[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17874]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING CONTRIBUTIONS OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today in honor of National 
Community Foundations Week. This week, we recognize the millions of 
Americans who have joined together to make their communities a better 
place through donations of their time and resources. The generosity and 
willingness of individuals to work together for the common good has 
been a hallmark of the American character since our Nation's founding.
  Every day volunteer organizations across the country make substantial 
contributions to our Nation's well-being in countless areas--from 
education and the arts to economic development and environmental 
protection. Many of these associations are community foundations--local 
charitable organizations formed to provide financial support to 
valuable programs across their communities. Last year alone, community 
foundations gave approximately $4 billion to various local nonprofit 
activities.
  Led by private citizens, community foundations provide effective 
support to communities across the United States, often supplementing 
both public and private programs to provide their friends and neighbors 
with the maximum level of support necessary to build strong and vibrant 
communities. With 700 community foundations across the Nation, they are 
one of the fastest growing forms of philanthropy in the United States.
  One such community foundation which exemplifies the virtues of 
charity and giving back is the New York Community Trust. Established in 
1924, the New York Community Trust is one of the oldest and largest 
community foundations in the Nation--providing $141 million in grants 
to community organizations in 2010 alone. The trust currently invests 
in various programs to build a better New York, such as helping to 
reemploy New Yorkers through the New York Alliance for Careers in 
Health Care, NYACH, a project that assesses gaps in the labor market 
and provides workforce training to both assist individuals in getting 
in-demand jobs and simultaneously alleviate the skills gap in the 
health care industry. Through its commitment to the Juvenile Justice 
Advocacy and Action Project, the New York Community Trust is also 
dedicated to finding alternatives to prison for nonviolent, delinquent 
youth. The trust's grants are also cleaning up the Harlem River, 
removing tens of thousands of pounds of debris from Swindler Cove and 
transforming it into a 5-acre park with a children's garden and a 
boathouse.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this 
week of November 12 through November 18, 2011, as National Community 
Foundation Week so we may continue to honor the important work that 
charity and private citizens play in making our Nation a better place.

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