It’s the Esther S. Gerstacker Hiram College Scholarship, and renewable every year, which meant I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket for college. It was a huge opportunity for me, and honestly, thinking about it makes me kind of emotional. The Foundation realizes that not everyone makes enough money to go to college that not everyone is given the same opportunities. I was given a gift, and the only thing they asked from me in return was to be successful in college.

I feel inspired to do good things for others and be involved as much as possible. I attribute that to Midland. One of the goals on my list is to start hosting kicking camps for girls to learn how to kick a football. That's been a goal since I was in high school playing football with the boys. I want to travel to different cities and teach girls that they can play, too. They, too, can play with the boys and break barriers.

We pay taxes to our governments so they can help provide resources for the community. But what happens when that's not enough to cover everyone's needs? The organizations in our community help fill those gaps but are all competing for the same dollars, so who's going to help them out when they're in need? Who is going to fill in those gaps? That's where community foundations come in.

We want to retain our awesome college graduates! We want to retain our skilled trades workers! We have to have a community where they want to stay, where there is activity and inclusivity, and where there is respect for all lines of work. And so there's that ripple effect to the valuing of all work. 

Before COVID, the Community Foundation thought of itself as an organization that supported other organizations to do the mission, not an organization that interacted directly with individuals. But given the circumstances of 2020, we were able to act very nimbly and fill short-term needs that no one else could do, as other organizations and the government was going to come in and fill the long-term needs.

Give to your community, and your community will give back to you. Be patient and kind - it makes life happier. Manage your thoughts so you don't let the negativity of a situation override the overarching objective and goodness." Sanford is more than a Village; it's an experience. It's where the heart is. It's when everyone pulls together to create a place where people love to live.

To carry out River Days’ purpose of being an inclusive community celebration by the river to honor the past and embrace the future of Midland, a hard-working committee representing various organizations and businesses assists in planning. This group plans and carries out activities that unite the community. River Days would not be possible without the many volunteers in our community who help make this event successful each year.

As with all communities, we have limited resources and significant needs, and we want to make significant progress in improving our community. It's a very performance-driven and structured process based on a collective impact model. To that point, part of the process is learning about different efforts that are currently underway, then pulling them together and aligning them so we're not duplicating efforts and can achieve the maximum impact. In that respect, with how Communities of Excellence helps us marshal our scarce resources, we can't afford not to use this approach.

Back in the day, when I served on the board, we wanted to emphasize that there was a better answer than relying solely on family foundations or big organizations. Take, for example, the Senior Services Building project. While foundations generously donated around $5 million, we deliberately left $1 million for the community to contribute. Shared giving opportunities allowed the community to feel a sense of ownership in the project. Remember, it's not about the donation size, but the spirit of giving.

You drive up this hill, and it has a nice park with various signs that show what you're looking at. Being up 50 feet, you don't just see the first row of the chemical plant, you see over the top and deeper into the plant, and it's far enough away that you can get a full panoramic view of it. I can't forget to mention that in the early '70s, what's now Midland Cogeneration Venture was being built as a nuclear power plant by Consumers Power, and you can see MCV from Whiting Overlook Park. The power plant wasn't finished because it was converted to a gas-fired plant instead. 

"I believe a strong community is made up of a group of people who work together to make things better for the organization, team, or town and for all the people in the group. It requires teamwork to benefit the group, not just trying to benefit yourself. The love, support, and camaraderie I've experienced over the years have enriched my life, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference."

When we [the Gladwin County Community Foundation] first became a Foundation, we had 13 funds and about $1.87 million in assets. Since then, we've grown to 38 funds and over $5.5 million. From the Midland Area Community Foundation granting us $5000 to over $5 million! You look around the community, and you can see that it does so much good: over the last five years, we’ve disbursed $50 million dollars to the community through grants, scholarships, and projects. We want to collaborate with whoever has needs, help nonprofits, do whatever we can to benefit the community, and make the quality of life better in Gladwin County.

