Avon — There are some organizations that a community can’t remember being without because of the difference it has made in their lives.

One of those is the Hendricks County Community Foundation, which was originally called the Greater Plainfield Community Foundation after being formed in 1992.

The foundation facilitates and manages revenues from charitable contributions, maintains and enhances the educational, social, cultural, health, and civic resources of the community, provides philanthropic leadership, and promotes efforts to improve the quality of life in Hendricks County.

DeeDee Daniel is the original executive director of the foundation. She served from the foundation’s inception in 1994 until her retirement at the end of 2008.

“In 1992 a group of people got together and were thinking of an education foundation, but Lily came out with a GIFT initiative, matching dollar for dollar to any community that would start a community foundation,” Daniel said. “They decided to roll it into a community foundation. They hired me March 15, 1994, but we missed the Lily match by 10 days.”

Daniel said the group decided to keep going and pursuing a community foundation. However, the name changed when donors from other cities didn’t want to donate their money to a group called the Greater Plainfield Community Foundation.

She said it was at a dinner event when a board member stood up and said they should just change the name.

“I’ll never forget this — Ed Whalen, president of Lincoln Bank and Trust, said, ‘I’m only one board member, but we oughta just give the county what we have and change the name,’” she said. “In February 1996, we became the Whitelick Heritage Community Foundation.”

In May of 1996, Lily came out with a second GIFT Initiative and the foundation applied for and received the second one.

Daniel said the group was blessed to have the support of the PSI Foundation and other groups that donated money and supplies to keep them in business those first few years, as well as the Lincoln Federal Savings and Loan.

“If it hadn’t been for the PSI Foundation, giving us operating money of $10,000 a year for three years, that kept our doors open,” she said. “Our first office was 100 square feet and was in the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce building, and the rent was just $50 a month. We opened our office on $250. Lincoln Bank gave us two office chairs, National Car Rental gave us a computer and a calculator, we got a metal desk from the storage under the water tower, Jerry Holifield donated carpet and we bought a desk chair.”

Daniel said part of the reason the foundation is still around today and successful is because of the board of directors.

“Thank heavens we had a board of directors that understood that a foundation would be good for Plainfield and Hendricks County,” she said. “Also, the same group had the foresight to not give up. They knew Hendricks County needed an organization where people could protect their investments.”

The foundation, which is now under the direction of Executive Director Janet Haley, has grown exponentially since its beginning.

“Since it’s inception, we’ve given over $7 million in grants to the community, county-wide grants in education, environment, arts and culture, community enhancement, health and human services, and youth programs,” Haley said. “We are a resource for donors in setting up a charitable fund, connecting people with donors and individuals. Now we have over 170 funds.”

One of the benefits of the community foundation being county-wide is that towns and residents in the far reaches of the county also benefit.

In one case, six fire departments — Amo, Clayton, Hazelwood, Stilesville, Coatesville, and North Salem — applied for and received grant money.

“By doing that, they each got $35,000 for fire equipment, a pumper truck, trucks, they built buildings,” Daniel said.

Haley added, “It helped extend fire services.”

Haley said the grant programs that have been expanded over the last few years.

“We started a few years ago to enhance unrestricted grant-making,” she said. “We have a specific type of fund here where you could set them up for $500. The normal amount to start a fund is $5,000. It’s a way for a family or individual to start a fund. Until it reaches $5,000, it’s all pooled together and the grant-making is all done together. When the fund reaches $50,000, the donor can have a representative on the grants committee and they plant a tree in a park of their choice.”

Even though the county has been affected by the economic recession, the foundation continues to grow.

“We keep adding new funds every year,” Haley said. “We added 16 new funds last year.”

Some of the funds that are widely known around the community include Habit of the Heart, which provides emergency needs to women and children in the community; Lunch Bunch, which gives a lunchtime meal to students during the summer; and another one of the newer funds, the SCI Hope Fund, which helps those with spinal cord injuries and other paralysis.

“Instead of creating their own non-profit, they set up a fund,” Haley said. “Their long-term goal is to have a non-profit, and they are making some fabulous grants. They had one grant request for a waterlift for a Brownsburg swimmer to participate in the Special Olympics. Their mission is to help people become more independent with spinal cord injuries. It’s a great story.”

Daniel said she is sure the foundation will continue to serve the community under Haley’s leadership.

“She will take it to the next level,” Daniel said. “Her willingness to jump in and get to know people, that’s huge. I am ecstatic.”

But Haley said she will always be grateful to Daniel.

“You started it all, you can look back and say ‘I started that,’” Haley told her.

The Hendricks County Community Foundation will host its annual golf outing June 9 at West Chase Golf Course in Brownsburg. The foundation’s annual dinner will be held April 29 and there will be a new event, a walk/run at Hummel Park on July 17.

For more information on the foundation and upcoming events, visit the website at www.hendrickscountycf.org.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com