Giving thanks: Cass County reflects on CCCF gifts

Sep. 29—Judy McCloskey remembers her daughter, Sydney Sofronici asking about attending college one day.

McCloskey was a single mom, struggling to pay the bills following what she described as a terrible divorce.

"As kindly as I could, I said, 'I know you want to go to college, and I want you to, also, but you're going to need to make that happen,'" she recalled telling her daughter.

Sofronici, a Lewis Cass student, did just that. She was in marching band, cross country, swimming, track and field, solo and ensemble competitions and a variety of other clubs and organizations.

She sometimes left the house at 5:30 a.m. and didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. Then she did her homework and got up the next day for school, McCloskey said.

The day after Easter 2016, McCloskey got a phone call from the Cass County Community Foundation. They were going to surprise Sofronici with a Lilly scholarship. Would McCloskey like to join them?

And on that day daughter and mother experienced one of the life changing moments that the Cass County Community Foundation has become known for.

Saturday evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the foundation will celebrate 30 years of changing lives at the State Theatre. It's the culmination of a month of giving that has included items for local organizations and prizes for local radio listeners.

A gift of freedom

For Sidney Sofronici, the Cass County Community Foundation gave her freedom.

She remembers winning the Lily Scholarship, which pays for full four-year tuition at any Indiana college or university alongside required fees, very well. Her mother and grandmother were at the school. The community foundation gave her a bouquet of lilies. She said it is one of her most cherished memories.

"I went to Purdue, so a pretty affordable school for a four-year degree," she said. "But still, my mom would not have been able to afford to send me there. I would have definitely had to take out loans in order to do that. It definitely shaped my life because if I had undergrad loans, I don't think I could have pursued a graduate degree, for example, because I would have been putting off paying those loans and you don't get paid very much as a Ph.D. student. In that sense it continues to give me a lot of freedom to make choices that are a little bit unrestrained from finances in terms of education."

Sofronici is currently working on her Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. She has two years left in the program and hopes to work in the industry making magnetic field sensors or sensors for bio medical applications when she graduates.

"I know it's not just the Lilly, (the CCCF) do a lot of grants and giving to the community in general and I think that is incredibly important and I would just like to thank them for the contribution, not only to me but their continued contribution to everyone else in Cass County," she said.

"Occasionally, people still ask me about Sydney winning the Lilly, and it reminds me again how grateful we are for that gift and the honor of being a Lilly recipient," McCloskey said. "She made it happen."

A gift of opportunity

For Ian Hook and Cass County high school students, the CCCF gave them opportunity.

One of CCCF executive director and CEO Deanna Crispen's favorite memories came in 2022, when she met Lewis Cass junior Ian Hook.

Hook wanted to take summer music courses at the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He didn't have a means to fund the trip so he called the community foundation to see if they could help. They told him they didn't have a way to help at the moment but they would see what they could do.

So Hook called again to see if they had found a way to help him. And again. And again.

Due to his persistence, the community foundation used money from a large endowment they had been given by Richard and Rose Gates, a Royal Center couple who left 3.1 million dollars to the foundation to be used for education, and created the Gates Discovery Award.

"I knew my life was going to change for the better but I had no idea truly how much it would affect me in the long run," Hook said of being able to study music at Berklee.

The CCCF asked Hook to score an original piece of music that he will perform Saturday night during the celebration.

"I'm calling this new work "From Promise to Pearl"," he said. "The composition is based on the evolution of the Cass County Community Foundation, so the title comes from the promise that the foundation has held from the very beginning as it has evolved through to the 30th anniversary."

A gift of comfort

For those in need within Cass County, the CCCF gives them comfort.

A lot of that comfort comes in the form of Emmaus Mission Center.

"There have been so many things they have helped us with," said Emmaus executive director Jason Mitchell.

The CCCF helped build a new roof over the swift store and pantry. They've supplied new computers, beds and mattresses for the shelter and a forklift and refrigeration for the food pantry. Emmaus is building an awning for its drive through food pantry thanks to the CCCF. They also supplied additional funds during a long stretch when many were in need last year.

"I feel very fortunate to have that connection with the community foundation," Mitchell said. "I really think, not just for us but for other organizations that get support, they do take in to account a great deal of what the community needs and tries to work to fit that. We wouldn't be as far along with our projects if it wasn't for their help."

A grateful community

The gifts are many and the value is unmeasurable.

"It's 30 years of going from zero dollars in funds to 32 million," said Bill Cuppy, president of the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce and president of the Cass Logansport Economic Development Organization. . "It just shows that people entrust them to not only provide an allocate the money to the right places but their financial insurance because the community foundation only spends money that they earn, not the actual capital—only the interest. I'm most amazed at the number of scholarships that are produced through the endowments of the community foundation."

Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said the community foundation is involved in every part of Cass County.

"I think that is something to really recognize," he said. "It's not just the city of Logansport. It's not just Galveston, Walton or Royal Center. They literally encompass the entire county of Cass."

"They are a great community partner," said Deputy Mayor Jacob Pomasl. "Their board is made up of some of the best of the best in Cass County. (Deanna Crispen's) wealth of knowledge and experience is a huge benefit to all the people of Cass County and everyone the community foundation touches."