"My name is John Ruppel, and I'm the chairperson of the Riverside Place Endowment Committee. In July of 2000, seven residents of Riverside Place got together, did some talking, and decided they wanted to contribute to improving the lives of the people who lived–and would live–here. They pulled together some money, $7,000, which they invested as an endowment fund at the Midland Area Community. Today, that same fund is approaching $400,000. It's not a sad thing, but those of us who live here realize that most of us are going to die here. They're gonna take us out feet first, so the mission of the fund is to provide for the enrichment and well-being of the residents of Riverside Place. Each year, we use portions of the fund at our pleasure in ways that the Endowment Fund Committee feels will benefit all of our residents."

"Beautification improves our quality of life because our welfare has much to do with our surroundings. And your first impression of a city gives you a snapshot of the entire community. Your first impression of Midland is when you enter the entrances, so the first impression must be good." - John Bartos on the importance of the entryway work in our community, a project spearheaded by the Midland Area Community Foundation.

It's ok to be scared; it's ok to be unsure, but don't let that fear stop you from creating. Maybe someone told us that we weren't good at it, or we compared ourselves to others, which is why we say we're not good at it. We put so much pressure on the idea of doing creative things because it might be a waste of time if you're not using it for financial means, but I think people should be allowed to create just for the sake of creating;  everybody is creative, and we all have creativity within us, and it's just about finding what that specific medium is that will be the best outlet for our artistic journey and expression. - Jazz Our daily experiences affect how we interpret the world and the people around us. We are constantly being shifted by our situations. When we encounter these moments, we are the same being, altered in a slight or monumental way. Sometimes, what we see, and experience isn't exactly what we think we have seen.  - Mark

"I wanted to do more, but I needed funding. I was able to set up a project fund through the Midland Area Community Foundation. That was a great step because it allowed people to donate money to support the mission but under the umbrella of an organization they already trusted."

"When we were getting ready to open the shop, they [MyPros] approached us and asked if we'd be interested in applying for a program they were putting together to raise funds for a local start-up business. And so, we completed the application and were awarded the crowdfunding program's beneficiaries. It was launched at Wake Up Midland on a Friday morning in April [2019], and the crowdfunding campaign was supported. The campaign was supposed to run for up to 30 days, and then if we raised $10,000 from the community, the Midland Business Alliance [via a grant from the Community Foundation] would match with $10,000, but the community responded in less than a week! We were over the $10,000! It was an overwhelming donation, and we were awarded that money plus the match. This gift allowed us to buy equipment that wasn't in the budget. Mainly, our dough mixer is an Italian spiral dough mixer that gives our pizza dough the texture it has. We were also able to purchase outdoor furniture. These things really helped the business get jumpstarted."

If I had anything to say to people looking forward to the next 50 years of the Midland Area Community Foundation, it would be to get acquainted with the current President and CEO, Sharon Mortensen. She’s doing a marvelous job, isn’t she? She just set it on fire; she really has. She has a broad perspective of the community and what’s going on. You can tell she loves it and that people love to work with her, and that’s just a wonderful combination.

We also are very keen on going upstream. We want to go to the earliest possible place in someone's life and make the investment there. So, preschool fits perfectly there because it's really tough to start embedding concepts of learning as the child ages. It doesn't work that way. Fortunately, we both live by one word – service. We feel that we're here to serve others, not to serve ourselves. So, we're always looking for opportunities to provide service, whether it is with our time, our treasures, etc. This one just happened to be a bigger effort than what we'd ever imagined it could be. We have to give Sharon a lot of credit for the preschool scholarship. Without her idea, we'd still be plodding along. We spent four years getting doors closed on us, and she had the breakthrough idea of endowing a scholarship at the front end of the curve instead of on the other end where everybody else does it. It's so self-evident after the fact. Yet, we're so acculturated to post-secondary scholarships that nobody ever thought of preschools, but she did.

