The volatile stock market has taken its toll on many funds in recent weeks, but the Hardin County Community Foundation has recovered to be ahead for the year.  The foundation started 2015 with assets of $5,517,739, and is up about $45,000 as of this week, reported Keith Gensheimer, finance chair, at Tuesday's quarterly meeting of the foundation board.  The Sept. 30 quarterly report showed assets had dropped to $5,391,209.

 

Also at the meeting, trustees discussed whether to continue offering to manage funds for local non-profit groups. It currently does so for the Hardin County Fair Board, Hardin County Family YMCA and Hardin Northern School.  President William Hart said three other organizations have approached the foundation to manage their accounts as well. The discussion centered around the amount of time it takes to keep track of the accounts versus the community service the foundation offers. There will be an investigation into other foundations that offer this service and the issue will be discussed at the group's January meeting. 

 

There also was discussion about whether to continue producing a paper copy of the foundation's annual report or just offer it online to save printing and mailing costs.  Not only does the report detail the foundation's finances and grant recipients, it also contains stories and photos about the memorials that have been established to benefit the foundation. The overwhelming majority of the board said they want to continue to offer the paper version which they hope will lead to more memorials and contributions to the foundation.  It also was decided to continue the organization's annual solicitation campaign through mailings to members and potential members.

 

Finally, trustees learned the foundation's website has been redesigned and people are invited to check it out at hardinfoundation.org.