March 2023

News from the Foundation

In late January, the Foundation held its annual meeting.  After two years of online only annual meetings, it was lovely to meet in person together to celebrate the successes of the past year and chart our path going forward. The past few years have been times of growth for all of the KCF programs and we see the same for 2023.

As part of our annual meeting, an honor we have is that we recognize and give special thanks to those volunteers who have gone above and beyond to make our programs and events a success. There were four separate award categories this year.

First, volunteerism awards, recognizing an exceptional contribution of time and talents to a program, were given to the following volunteers:

• Ida-Lina Diak, the KENTLANDS/LAKELANDS 5K Kids’ Fun Run coordinator;
• Serrin Gant, a member of the GO GREEN GROUP; and
• Joan Brennan, a volunteer with the VILLAGE AT KENTLANDS & LAKELANDS.

 The Arts Support Award,  recognizing individuals who have demonstrated excellence and commitment in supporting the cultural arts, were given to:

• Ronald Thelin, chair for MUSICA VIVA KENTLANDS;
• Margaret Polcawich, vice chair for the GAITHERSBURG ARTIST COLLECTIVE;
• Chelsea Cedarbaum, member of the ROCK & BLUES SOCIAL CLUB;
• Reynaldo Rojas, production manager, MUSICA VIVA KENTLANDS; and
• Dianne Koval, production team, KENTLANDS COMMUNITY PLAYERS.

The Friend of the Foundation Award, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated a higher level of commitment and perseverance for the support or creation of a program, was awarded to:

• Ann Derryberry, former Board member;
• Kim Wooldridge, former Board member;
• Frances Randolph, chair and founder of the VILLAGE AT KENTLANDS & LAKELANDS;
• Anne Hunte, volunteer for the 5K, and KENTLANDS UNDER THE LIGHTS;
• Chris Marsh, volunteer for the 5K, KENTLANDS UNDER THE LIGHTS, and MUSICA VIVA KENTLANDS; and
• Marc A. Wright, in memorium, an integral part of the City of Gaithersburg’s Arts Barn team with close ties to the Foundation through the YOUNG ARTIST AWARD and the KENTLANDS FILM SOCIETY. He will be missed.

This year, the Foundation also had the lovely privilege to provide the John B. Schlichting Award to Lisa Benson Pickett.  The Schlichting award is not given every year, but rather only when a deserving individual emerges.  Lisa has been an active volunteer since 1993 when the Foundation was founded and has continued to be active through the years in a variety of programs and roles.  Her involvement with the Foundation is currently with MUSICA VIVA KENTLANDS. 

Congratulations to all of our awardees. This list demonstrates the breath of our programming and the dedication of our volunteers. 

We also wanted to share that as part of our plans for 2023 and in order to better support our programs, the Board has decided to add an additional position and is hiring a part-time associate director

We are looking forward to all the spring activities in the planning, please go to our website to find out more.  A few highlights include on March 12, the KENTLANDS FILM SOCIETY presents Shoplifters. The film will be shown at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn at 7:00PM. Doors open at 6:15. Additional details can be found in the Film Society’s page.  Also, planning is underway for the MUSICA VIVA KENTLANDS fundraiser on May 12 at the Arts Barn. Tickets will go on sale shortly.  Your support is important to keep the September concert free to attend.

To find out how you can volunteer or just more about the Foundation’s programs, please be sure to visit our website at kentlands.org.

February 2023

FEBURARY WITH THE FOUNDATION – HELP US SHARE THE LOVE

Did you know that to bring such a wide variety of community programs to you, the Kentlands Community Foundation must engage in a lot of fundraising?  While we are a not-for-profit and try to keep our activities free or low cost to participate, putting on these events is not free, and we do not have a substantial endowment fund like other Foundations to provide ongoing financial support.  A great deal of our fundraising is accomplished through annual direct requests to local businesses and organizations to support what we do and by asking for donations from participants.  The Foundation also requests grant support from private foundations, as well as state and local government.  While the Foundation receives annual funding from the Kentlands Citizens Assembly, the funds available cannot support all we do and mostly help cover a portion of the general administrative operating costs of the Foundation. 

One of the long-term tenets of the Foundation is that all programs are self-supporting.  What this means is that each program is responsible for finding funding for their program through membership dues, subscriptions, donations from residents, local business sponsorships and grants. 

One wonderful way to help support the programs you love is to ask your workplace whether it offers a grant program or matching grants per donation.  For many larger businesses, some will match any donation you make to a non-profit.  Other businesses have grants they will make to non-profit organizations their employees support through volunteering or donating.  Grant applications often include a question asking whether any of their employees participate in the event … with your help, we can say “yes” and hopefully get much needed support.

Needless to say, fundraising has become more challenging as our programs grow, become more complex and additional programming is added, and we are always looking for any way to help our programs with obtaining the funding they need to provide great activities for our community. If you have any experience in fundraising or can help us, please send us an email at kentlands@kentlands.org.

KENTLANDS COMMUNITY PLAYERS will perform the one-act play, Skin Deep by Mary Lynn Dobson. The Players have entered into the Maryland Theatre Festival in Hagerstown and are scheduled to perform February 10 – 11, 2023.  We wish the KCP the best of luck at the festival, please join them if you can!

GAITHERSBURG ARTIST COLLECTIVE will be raising funds this February for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation through an online auction.  If you would like to help them with their efforts, please check out the link on their page at our website: kentlands.org.

The Foundation’s New Urbanist seat is open on our board.  Past holders of the seat have been an important part of helping to educate the community about New Urbanist principles through the presentation of quarterly lectures, tours of the community and other activities.  According to the bylaws of the Foundation, eligible candidates should specialize in urban planning, or design or municipal governance. If interested in finding out more, please contact the Foundation at kentlands@kentlands.org.