On Friday, June 27, we hosted an honorary dinner, gathering current and former board members to celebrate over three decades of “leafing” a positive impact on Rush County.
For some, it was a reunion of time spent on the board together. For others, it was an introduction to a different generation of local leaders they’d never met. But for all, amongst laughter, smiles, hugs and handshakes, it was a chance to share experiences, memories and appreciation for the impact they and RCCF have made in Rush County.
“Connecting with the individuals and people I didn’t even know were on the board before, getting to reminisce, and just thanking them for all their contributions and building it [RCCF] from nothing to what it is today is just remarkable,” said current board member Julie Leisure with pride in her eyes.
Leisure is closely connected with RCCF’s history. She carries on her family’s legacy with RCCF as her father, Phil Mitchell was one of the first members to serve on the board in 1993. He served four terms including as president.
The creation of RCCF was a shot in the dark, and would have failed, if not for the tenacity of its founding and early board members. Founders Paul Barada, Danny Earnest, and Rick Levi formed RCCF in 1991 and recruited the first board members: J.R. Billman, Jim Evans, Jean Ann Harcourt, Judge Barbara Arnold Harcourt, Dr. Doug Morrell, Ken Waits and Dr. Suellen Goddard.
Others involved in the early years of RCCF included Ercel Bever, Jr., Don Dawson, Phil Mitchell, Dick Moster, Bob Waggener, Beverly Howell, David VanOsdol and Gerald Mohr: the latter three attended the gathering.
Morell compared the early RCCF board to Christopher Columbus — “He had no idea where he was going, what he was going to find or whether or not the voyage would be successful. But it was one hell of a ride,” Morell wrote in a brief synopsis of RCCF’s infancy.
For Goddard, she served on the board three times because “I wanted to give back to the community that has really given me so much and provide for future kids.” Goddard, who spent 16 years as the publicly elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, first served on the early board before serving another two terms. She grew up cherishing the support from a strong community. “And it’s that same spirit that makes the Foundation what it is,” she said.
Intending to broadly reflect the Rush County community, RCCF’s 85 all-time board members have resided in all 12 townships and ranged in professional backgrounds from business, law, medicine, banking and especially agriculture and education.
Creating RCCF, though a test of dedication and devotion for the founding members, inspired subsequent generations to continue serving Rush County. RCCF remains committed to the founding members’ goal: to generate a lasting impact on the community, 34 years later, enhancing the quality of life in Rush County.
As guests dined, they were asked to write their best memory or their most profound accomplishment from their time on the RCCF board on a paper leaf. Their responses were added to a large paper tree, representing the growth of Rush County through RCCF’s efforts.
“The growth is unimaginable. I was, in the beginning, answering the phone before we [RCCF] had any donations! Great work Rush Co.,” one leaf reads.
Another says, “during my tenure, we received both $5 million large scale grants from Lilly Endowment — both transformative.”
“Working with an amazing group of individuals to promote and carry on the mission and wonderful things RCCF is accomplishing,” reads another.
Today, RCCF has over $34 million in assets following a prolific year in 2024, led by the Lilly Endowment GIFT VIII initiative. Last year alone, RCCF received over $3 million in gifts, while granting out over $1.1 million in scholarships and grants to benefit Rush County.
In 2023, the most recent year data is available, RCCF ranked fourth among Indiana’s 94 community foundations in gifts received per capita and eighth in assets held per capita. In 2020, RCCF was the only community foundation to receive the maximum $5 million through Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VII large scale grant funding, making the Love Community Center a reality.
Again, in 2024, through Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VIII, RCCF received a maximum $5 million large scale grant for a Rush County Rural Revitalization project involving blight elimination and infill housing development, expansion of broadband service and park and recreation improvements and additions.
In total, over 34 years, RCCF has awarded over $12 million in grant and scholarship funding into Rush County and delivered another $12 million in Lilly Endowment-funded programs and projects to the community.
“The successes RCCF has achieved in recent years have all been set up by our previous board members and leadership,” notes current RCCF executive director Chris May. “We would not be where we are without the work of our past leaders.”
Surrounded by the leaders who forged RCCF, on June 27, the current board and RCCF staff were immersed in the organization’s history. These leaders’ legacies through RCCF continue to inspire current board members as they work to make a difference in Rush County.
“This event was important to thank and show appreciation to our previous board members, to update them on the growth and impact of the organization they helped nurture and for our current board members to understand how we’ve arrived where we are today and who got us here,” said May.
“It was such an honor to be able to meet past board members! The magic in their passion [for] telling stories of things that happened at RCCF in their tenure was amazing,” said current board president Laura Ash.
We appreciate them all for “leafing” their mark on RCCF and the future of Rush County for generations to come!
