Foundation honors Schmit

Tireless volunteer Bob Schmit was honored Wednesday with The Portland Foundation’s Jack Cole Award for Volunteerism.
Cole, now an executive with the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, cited, “His commitment to faith … his dedicated service to our nation … and his incredible service to youth” in honoring Schmit.
An active member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Schmit has put in countless hours as a volunteer for 4-H, FFA, the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District, Helping Hands Food Pantry and a variety of organizations in the Bryant area.
Schmit’s efforts were also recognized by the Jay County Chamber of Commerce when he was named Citizen of the Year for 2012.
“This is pretty neat,” said Schmit of the Cole Award. A collector of inspiring aphorisms, he added, “Within each one of us there is a winner … There’s a little magic in every smile.”

The award carries a $250 stipend, which Schmit can direct to the charity or organization of his choice.
Foundation executive director Doug Inman noted that the foundation’s assets have grown from $5.5 million to $30 million in the past 20 years.
The foundation has awarded more than $9.6 million in grants and more than $5 million in scholarships.
In 2015, the foundation made its largest single grant, a $250,000 lead gift for Portland Water Park, and served as fiscal agent for the water park fund-raising effort.
It also played a key role in Jay County Promise, partnering with Jay Schools, United Way, the Jay County Chamber of Commerce, John Jay Center for Learning, and Jay County Development Corporation, to spur college savings plans for local students.
The program, said Inman, “will continue to transform the lives of students and families in Jay County.”
Cole, who served as the foundation’s first executive director, said Indiana continues to be a leader in the area of community foundations. The state’s community foundations now have $3 billion in assets, ranking it third in the United States.
Also at Wednesday’s annual meeting, the foundation honored outgoing board president Dean Jetter and outgoing board member David Fullenkamp. Eight new endowment funds were added to the foundation in 2015.
Current foundation board members are Robin Alberson, Pat Bennett, Jeremy Gulley, Tammy Hanlin, Dean Jetter, Rex Journay, Ron Laux, John Moore and Rob Penrod.