Children’s choir pursues endowment fund goal

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HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County Children’s Choir has started an endowment fund to ensure it can continue entertaining audiences and teaching kids important skills long into the future.

A few years ago, the choir was gifted $3,000 with the intent that it be invested in an endowment fund with the Hancock County Community Foundation, Joanna Crump, director of finance for the choir, said in an email.

"From the beginning, choir leadership has placed high importance on establishing an endowment fund," Crump said. "Having an endowment is a critical part of our organization’s sustainability plan. The choir’s new endowment fund will help ensure HCCC’s programming continues well into the future."

The Wortman Family Donor Advised Fund, a component of the Hancock County Community Foundation, awarded a $7,500 match challenge grant to the choir last May. 

"I’m so impressed with how they incorporate social graces and life skills into their programming, something I feel is very important today," Bob Wortman of the Wortman Family Donor Advised Fund said in an email, adding the choir’s performances are "excellent."

Crump told the Daily Reporter that the choir teaches children more than just singing. Programming also addresses life skills like interviewing, poise, public speaking and etiquette, she said.

Following the Wortman Family Donor Advised Fund match challenge, the choir formed a development committee charged with not only raising $7,500 to meet the match, but to raise an additional $10,000 for the total endowment goal of $25,000, Crump said. The choir hopes to accomplish that goal by the end of June 2019.

Last December, the choir met the Wortman Family Donor Advised Fund match and was awarded the $7,500, Crump said.

Crump added the choir recently received two additional pledges totaling $5,000 to be used as a match challenge during a public fundraising campaign that launched on March 1. 

Currently, the choir has raised about $22,000 of its $25,000 endowment goal, Crump said.

The choir recently held its annual spring concert, which honored U.S. military service members and veterans. The choir also performs a Christmas concert every year. Since the choir started in 2011, it has performed twice at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Almost 150 singers age 5 through 18 currently make up the choir. It’s getting ready to graduate a class of 10 seniors, the largest in its history.

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Donate to the Hancock County Children’s Choir endowment fund at hancockcountychildrenschoir.org.

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