Mineral Point Community Foundation

The Mineral Point Community Endowment Fund is a permanent endowment created in 2016 to provide support for people, projects, and plans of Mineral Point. Each year the endowment gives back a portion of its earnings in the form of grants to qualified organizations serving the community.

Since its founding in June 2016, the Mineral Point Community Endowment Fund has given back more than $74,300 to the community. In the spring of 2023, the board was able to award its largest grant to date of $15,000.00 to support the launch of Pointer Care, a safe and affordable after-school childcare program at the Mineral Point Elementary School. Mo May Grimm, the Kids Club Director, provided an update on the great impact the grant had on the school district and the community.

How many students has the Pointer Kids Club impacted?
42 students currently attend Pointer Kids' Club before and/or after school.

How many families are using the Pointer Kids Club?
30 families currently use Pointer Kids' Club for before and/or after school care.

What are the biggest impacts the Pointer Kids Club has on the community?
Pointer Kids' Club provides a fun, safe space for kids before and after school. This gives parents one less thing to worry about and kids more time to be kids!

What are some exciting activities or projects students have participated in since the start?
We've had a variety of craft projects since we've started. Often, we start out with an idea in mind and the kids take it where they want to go. The resulting creations are quite imaginative. For example, we once provided coffee filters, markers and pipe cleaners to create tie-dyed butterflies. While many loved creating these, others made up new designs. One day, I brought items from my recycle bin and simply instructed the kids that they were to make things they'd need for a restaurant. They were delighted! I recall a round saltbox being transformed into a fancy cake! We've used toilet paper rolls to make kaleidoscopes and to make courses for marbles (also donated). This week, a community volunteer taught kids how to sew, using fabric, batting, needles and thread (all donated by community members). We've also made our version of GAK several times for the kids to take home and on a few occasions have made cookies to take home to bake. We also allow plenty of time for kids who prefer physical activities and have a variety of games available. This week, we'll be going on a field trip to watch a movie sponsored by the public library. Thanks to a $75 donation from the Lands' End QA Department, each child will be able to get an item from the concession stand.

Any testimonials from families that you could share?
Pointer Kids Club has been a huge benefit to my family and my child. Knowing my child has a safe and consistent place to be after school reduces the mental load and guilt of being a working parent. My daughter loves kids club and is usually disappointed when I pick her up (because she would like to stay longer). She is able to engage in enriching play-based activities. She has expanded her interests and knowledge. She also is afforded the opportunity to foster relationships with children outside her grade level that she doesn't spend as much time with during the school day. Kids Club gets a 20/10 rating from us. :)

Pointer Kids Club has given our family peace of mind knowing our daughter has a safe and caring place to go before and after school. She absolutely loves going to PKC and has had the chance to participate in many fun activities and make new friends!

My wife and I both commute to work and Pointer Kids Club allows us to get our daughter to school earlier and get us to work on time. It’s been a schedule saver for us!

Our third grader attends Pointer Kids Club. She loves playing and crafting, and we are grateful to have a safe, consistent, affordable place for her to be in the time between the end of school day and the end of the workday.

Anything else you would like the community to know about Pointer Kids Club?
We have great snacks! For kids who don't like the fresher option on any given day, we have a snack cupboard with items like granola bars, Goldfish crackers, peaches, applesauce, and fruit snacks. I was surprised to learn how many kids love hard boiled eggs and dill pickles. Apples and bananas with peanut butter are also popular.

If you would like to learn more about the Mineral Point Community Endowment Fund and grants that have been awarded to the community. Please visit https://cfsw.org/funds/mineral-point-community-endowment-fund.

2024 Mineral Point Community Foundation Grant is OPEN!

If you missed the Mineral Point Community Foundation Annual Appeal in your mailbox, here it is for you! If you wish to donate online: www.cfsw.org/donate Click in the Donate Online section and select Mineral Point Community Fund.

Thank you to all who have contributed so far. We were able to get our match of $20,000! We have big giving plans for 2024. Help us fulfill those plans!

Interested in learning more about a named fund? https://cfsw.org/donors/faq/

We had so much success last year with Mineral Point Excellence in Education Snack Drive, that we are doing it again and adding some items. Please consider a donation. Drop offs can be made at the winter concerts OR at either school office. Thank you again for your support and generosity!

Thank you to the Odd Fellows in Mineral Point for their consistent support of the Mineral Point Excellence in Education Foundation. Their latest pork sandwich lunch allowed them to contribute $500 to the MPEIE! Thank you!!

😋 Plan on supporting the Odd Fellows' pork sandwich fundraiser for the Mineral Point Community and Excellence in Education Endowment Funds and Pointer Pantry this Friday and Saturday from 10 am - 2 pm at Aspen Ridge Home & Garden!

