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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 7, 2004 Nancy Malone, clinical director of the Kids Health Connection at Medford�s Washington Elementary School, gives second-grader Jose Valle-Cortes an examination Thursday. Kids Health Connection received $125,000 from the Reed and Carolee Walker Fund. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Reed grants start to pay dividends Fund bequeathed by late Ashland couple offers first benefits to low-income efforts By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune From afar, Reed and Carolee Walker must be smiling. This week, the first grants from the frugal Ashland couple’s $29 million legacy were awarded to 16 nonprofit agencies in Jackson County. From funds built on Anheuser-Busch beer stock, nearly $714,000 will go to local programs that provide services ranging from health care to arts classes for struggling low-income families. Another $400,000 could be awarded in August. All of the awards are aimed at fulfilling the wishes of the late Reed Walker, a taciturn fisherman, and his wife, Carolee, a former single mother who loved children and gardening. Both Walkers worried about scarce resources to provide both basic care and enrichment to the poor. "So we have field trips, arts programs and sports programs, but we also have lice treatments and food," said Amy Cuddy, who coordinates the fund administered by the Oregon Community Foundation. Advertisement The largest grant was nearly $125,000 awarded to the Kids Health Connection, which offers basic health care clinics at three Medford elementary schools and plans to expand to Phoenix. "We fit ideally into what Reed and Carolee Walker had written into their will," said Karen Holt, administrative director of the program. "These kids just would not have health care otherwise." The smallest grant was less than $10,000 awarded to the Arts Council of Southern Oregon to pay for artists-in-residence presentations to schools with a high percentage of low-income kids. "The Walker Fund is a real blessing to Jackson County," said Lyn Godsey, executive director of the council. "It’s going to help a lot of people." Started after Reed Walker’s death in 2003, the $29 million fund is the largest gift in the 30-year history of the Oregon Community Foundation and the largest single philanthropic donation in the history of Oregon. It’s expected to generate up to $1.5 million a year, all of it designated for Jackson County. "I really do like that it’s local money," said Rita Sullivan, director of OnTrack Inc. in Medford, which received more than $103,000 for two programs. "More than the money, I like that it’s local support for local programs." The Walkers’ fortune was amassed after Reed Walker’s family traded a bakery in the 1940s for stock from Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser beer. Reed Walker never cashed in his stock. Sullivan recognized the irony of using money based on beer sales to pay for alcohol and drug treatment. "I think it’s a responsible use of money that comes from people who consume liquor or beer," she said. Sixty-six programs initially requested more than $3.1 million for the first year’s funding, with multi-year funding totaling nearly $9 million. Of those, 29 programs were invited to submit formal applications. Those requests totaled $1.3 million for the first year of the fund and $4.4 million over five years. In the final tally, 16 agencies representing 21 programs received $713,885 from two Walker Fund sources. Requests from four programs were deferred until August to obtain more information, Cuddy said. That included a multi-year request from Community Works of Medford for $150,000 annually to pay for mental health services for adolescents. "I did not get the impression that it was a sure thing," said Arnie Green, executive director of Community Works. He said organizers might need more time to evaluate the complicated mental health services proposal. "I respect that," he said. Funding requests were evaluated by a team of OCF members after review from trained volunteers that included financial scrutiny and site visits, Cuddy said. "Overall, I think that it worked pretty well," she said. But, Cuddy added, with this much need and this much money at stake, the OCF committee will review the process carefully over the summer. Grant recipients The following agencies and programs received funding through the first year of the Reed and Carolee Walker fund: ACCESS Inc., Medford, $53,000. Arts Council of Southern Oregon, Medford, $9,600. Ashland Family YMCA, $15,000. Children’s Dental Clinic of Jackson County, $27,000. Community Health Clinic, Medford, $82,000. Health Care Coalition of Southern Oregon, $20,493. Kids Health Connection, Medford, $124,802. Kids Unlimited, Medford, $27,000. La Clinica del Valle Family Health Care Center, Medford, $100,000. Medford School District, Medford, $63,000. OnTrack Inc., Medford, $103,090. Peace House, $15,900. Rogue Valley Family YMCA, $15,000. Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Medford, $25,000. Southern Oregon Child and Family Council Inc., Central Point, $23,000. Upper Rogue Community Center, Shady Cove, $10,000. Thorndike steps down from ‘seed corn’ charitable board When Bill Thorndike Jr. joined the board of the Oregon Community Foundation more than a decade ago, the charitable group was a relatively small state player, offering $7 million in annual grants from less than $100 million in endowments. When the president of Medford Fabrication stepped down as a director and board chairman this week, he left a foundation that this year expects to distribute more than $30 million in grants from assets of more than $500 million. Witnessing — and assisting — that phenomenal growth has been one of the chief pleasures of his tenure, Thorndike, 50, said. "We’ve built the seed corn for Oregon," he said. Along the way, the foundation has become a formidable philanthropic presence not only in Oregon, but also in Jackson County. Several significant local bequests, including the record-setting $29 million legacy from Reed and Carolee Walker, have boosted scarce resources in the region. Thorndike said he is most proud of founding an OCF leadership council in Southern Oregon, and of increasing the foundation’s local staff presence. He said the area would continue to be well- represented by board member Lyn Hennion. "Talk about a great cheerleader in the valley," he said. A gathering to honor Thorndike’s OCF tenure is planned for May 27. Representatives of the nonprofit agencies and programs that benefit from OCF legacies will be invited to testify about their work. That, more than anything, will speak to the value of serving OCF for a third of its history, said Thorndike. "We have been pushing for collaboration, pushing for partnerships," he said. "We have wanted to invest in the things that will make underlying change over time." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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