Latest News
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Because Nurses Make The Difference
A New Scholarship to Support Nursing Students
The F.A. Mason Penwell Scholarship will help future nurses reach their career goals thanks to the generosity of Mark and Jean Penwell. The first two scholarships will be awarded this year to Lake Michigan College nursing students.
“We have all been impacted by nurses,” Mark said. “They touch people’s lives at such a vulnerable time. They are the people we see every day. They play such an important role - hospitals, home care, traveling nurses - and we want to...
Friday, September 21, 2018
The Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor is the recipient of the $50,000 Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant through the Berrien Community Foundation. The award was announced Wednesday evening at the 66th Annual Meeting and Celebration of the Berrien Community Foundation.
The grant will fund the “Be There” program to help kids learn to cope with loss, trauma and develop skills to cope with trials and adversity in life.
“This is quite a surprise,” said Brian Saxton, CEO and Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor...
Friday, September 21, 2018
The Berrien Community Foundation celebrated 66 years of service by walking a mile – literally – in the shoes of those who struggle with reliable transportation and honoring an amazing volunteer.
The Berrien Community Foundation Transportation Challenge
There has been an ongoing discussion about the need for more extensive public transportation in Berrien County. In August staff members from the Berrien Community decided to see just how difficult it is to get to and from work and appointments in Berrien County.
“We walked in a torrential...
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
The Berrien Community Foundation recently awarded "For Good" Grants of over $117,000 to 24 Berrien County nonprofit organizations. "This round of "For Good" Grants was particularly diverse," said Lisa Cripps-Downey, Berrien Community Foundation President. "We could really see the needs throughout our county and respond. We are so thankful for the philanthropic gifts made to the Community Endowment held at the Berrien Community Foundation which allows us to provide that community support."
Grants were made to organizations throughout...
Monday, February 19, 2018
Scholarship applications are available at the Berrien Community Foundation and this year brings four new scholarships to the table to help students.
The Rodney Weir Scholarship for Coloma Marching Band, The SW MI Human Trafficking Task Force Scholarship, Trefz Family Scholarship, and the Frederick S. Upton Foundation Opportunity Scholarship are the new scholarship programs that have been added to the stable of scholarships administered by the Berrien Community Foundation.
“Through the generosity of donors in our community, the BCF scholarship...
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Starting with the first grant deadline on March 31, the Berrien Community Foundation will open applications for the new “For Good” Grants. Organizations serving Berrien County will have two opportunities each year to apply for funding for the programs and projects serving our community with a total of up to $250,000 being awarded each year.
The “For Good’ Grants are made possible by the BCF For Good Community Endowment. “When donors support the For Good Community Endowment they are supporting non-profit organizations throughout Berrien County...
Thursday, September 21, 2017
The Berrien Community Foundation revealed a new logo at its 2017 annual meeting.
“Even after 65 years, what sets us apart - the core of what we do - remains the same as the idea that our founders had 65 years ago when they met and founded the Berrien Community Foundation at Holly’s Restaurant in Benton Harbor” said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey. “It is the idea of For Good. For Ever. Through endowments, we are creating lasting resources that help us love Berrien County forever.”
The new logo symbolizes For...
Thursday, September 21, 2017
The Readiness Center in Benton Harbor is the recipient of the $50,000 Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Grant through the Berrien Community Foundation. The award was announced Wednesday evening at the 65th Annual Meeting and Celebration of the Berrien Community Foundation.
“I can’t believe we got this,” said Readiness Center Director Sister Paulita Walters. “This will help us to continue on. When I started this, I asked for a grant for $2,000. It’s always been hard for me to ask but it just shows the generosity of this community.”
The...
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Students all over Berrien County who need help paying for college will have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship through the newly-established Trefz Family Scholarship Fund. The Berrien Community Foundation announced a $500,000 estate gift that established the fund at the 2017 Annual Meeting & Celebration Wednesday evening at the Heritage Museum & Cultural Center.
“This is such a great story of how Josephine Trefz took the opportunity to care for this community and provide something that she wanted to have – a college education...
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
When Rodney Weir graduated from Coloma High School in 1988 and headed to the University of Michigan, he didn’t know he would end up on national television leading the University of Michigan Marching Band as the drum major for two years. Coloma High School band members also didn’t know they would end up as the beneficiaries of his experience through the creation of the Rodney Weir Scholarship for Coloma Marching Band at the Berrien Community Foundation.
Weir’s experiences with the bands at Coloma and University of Michigan helped him to learn...