Variety is the Spice of Life

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Randy Maiers

While it seems like we never have a lack of things to work on here at the Communtiy Foundation, sometimes I just sit back and take the time to truly appreciate the variety of our work.  It’s one of the most appealing aspects to working at the Community Foundation.  Last week I went over to Memorial Stadium to talk with the athletic director about the challenges the stadium is having with the grass on the football field.  Memorial Stadium was the very first project our foundation funded, back when we were created in 1944 and I’m interested in learning if there is anything we might be able to do to help.

This past weekend our Blue Water Arts Committee played a critcal role in sponsoring and organizing a new event called “Embrace the Arts” which took place in multiple communities up and down the waterfront. 

This morning, a group of 15 - 20 high school students who are members of our Youth Advisory Council, met in our offices prior to departing on trip for a full day regional training and orientation for new members of Youth Councils.  Our Youth Council has more than $1m in their account and I always enjoy seeing how they choose to award their grants.

Next Wednesday more than 40 people will join us on a charter bus to head down to Detroit where we will tour the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy work along the Detroit River.  This is a part of our efforts to better understand, and then design, our own River Walk along the shores of the St. Clair River on Desmond Landing. 

These projects, and the many others we are involved with, simply represent the diverse interests of our donors and partners.  Our primary mission is to help donors improve the quality of life in St. Clair County.  And “quality of life” is hard to define and it’s a task that’s never finished.  So every day is a new adventure, a new opportunity, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.