LOCAL PHILANTHROPIST DEL DEMAREE RECEIVES DAVID FOSTER AWARD

Community Foundation of Howard County celebrates 25 years and recognizes Demaree's contributions to the community

October 26, 2016 -- Long-standing supporters of the Community Foundation of Howard County gathered Oct. 20 to help the Foundation celebrate its 25th anniversary and to honor local philanthropist Del Demaree with a David Foster Award.

Demaree is the chairman of Syndicate Sales and most recently is known as a lead donor in a core group supporting the new Kokomo YMCA facility. Because of his role as a lead donor, YMCA board members honored him earlier this year by naming the structure the 'Delmar E. Demaree Family YMCA.'

Demaree's service to the community is diverse and significant. He has served on the IUK Board of Advisors, is a member of the Hoosier Hundred, and is a 1985 recipient of the IUK Chancellor's Award. Demaree has also served the community as a member of the Kokomo Symphonic Endowment Board of Trustees. He is a past director of First National Bank in Kokomo, is a former chairman of the Industrial Steering Committee, and has served as president of the local Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Howard County, the Y's Men, and the Kokomo-Howard County Progress Committee. In 2013, Demaree was inducted into the Howard County Historical Society's Hall of Legends.

The Community Foundation of Howard County created the David Foster Award in 1995 to honor people, organizations and members of the business community who make significant contributions to the advancement of philanthropy in Howard County.

"As the Foundation celebrates 25 years, this was the perfect time to honor Del with a David Foster Award," said Hilda Burns, president of the Community Foundation of Howard County. "Del and many other people in the community have contributed time, talent and treasure towards the success of the Community Foundation and Howard County."

The idea of a community foundation in Howard County was started in 1989 with $10,000 from the United Way of Howard County and the Community Foundation of Howard County was incorporated on March 6, 1991.

The initial startup funding helped to set the pace and the Foundation now has $59 million in assets, including the Clinton County Community Foundation established in 1996 and the Carroll County Community Foundation established in 1997. Howard County's assets alone are $32.5 million.

The Community Foundation has granted more than $28.6 million to help make the community a better place. This amount includes approximately $16.2 million in grants and $12.5 million in scholarships, including $9.2 million in Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships. Of this, Howard County has granted more than $14 million. This amount includes $9 million in grants and $5 million in scholarships, including $3.4 million in Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

"It has always been and will continue to be about serving our donors' charitable intentions, being good stewards of the resources entrusted with us, building a sense of community, and making the community better now and for the future," said Burns. "We are grateful and humbled by the number of donors who have entrusted us to be stewards of more than 450 named endowment funds and by donors who give to existing funds because they believe in our work and in our community."

The Community Foundation of Howard County, Inc. was formed as a not-for-profit public charity in March 1991. The Foundation seeks to serve donors and make grants to benefit the citizens of Howard County. For more information about the Community Foundation, contact Hilda Burns at 765-454-7298 or hilda@cfhoward.org. The Web site www.cfhoward.org contains information about making gifts to endowment funds, scholarships and grantmaking.