Community Foundation Receives Gifts from two different women who share a generosity of heart

ALBANY, NY (12/20/2012)(readMedia)-- The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region was recently the recipient of two very generous donations from women who dedicated their lives to supporting their own communities.

A gift of five million dollars from the estate of Phyllis ("Philly") E. Dake is the largest single donation ever made to the Community Foundation. At almost the same time, another very significant planned gift was made by Mrs. Ellen Barrett Bevins. The Dakes are the founders/owners of the Stewart's Shops chain of convenience stores, Mrs. Bevins, a retired schoolteacher.

"Each of these gifts is certainly remarkable in its own right," says Community Foundation President, Karen Bilowith. "But in combination, they prove an important point about community giving. Over the years, we have received gifts of all sizes from people in all walks of life. Some of these individuals are prominent in the community, while others are unsung, just quietly living normal lives. But generosity, it seems, is a fundamental human trait, one that cuts across all lines."

Mrs. Dake's gift represents only a part of the charitable efforts she and the Dake family as a whole have made over the course of many years and in which the Community Foundation has proudly played a role. Among these is The Philly E. Dake "Make Your Own Scholarship Fund," designed to offer scholarship assistance to family members of Stewart's employees. Since its inception, the program has granted over $2 million in assistance to more than 280 students, and the Community Foundation's involvement helps ensure that the Fund will continue its valuable work on into the future.

While these two donors may be of different types, the Dake and Bevins donations share a single, overarching objective: to help people in the Capital Region live better, healthier, more productive lives, with ever expanding opportunities to grow and flourish.

"It's very appropriate, I think, that we note and celebrate these donations at this time of year," Ms. Bilowith says. "They are gifts that weren't necessarily expected – but that truly will never be forgotten."

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Since 1968, The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region has provided an effective means for people who care about this community to be part of shaping its future. The Community Foundation offers donors a complete toolkit for charitable giving, expert assistance in learning more about the causes they care about, and the opportunity to join others with similar interests to learn and give together.

The Community Foundation distributed more than $3 million in 2011 to hundreds of not-for-profit organizations in the Capital Region and beyond. With assets of $51 million, the Foundation is comprised of more than 340 charitable funds created by a diverse group of individuals, families and corporations. In addition, two local independent foundations, the Bender Family Foundation and the John D. Picotte Family Foundation, contract with the Community Foundation for grantmaking assistance.

Through flexible donor services, strategic grant making and community leadership, the Community Foundation helps people support the causes they care about, now and for generations to come. For more information, please visit them online at www.cfgcr.org or call 518-446-9638.

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