Madison County Community Foundation

Community Initiatives

Madison County Community Foundation has a vested interest in the future of this community. Supporting initiatives that move the county forward is an important piece of what we do. The Foundation is currently involved in three projects:

EngAGEment Initiative
Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) developed the EngAGEment Initiative and partnered with Indiana Grantmakers Alliance to strengthen grantmaking for an aging society through education and collaboration. Madison County Community Foundation has been chosen to participate in this national initiative.
Our program is comprised of representatives from community agencies and is designed to proactively address the 'aging out' of board members and community leaders. These leaders have a wealth of knowledge that can and should be shared with the next generation of philanthropy. Over the spring and summer of 2010 we will be talking with groups about mentor/mentee relationships, board recruitment and youth involvement in philanthropy.

New Tech High School
Three key elements set New Tech High Schools apart from traditional learning environments.

• Project Based Learning. Students work in teams to acquire and apply knowledge and skills to solve problems. It truly changes the relationship between teacher and student.
• A culture of empowerment. Students have a level of responsibility similar to what they might experience in a professional work environment. Working on projects and in teams, students become accountable to their peers, taking individual responsibility to get work done.
• Integrated use of technology. Smart use of technology supports our innovative approaches to instruction and culture. All classrooms have a one-to-one computing ratio.

New Tech models report ninety-eight percent of students graduate and an average of 95 percent of students enroll in post-secondary education.  Forty percent of students graduate in science, technology, engineering, and math career paths, compared with 7 percent of high school graduates nationwide.

Madison County Community Foundation is working with the Anderson Community School Corporation to open a New Tech High School by August of 2011.  This will be open to all students in Madison County regardless of where they live.  Students will graduate with a Core 40, Academic Honors, or Core 40 with Technical Honors as approved by the State of Indiana.  They will also have at least twelve hours and upwards to twenty hours of college credit and a transcript with a local university. Go to www.newtechfound.org for a more detailed look at New Tech.

Step Up to the Plate
Many of our local eateries are doing great work supporting the non-profits in our community, and the Foundation wants to help strengthen that collaboration. A networking meeting will be held in late April, and several area restaurants and non-profit agencies will talk about how their partnerships have win-win outcomes. All non-profits and  restaurants in the county ares welcome to attend and participate in the Step Up to the Plate campaign.

The Step Up to the Plate initiative began in January when Steve Vetter, General Manager at Olive Garden in Anderson, established a fund at the Foundation with a $1000 Darden Restaurants contribution. (Read the Herald Bulletin story here.)