Donors Step up to Purchase Water Heaters for Reach of Washington County

The Community Foundation recently facilitated a collaborative funding effort between donor-advised fund holders and the Pauline Anderson Foundation to raise $5,000 for the purchase of two new water heaters for Reach of Washington County.Discovering no hot water only two days before opening its cold weather shelter, Reach learned they needed both water heaters replaced at a cost of $5,000. They contacted the Community Foundation for financial assistance after learning at a fall workshop the many ways the Foundation can help nonprofit organizations. As Reach staff worked tirelessly to fix the problem, they had no hot water for more than two weeks, which affected 61 clients with showers and laundry as well as volunteers who come in daily to prepare meals. “The support provided to replace the hot water heaters was truly an answer to prayer and divine inspiration,” said Jodie Ostoich, executive director of Reach. “After receiving the quote, I literally laid on my office floor and prayed that God would give me an idea about how to pay for this repair. God brought to my mind the presentation at the Community Foundation where Kristy (Smith) told us about the different types of funds and opportunities. I called Kristy right away and, though she promised nothing, I knew my prayers had been answered. I couldn’t be more humbled or grateful.”Since donor-advised fund holders at the Community Foundation remain actively involved in recommending grants to meet their charitable goals, Foundation staff work with them on various giving opportunities, such as this one, to facilitate individual and collaborative efforts. Thus, Community Foundation donors and the Pauline Anderson Foundation could meet this need and fund the new water heaters.