Suzie Brodersen
Contributing Reporter
On the evening of October 26, the Warsaw Community Building was buzzing with a new level of excitement. A crowd that included individuals, couples, business owners, and non-profit organizations gathered to hear the outcome of the very first grants being given from the Benton County PHIL. PHIL stands for Philanthropic Hometown Impact leaders, and their goal is to make impactful contributions to our communities through annual giving.
The PHIL was a dream of Benton County Community Foundation Board Member Suzie Brodersen. She introduced the idea last fall at the foundation’s scholarship fundraiser at the home of Randy and Marsha Eaton. Since that time, the Community Foundation board members have had small group meetings in each community, as well as sharing the mission via word of mouth in an effort to build the needed membership. According to Brodersen, the chairperson of the Benton County PHIL, the goal was to have 100 individuals, couples and businesses donate $250 each to accumulate a total of $25,000. The intent is to make this an annual gift which is then granted back to non-profits that serve Benton County.
Community Foundation President, Dorcas Brethower, also pursued an opportunity for a matching grant earlier this year, and through the generosity of the Patterson Family Foundation in Kansas, a total of $50,000 was available to grant in this inaugural year.
A total of 21 grant applications were submitted through this grant process, and six members of the PHIL – two from each community, had the difficult task of narrowing the field to six. Once the field was narrowed, each member of the PHIL received an email ballot with a short video highlighting each finalist, and the top three vote getters were the recipients of grants totaling $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000.
At the event, Brodersen recognized the top six finalists, and the top three grantees were then asked to give a short presentation highlighting their grant. At the end of the evening, the announcements were made, and the following grants were presented - $10,000 to the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri to combat child hunger, $15,000 to the Lincoln Council for Community Betterment for a walking path in the city, and $25,000 to the Cole Camp
Pool for a new and safer toddler pool. There were many cheers when the final announcements came, and smiles were everywhere as these non-profits walked away with their big checks in hand.
Brodersen encouraged the membership to thoughtfully consider renewing their membership as this would be a wonderful opportunity to continue to make a difference in Benton County each and every year.
Brethower said, “Stay tuned for new grant opportunities our foundation will make available in 2024. We are excited to see what our 25th year brings, and we hope you will help us celebrate as we continue to plant seeds to bring positive change to our county.”
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Benton County PHIL, please reach out to Suzie Brodersen, Chairperson, at (660) 287-2389 or sbrodersen69@gmail.com.
