sick and injured members of the armed forces when they arrive at Andrews Air Force Base—doesn’t typically make headlines.” Mathes recently flew with local leaders over the region to assess damage from Hurricane Irene. The damage was apparent, but so was evidence of fires, reminding all the passengers of the helicopter why the American Red Cross is relevant 365 days a year. To call Mathes a veteran of the American Red Cross would be an understatement. Mathes has been associated with the organization for 38 years, working in Texas, Pennsylvania and in several leadership positions at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross before focusing her attention on this region beginning in 1991. The American Red Cross of the National Capital Region serves the District of Columbia, cities of Fairfax, Falls Church and Alexandria, and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s in Maryland. Red Cross services are made possible by people voluntarily giving their time, money and blood. The local Red Cross also was a key partner in The Community Foundation’s work relating to September 11. “We chose to partner with The Community Foundation rather than rev up our own case management process, which has typically been our tradition,” said Mathes. “In this case, we saw an opportunity to consolidate our service delivery approach through The Community Foundation’s Survivors’ Fund in a way that would make better use of donated dollars and better help the clients. In other words, it was a more cost effective way of helping people, a better way to get the job done .” The Community Foundation “plays a valuable role in helping local nonprofits come together to look at preparedness,” says Mathes. “Since September 11, substantial progress has been made,” she adds. For instance, in the past 10 years, the local chapter of the Red Cross—in partnership with numerous community organizations—has trained thousands of people in how to mobilize in a disaster, has worked with hundreds of companies to develop emergency preparedness plans, and has built a regional disaster coordination center at its regional headquarters in Fairfax. In times of crises, its reach may extend beyond the Washington region. For instance, the National Capital Region deployed several of its emergency response vehicles to North Carolina to distribute food and water to residents affected by Hurricane Irene. Closer to home, the chapter has the capacity to shelter and feed thousands and thousands of people on a moment's notice. Or no notice. Responding to some criticism in the media that the community was not well prepared for last month’s unexpected earthquake, the Red Cross leader says: “Will we ever reach a level of preparedness that says we should stop? Last month’s events remind us we need to pay attention to emergency preparedness every day—be it an earthquake, hurricane, fire or power outage. It’s a beat that goes on.” Hurricane Irene Decimated the East Coast, Leaving Many Communities in NeedIn the wake of Hurricane Irene, communities all along the East Coast are trying to recover from storm and flood damage and the need for help is great. There are many charitable organizations providing critical services to help individuals and communities get back on their feet. In addition to the American Red Cross, profiled above, we have assembled a few recommendations for your giving: IN VIRGINIAVirginia Disaster Relief Fund www.virginia.gov Additionally, there are regional Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster across the state of Virginia that serve each region in the event of catastrophe. To learn more about the Virginia regional VOADS, read here. IN MARYLANDUnited Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) BEYOND OUR REGIONOperation Blessing InternationalOperation Blessing International is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides disaster relief services in the United States and the rest of the world. Currently, Operation Blessing teams are assisting families in the hard-hit Outer Banks of North Carolina, providing hot meals, debris cleanup services and a working laundry facility for residents in the Stumpy Point community. For more information about Operation Blessing’s Hurricane Relief effort and to donate, click here. UMCOR: United Methodist Committee on Relief UMCOR is the nonprofit global humanitarian and aid organization of the United Methodist Church. The organization responds to disasters around the world and here in the United States, working with local groups in communities overwhelmed with recovery efforts. The organization is working in New Jersey, New York and throughout New England on hurricane and flooding relief efforts. AmeriCares AmeriCares is a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs – and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs – for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. The group is working from Virginia to Vermont to respond to Hurricane Irene. Vermont Community Foundation VCF has established two response funds, one focused on farmers and the other on urgent needs. The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund is working with the state Agency of Agriculture to provide grant support to famres who have suffered losses as a result of Irene. The Special and Urgent Needs Fund will be pooled and deployed in the coming weeks as specific needs become clear. Vermont Disaster Relief Fund The United Ways of Vermont in conjunction with Vermont Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and Vermont Emergency Management have formed a Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, from which 100% of expenditures will be used to meet to the long-term unmet needs of survivors of Hurricane Irene. To donate, click here. North Carolina Community Foundation The foundation is raising money to assist victims in the eastern part of the state who were impacted by Hurricane Irene. 100% of dollars donated go directly to victims for recovery efforts in the widely impacted state. Ensuring the Effectiveness of Your Disaster Relief DonationThere are a multitude of resources connected to emergency preparedness and disaster-related giving. Take advantage of these resources: Your Community Foundation staff: we stand ready to share our insights and ideas about giving effectively, either before or after disaster strikes. Over the past decade, we’ve helped respond to September 11, Hurricane Katrina and a multitude of other disasters and provided our donors with recommendations for organizations across the country and around the world. We’ve also helped lead the local nonprofit sector in preparing itself to respond to large-scale emergencies. For more information, contact Kensei Phillips, Director of Philanthropic Advisory Services at kphillips@cfncr.org. For Foundations and Nonprofit Organizations: Responding to DisastersThe Survivors’ Fund: Process for Disaster Recovery Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations Information on the Survivors’ FundFinal Report to the Community: 2008
Emergency Preparedness Saves Lives: Get Ready!September is National Preparedness Month and in the wake of recent disasters in the Washington region, it is more important than ever to make sure that you and your loved ones are prepared in the event of an emergency. There are several simple steps you can take to make sure that you and your family stay safe if the worst should happen.
The Community Foundation welcomes these new funds:15th Anniversary and Tribute to Jeffrey Slavin Fund
About The Community FoundationFounded in 1973, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region promotes charitable giving and plays a leading role in finding innovative solutions to the Greater Washington region's most challenging problems. The Foundation is a community of givers – individuals, families and corporations have joined with the Foundation; as a result, the Foundation provides sound management of more than 800 funds and some $360 million in assets. In FY2010, The Community Foundation and its donors awarded some $50 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC region and beyond. The Foundation has two affiliates – The Community Foundation for Montgomery County and The Community Foundation for The Prince George’s County. For more information, visit www.thecommunityfoundation.org. • • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Both the Survivors' Fund and Neighbors in Need illustrate the extraordinary generosity of the Washington community in times of emergency. 
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