"What I hope is that the dominant culture in Midland will internalize the mission of making Midland more inclusive and take it upon themselves to keep the ball moving forward. I feel the burden is too much on the minority groups to keep it going. As minorities, we can only do so much. Sometimes I feel tired, and I am only one person. Midland can be a very transient community. The Muslims in Midland are constantly moving in and out. My husband and I are one of Midland's most tenured Muslim families; we've only been here 20 years. I would hate to see the Muslim community shrink in Midland and have Midland forget to teach their kids about who Muslims are, what they believe, and what they do. I want our majority culture in Midland to take it upon themselves and say, "this is important to us." We need to continue to support the vision of the Midland Area Culture Awareness Coalition."

Marcie shares, “I've been [in Midland] for 15 years and done many great things here. But [it was]  Karen Murphy who encouraged me to use my loss experience as a catalyst to bring something special to our community. She said, ‘We're gonna do this; you're gonna take it and go,’  and that's what we did. We partnered with the Strosacker Foundation, Midland Area Community Foundation, and so many more foundations and friends in our community to make Miracle Field a reality.  There are no resources like this anywhere in Northern Michigan. The closest Miracle Field is Bridgeport, and Southwest of us is Delta Township in Lansing. And so we have kids joining us from all over to enjoy this offering.”  Her excitement and pride at the accomplishment of this Miracle Field beam through in her enthusiasm.

"And a lot of communities don't have something like the Midland Area Community Foundation, organizations who are able to help with projects like these, and we're totally blessed. Once completed, the Pere-Marquette Rail Trail became an excellent way to be able to link the communities! Plus, you can use the corridors for bicycling, for transportation, and I get a smile on my face whenever I see somebody go down in a motorized wheelchair. That is so cool because it's an opportunity for them to get out and to feel free."

"I think that’s perhaps the only reason why they considered me a philanthropist. I was able to get involved and meet so many people in so many ways, from maple syrup at the Nature Center to help at Delta College and Northwood University.  As a home brewer, I decided to become a partner and start a brewery, so I’m part owner of Tri-City Brewing.  I was on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross for a term, and because I enjoy riding my bike, I was also on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Peré Marquette Rail Trail. There are so many opportunities to connect with our community in a way I was most comfortable, behind the scenes.  I can do things I am interested in and make a little difference.”

"I initially joined the Youth Action Council because my dad described the group to me back in middle school as being ‘kind of like Shark Tank’: kids pitch their ideas and request money to accomplish them. I thought that was interesting, but I didn’t join because I didn’t know anyone on the committee. But then I was at cross country practice one day and heard one of my friends talking about being involved in the Council, and that’s what got me to join. After I joined, I found myself looking up to the Council’s officers—it was cool to see young people in leadership roles. I wanted to be a role model for future kids, and that became something I wanted to take on."

“Many things led to where I am today, but with the Community Foundation, my first interaction was with applying for a scholarship when I was in high school at Dow High.  I received an anonymous donor scholarship from the Midland Area Community Foundation, which helped me immensely.” “I had to pay for my own schooling, and it was $1,000, which back then paid for more than a semester, which is amazing, and books as well,” Craig says with laughter. “And so it was this incredible gift to me. I’d been saving for college, knowing I’d pay for it myself. But it was massive and helped me to get started and be the first person in my family to get a four-year degree. I remember Esther Gerstacker shaking my hand at the ceremony that I attended with my mom. From this experience, mentorship from Esther, and how my mom and grandfather lived with a philosophy of helping other people, a whole new avenue opened up for me. I went to college and, after graduating, returned to Midland to work for the Dow family. Around that time, Mr. Dow passed, and Mrs. Dow and her family began considering what would happen to this building long-term.” -Craig McDonald

As an active community partner, the Midland Area Community Foundation and its donors put energy behind beloved Midland traditions like the Midland Soccer Club. With endowment funds supporting the Club held at the Midland Area Community Foundation, the Club has the ability to advance its mission now – and in the future. "Soccer means a lot to my family because of what it has given us. My daughter played soccer all the way through high school, which, along with her academics, helped her get into West Point. It's a difficult admission process, only accepting 1,200 kids a year, so it's a big deal. Incredibly, during her time at West Point, there were also four other students from Midland Public Schools there at the same time. Along with the Midland Soccer Club, Midland Public Schools prepared my daughter well for college, and today she's a Major in the Army, teaches ROTC at Cornell, and will ultimately get her doctorate. She learned, she got an education, and she's had a career."

