Salem Community Foundation marks 55 years of community aid

SALEM -- The Salem Community Foundation started in 1966 with a meager pot of $2,000 to help charitable, educational, religious, literary, artistic and civic endeavors in the city.

Now entering the 55th year, the SCF continues to invest in the community through the management and distribution of dollars from 134 funds which total in the millions.

In the beginning, the charitable group gave its first-ever grant to the Salem Public Library, giving a modest $200 for books.

This past year, the group gave out $1.4 million in the form of 25 sets of new band uniforms for the Salem High School Pride of Salem Marching Band, three nights worth of dinners at the Banquet in Salem, movie night equipment and an outdoor fitness circuit for the parks, back to school clothes and shoes for children through the Brightside Project, scholarships, assistance for the Salem Police K-9 program and upgraded equipment for the Perry Township Police. The list goes on and on.

In 55 years, that's $65 million worth of grants and scholarships.

"There is scarcely an aspect of life in Salem that has not been touched in a positive way by the Salem Community Foundation," Mayor John Berlin read from a proclamation.

He declared Thursday as Salem Community Foundation Day and shared the proclamation with the SCF Board of

Directors during the celebratory annual meeting at the Salem Community Center.

When asked for a comment about hitting the 55-year mark, President John Tonti said it's "hard to put in a few words because we've done this so long."

He talked about the many people who have given their time and how over the years they've come up with ideas to help the different organizations in this community do good.

Without the SCF, he said "just walking down the street would be different."

A big example of that is along North Ellsworth Avenue, where the Salem Community Center and CenterPlex facilities stand, both constructed with funds from SCF and both impacting residents both inside and outside the community.

"So many things we touched, it just kind of flows back," Tonti said.

As an example of how far the SCF has come, he recalled his early days as a director. One of the projects they funded then was rabbit hutches for 4-H.

The Salem Community Center and the CenterPlex buildings are way bigger than a rabbit hutch or two.

According to the proclamation, it all began in 1964 when "industrialist Walter F. Deming and two attorneys, Alfred L. Fitch and George H. Bowman Jr., discussed the remarkable job being done by community foundations in cities across the United States and said, 'Why not set up such a foundation for Salem?'"

The Articles of Incorporation were approved Jan. 13, 1966 and the organizational meeting was held June 23, 1966. Attorney Bryce Kendall, Salem Board of Education; Attorney George Bowman, Columbiana County Bar Association; Rev. Thomas Webster, Ministerial Association; Dr. Harold Muller, Columbiana County Medical Association; and Don Vincent, Salem United Fund, were elected as the first directors.

The idea was to pool money from contributions and memorial gifts and invest it to grow as a means to meet the many human needs in Salem.

"Each of the founding members had a steadfast optimism about them with the intent to raise funds that would be used to advance our community for the greatest common good. Due to the tremendous foresight of these gentlemen, Salem is a wonderful place to live and work in 2021!" the proclamation said.

Grants to tax exempt organizations are awarded on a quarterly basis with "priority given to projects reaching a wide section of the community, innovative programs that meet social needs, and encourage the promotion of the efficient use of resources. Scholarships, human services, arts and humanities, and the Salem Community Center are among the list of public and community services which benefit from the foundation's assistance," a recent press release said.

Grant applications and guidelines are available at www.salemcommunityfoundation.org., along with a copy of the annual report which outlines the financial report, history and grant details.

Call Melissa J. Costa, Grant Coordinator, at the SCF office, 330-332-4021, before filling out the required "Application For Financial Assistance". The due date for grant applications is June 1.

Individuals, families, organizations, and businesses can help make a difference by establishing an endowment fund for charitable or scholarship purposes.

Contributions may be made to the Salem Community Foundation Inc., P. O. Box 553, Salem, Ohio 44460 and may be earmarked for a specific program of interest to the donor.

mgreier@salemnews.net