🥳 A big congrats to Kimberly Diefenbach who is one of this year's grant recipients from the Mineral Point Community and Excellence in Education Endowment Funds! Her "Exploring Our World Locally" project received $1,000 from the Don Hawkins Community Oak Savanna Endowment Fund, and the Mineral Point EIE Fund, to purchase supplies for students to use authentic field tools to explore and document the wildlife and wild places in their local area. Grants from the Mineral Point EIE support educational programming outside of the boundaries of the school district budget. To learn more about the EIE, visit https://cfsw.org/eie/mineral-point/

One last Mineral Point Excellence in Education Grant awardee. Congratulations to Kimberly Diefenbach for Receiving a $1,000 grant for Exploring Our World Locally.

🥳 A big congrats to Denise Gorgen who is one of this year's grant recipients from the Mineral Point Community and Excellence in Education Endowment Funds! Her "Kind Kids Campaign" project received $1,265 from the Mineral Point EIE Fund to purchase supplies to support this program focused on the importance of spreading kindness throughout our school and community while helping students discover the power of positivity and develop a gracious attitude. Grants from the Mineral Point EIE support educational programming outside of the boundaries of the school district budget. To learn more about the EIE, visit https://cfsw.org/eie/mineral-point/

🥳 A big congrats to Ashley Calderon-McHugh who is one of this year's grant recipients from the Mineral Point Community and Excellence in Education Endowment Funds! Her "Finale Software" project received $990 from the Roger & Mary Ivey EIE Endowment Fund, and the Burnell and Vivian Wang EIE Fund, to purchase software for the computers in the lab for students to learn and practice music literacy, composition, and analysis. Grants from the Mineral Point EIE support educational programming outside of the boundaries of the school district budget. To learn more about the EIE, visit https://cfsw.org/eie/mineral-point/

The Mineral Point Lions Club recently contributed $2,500 to the Brian Busch and Jim Ludlum Memorial Endowment Fund, a named fund within the Mineral Point Community Foundation. The balance contributed was needed to fulfill the fund which now allows that fund to start earning interest so that the MPCF can give out money in the 2024 grant award cycle. This fund will only be awarded to grants that benefit the Mineral Point Fire and Rescue needs. To contribute to this memorial fund: https://cfsw.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=5377

Thank you Mineral Point Lions Club!

The Mineral Point Excellence in Education Foundation is honored to share the grant award winners.

The Mineral Point Community Foundation is so pleased to announce the grant awardees...

💙 The Mineral Point Community and Excellence in Education Endowment Funds will be hosting a Snack Drive at our Winter Concerts!

Why a Snack Drive? Our students get hungry between breakfast and lunch. Many have the resources to bring their own snacks. However, for others this is a challenge. Having additional snacks on hand helps to support our students with meeting their basic needs so they are more available for learning throughout the day.

Not sure what to donate? Some great snack choices include:
Individually packed non-perishable items such as: granola bars, applesauce pouches, crackers (plain, cheesy, and peanut butter sandwiches), fruit snacks, trail mix.

Please bring donations to the following events when you join us to celebrate the sounds of the season:
-- Middle/High School Concert: Monday, December 12 at 7 pm
-- Elementary Concert: Wednesday, December 21 at 12:30 pm
Both concerts will be held in the middle/high school gym.

If you are unable to attend these events, but would like to help, snacks can be dropped off with attention to:
-- Katelyn Oellerich (School Psychologist) located at the Elementary (611 Cothern St)
-- Dani Robb (Social/Emotional Learning Coach) located at the Middle/High (705 Ross St)

Thank you for your support!

Thank you to the Mineral Point Odd Fellows for once again hosting a food stand at Aspen Ridge that directly benefits the Mineral Point Excellence in Education Endowment Fund. Thank you Odd Fellows!! We appreciate it!

Thanks to the Odd Fellows for AGAIN supporting the Mineral Point Excellence in Education Endowment Fund!!! WE APPRECIATE YOU!!!

It is the perfect fall weather for Fall Festival at Aspen Ridge Home & Garden this weekend! Don't forget they have apple cider donuts! 😋

The Mineral Point Excellence in Education granted money for an Outdoor Sensory Pathway at the Mineral Point Elementary School. Volunteers from Cummins and Tom Ingwell completed the cement surface outside of the elementary gymnasium. What a great asset to our school and community!

Congratulations to the awardees for the 2022 Mineral Point Community Foundation grants. Watch your mailboxes in the next few months for more information on the newly created Brian Busch and Jim Ludlum Memorial Endowment Fund.

Congratulations Shake Rag Alley. Excited for the summer with you!

Congratulations Mineral Point Historical Society. We appreciate all that you do to preserve the history of our community!

We are extremely grateful to the Mineral Point Community Foundation for awarding us a 2022 community grant to add blackout shades to the second floor of Orchard Lawn to help us preserve and save our historical collections. Thank you!

Grant submission for the Mineral Point Community Foundation is OPEN.

Perfect example of love of family and love of Mineral Point. Thank you to the Argall and Pittz families for building a named legacy that will live on and support our community for hundreds of years to come.

Can't beat the local paper to do a great job and get important news out. Thanks Kenyon Bennett and The Democrat Tribune for being a consistent presence and supporter of Mineral Point.