Time to say goodbye and hello.
Posted on December 14, 2010 by Randy Maiers
Today was the last board meeting for the Community Foundation in 2010. It’s a frigid day outside but attendance and participation was excellent. We said goodbye -kind of - to Heather Bokram today. She retires from the board after 13 years of service but will stay active through our Blue Water Arts Committee. In her place our board elected Denise Brooks, the outstanding Executive Director of the YMCA.
We also said goodbye to Match Day. The Match Day program was never intended to be a permanent fixture. It was highly successful in motivating area residents to donate to organizations providing basic needs and raised over $174,000 this year. In its place will be a new program, the Charitable Checkbook program, which will encourage people, couples and families to be more involved in philanthropy in the Blue Water Region. Complete details will be available in early 2011.
If I summed up my expectations for 2011 into two words it would be - River Walk. The Community Foundation is about to tackle the largest project in our 68 year history, and that’s saying a lot. The River Walk along Desmond Landing will be over 4,000 feet of waterfront redevelopment that will take many years to finally complete all of the phases and dreams. At the very least it will be a 15 foot wide multi-use path which will guarantee public access to the waterfront forever. If dreams come true, it will re-invent the waterfront and restore natural plants, habitat, wildlife along wtih local art and education splashed here and there.
Stay tuned…..2011 promises to be busy.