"The partnerships between philanthropic efforts of community members made possible by Midland Area Community Foundation and public services like Parks and Recreation are significant and vital to understand. Everyone is invited to participate and can engage in very simple ways. As the director of Public Services for the City of Midland, I have worked with the Community Foundation to seek grant support to build community assets - to create places where people can engage in creating or expanding their community experience. Smaller grants to put signage at City Forest, larger grants for Chippewassee Trail expansion, and the Grove promenade. Grants to support larger community initiatives like Miracle Field and Poseyville Riverfront restoration. I've partnered with the Foundation on the Fun Zone renovation - funding component plus volunteer engagement. And I'm an active member of the Access to Community Committee at the Foundation."

The essence of a community foundation is everyday community members coming together to make a difference in their own backyard. Your Foundation believes anyone can be a philanthropist through a dedication of time, talent, or treasure. Very few embody Midland Area Community Foundation's spirit like Dr. Linneaus (Lin) Dorman, who has been a member of the Community Foundation for all but five years of its existence. Dr. Dorman has been a Midland Area Community Foundation member since 1978 when he joined the Grants Committee. Since joining, he served as Foundation Trustee, Board of Trustees Vice President, Grants Committee Chair, Executive Committee Member, and Investment Committee Member. Additionally, as he worked as the first African-American research chemist at Dow Chemical, he assisted in founding the Midland Area Cultural Awareness Coalition. Beyond his work in service to The Foundation, Dorman and his late wife, Phae Dorman, also formed their own Midland Believes Scholarship, The Dorman Family Midland Believes Scholarship Fund.

"I dream of Midland being Inclusive Town, USA." "I want us to be known as a Small Town America that really did make an exceptional effort to include all people with all abilities and that we have not only the facilities to accommodate our own residents but to accommodate visitors and that we will be a destination for a wheelchair users and for people of all abilities who want to go on vacation. With so many resources and with so much education and the socio-economic power, we can do it because we placed a high priority on this. I have this hope and dream because of the people that I have interacted with so far; their deep level of emotional and personal involvement in what happens in the community allows me to literally see that vision coming to life."

Prologue: The Midland Area Community Foundation believes the best things happen when we work collaboratively with others to bring about change. In 2017 Bob Mass had an idea to enrich Midland County by adding a to-scale solar system along the Pere Marquette Rail Trail. Through the Midland Area Community Foundation, Bob connected with long-time Community Foundation donor Jim Malek and Midland County Parks and Recreation’s John Schmude. The Foundation was one of the proud funders of this project. Together with numerous other community partners, the incredible transformation of 5.6 miles of the Pere Marquette Rail Trail near Coleman became a reality.

Prologue: On Sunday, October 4, 1981, the Tridge, Midland's defining landmark, was officially dedicated to the citizens of Midland. The introduction of the Tridge marked a triumphant moment in Midland's history - signifying the community's commitment to collaboration, long-term transformation, and beautification through local resources and initiative. The Midland Area Community Foundation opened a project fund and led community efforts to raise $366,000, earning a matching challenge grant from the Gerstacker Foundation. Although the Community Foundation wasn't the largest funder, this project displayed the Foundation's ability to cultivate the power of giving in our community. Frank Gerace was named the general contractor on the project. The ripple effects of the Tridge's construction can still be felt throughout Midland, exemplified by Frank Gerace's legacy and the Community Foundation's position as a community leader.

“I think we need to be vulnerable, because if we're really going to create community change, you have to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable means that you can't have it all figured out. We have to be open to the input of others. At the end of the day, I have one perspective: mine. That's pretty narrow. But to create a better community, you need everyone’s perspective. If you don't have an openness and vulnerability, how are you ever going to listen? People are going to tell you things that you don't do well, and you have to be willing to listen to them, try it on, and to say, ‘You know, they're right about this.’” – Sharon Mortensen, President and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation