“We bring people, ideas, resources, and opportunities together to help good things happen across northern Chautauqua County,” President Rachel Foley said of her organization’s role. “We don’t create every project or lead every effort, but we’re proud to help connect the pieces that make those projects possible.”

The theme of the annual gathering was “Placing Pieces With Purpose”, and several speakers discussed the many pieces the organization has placed over the past year.

One of the highlights was roughly $53,000 allocated to address food insecurity in the wake of SNAP benefit shortfalls. A total of $21,000 was donated to 15 local food pantries, while $32,000 was granted to FeedMore of WNY.

Another highlight this past year was collaboration through the Discovery Way at the Point building project at Dunkirk’s Point Gratiot Park. The project began with an idea from three teachers after visiting the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park, an inclusive, sensory-friendly trail designed for visitors with special needs. Revitalize Dunkirk then moved the project forward with support from the City of Dunkirk.

Than Clark, Community Impact Assistant, said of NCCF, “The way we expand our impact is through partnerships.”

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) supported the project through two community grants totaling $18,700. NCCF also facilitated a connection with KABOOM! through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Once the project was ready for construction, NCCF and Revitalize Dunkirk helped rally volunteers to help clear the trail and set up the equipment. It culminated in a grand opening on June 5.

“The way we expand our impact is through partnerships,” said Than Clark, Community Impact Assistant. “… It’s through our partnerships; it’s through connecting; it’s through engaging that we’re able to do these things, to take these steps that ultimately bear fruit in folks in our community having access to programs that they may not otherwise have access to.”

Collaboration between NCCF and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation was not limited to the Discovery Way at the Point project. In recent months, NCCF has made significant strides in engaging youth in the county thanks to Jeannie Gallaway, a Rural Philanthropy Fellow through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

New to the organization this year, Gallaway, the former Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County, utilized her connections in the community and fueled her passion to work with area youth to teach them the power of philanthropy. Gallaway worked with the Key Club at Cassadaga Valley High School and the YWCA Westfield Girls Leadership Initiative to identify areas of need in their communities. Gallaway’s efforts gave the next generation the opportunity to award grants to the areas they felt deserved assistance. Gallaway also spoke with the Girls Leadership Initiative and walked them through a workshop on how to select an organization for a grant.

In the end, the youth in both communities spoke to the need for safe places for kids to go after school and in the summer without a lot of expectation for engagement. The youth selected Cassadaga Valley school clubs, a local church, and the summer program at Welch Field in Westfield to receive grant funding.

“When you talk to youth, they’re not afraid to talk back. They all had opinions, they all had ideas, they all had people who they really saw as the leaders in their community,” Gallaway said. “… If you ask them, they’re going to tell you. We need to be doing this work with more people, and more within our community, to get them introduced to how much power they really have.”

Grant funding is not always so easy to come by, but Chautauqua County is fortunate to have NCCF to help meet the community’s needs. Since its inception 40 years ago, NCCF has invested $25 million in the community. The impact continues to grow each year as the donations continue to roll in.

In 2024, the Foundation’s total assets amounted to $42,668,723. In 2025, that amount grew to $47,842,093, an increase of over 12%. In 2026, that number has climbed north of $51.5 million as of Monday’s meeting.

In the past year, a total of 1,127 contributions were made to NCCF, totaling well over $2.2 million. The Foundation also awarded 643 grants totaling just shy of $1.9 million.

Almost five years ago, NCCF started its capital campaign with a goal of $10 million to be raised over five years. The campaign closes later this year, and to date, roughly $8.4 million has been raised so far.

Leslie Wille, Community Engagement Coordinator, said that while businesses and banks have made large contributions to the capital campaign, it is “absolutely remarkable” that the majority of donors to the campaign are local to Chautauqua County.

Dan Reininga, Capital Campaign Chairperson and 2023 Footprints Award recipient, said, “When somebody contributes to a community fund, they are doing much more than making a donation. They are expressing confidence in northern Chautauqua County – confidence in the people who will lead this community long after we’re gone. Confidence and generosity can change lives, not only today but for decades to come.”

As the campaign nears its end six months from now, an anonymous donor has pledged up to $100,000 to match any new Community Funds established through NCCF for the remainder of the campaign. That means the impact of any funds dedicated to a new Community Fund for the rest of the year will be doubled until the $100,000 is exhausted.

“We are so incredibly grateful to this donor for creating this opportunity,” Wille said.

As part of the regular business of the annual meeting, the Board voted to re-elect Josiah Lamp to a five-year term through 2031, as well as electing Jill Casey and Kitty Lyons to five-year terms through 2031.

Jeff Passafaro was re-elected to a three-year term through 2029. Additionally, 18 members were elected to three-year terms through 2029: Melissa Baideme, Eric Hohenstein, Tracy Bennett, Ida Lord, Rick Burgstrom, Jay Patel, Brittany Cerrie-Allen, Michelle Patterson, Kayleah Feser, Brian Pender, Lisa Forbes, Ben Ross, Mark Forbes, Stacy Shull, D’Arcy Furniss, Beverly Sutton, Molly Harvey, and Tino Vecchio.

The Foundation’s appointed Nominating Committee is Nate Aldrich, Julie Putcher, Dave Rowley, Jessica Ross, and Cassie Simpson. The Foundation’s members also voted to approve JMA of Fredonia as its auditing firm for the second year of a five-year agreement.

For more information about the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, visit nccfoundation.org or follow the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation Facebook page.