16 Thursday, August 1, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
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in May after the March departure of
Brenda Hunt.
Muliett is the fifth person to lead the
organization as president and chief
executive officer.
“We’re taking over downtown for a
few hours,” said Muliett. “I am super
jazzed about it because I keep hearing
how amazing it was.”
The block party will offer food,
“family fun,” a “handful” of vendors
and more.
“It’s an event that the community can
come to,” she said. “We want you to
join us if you can.”
The event is set for 4-6 p.m.
“I’ve been on a whirlwind of meet-
ings with everybody I can possibly fit
into my schedule because I want to
hear all of the voices,” she also said at
the Meet and Greet, “and lift all voices
in our community.”
Muliett addressed the attendees after
the reception held in The Lincoln
Room of the BCCF at 32 West
Michigan Avenue.
“I really am excited about the poten-
tial for systems change in our com-
munity,” she said. “The energy that’s
here, bringing that together and being
together, is just an amazing honor, to
be even a small part of that.”
Muliett praised the local leadership
already in place and thanked everyone
for attending.
“I look forward to partnering with
all the like minded leaders in the com-
munity,” she said. “We have incredible
leadership. We are the community with
the most non-profits and I’m hoping to
get to almost all of them soon.”
Muliett, who has lived in Battle
Creek for more than 20 years, said she
is still learning about the community.“So how to we lift all those voices?
How do we share that story with
everyone here,” said Muliett, “all
of those folks? I see us able to help
bridge those stories and that’s what I
hope to do here at the foundation.”
Muliett added that she is focusing in
on the BCCF core commitments such
as scholarships, grant making, phil-
anthropic services and donor advised
funds.
“All very important, core to who we
are as a foundation,” she said, “and
then support to our community affili-
ates and the orgs we oversee and sup-
port.”
On average annually, the BCCF
awards more than $2.5 million in
scholarships.
Also on average, the BCCF has
granted more than $3.5 million into the
community annually.
“This work doesn’t get done with
just one person,” she added. “We have
an amazing team here.”
Currently, the foundation has $
million in assets and in round one of
the twice annual competitive grant
process, $450,000 has been requested
by 22 applicants, she said in April just
before taking the helm on May 8.
In 2014 when the BCCF celebrated
its 40th anniversary, it held around
$114 million in assets.
The BCCF was launched in 1974
under the leadership of the late Bob
Miller to create a way for ordinary citi-
zens to become philanthropists, a con-
cept that has proven widely successful
as it reaches its 50th year.
“I think it’s amazing a town this
size has a community foundation with
over $100 million in assets,” said its
first full time CEO, Jim Richmond,
in 2014. “How many other towns in
Michigan have a community founda-
tion with an asset base that large?”50 YEARS
Continued from Page 1Richmond, who could not be
reached for comment, left in 1990 and
was succeeded by Pete J. Christ, who
also remains in the community.
He was succeeded by Hunt in the
1998-1999 fiscal year.
Over the years, the BCCF helped
secure financing for the renovation of
Heritage Tower, now known as The
Milton, an apartment and commercial
building, where the foundation man-
ages the mezzanine space.
It also has boosted health care
initiatives, created the College
Access Network (BC CAN), the
Youth Alliance Committee (YAC),
Encourage BC, The Giving Cup BC,
AnyBodies Playground, created a
holding company that owns and oper-
ates the Kool Family Community
Center, established Legacy Scholars
as a supporting organization and
received the largest bequest in BCCF
history, $10 million from Gerald and
Mary Phelps, to name just a few of its
accomplishments.
The foundation, which employs 46
people and is overseen by a volunteer
board is also the fiduciary for the
Homer Area Community Foundation,
the Harper Creek Educational
Foundation and the Athens
Community Foundation, while also
supporting the Tekonsha Community
Foundation.
And, the BCCF has several affili-
ates such as Battle Creek College
Access Network, Albion Health Care
Alliance, Population Health Alliance,
Lakeview Schools Educational
Foundation and Battle Creek Public
Schools Foundation, while also main-
taining a host of different funds.
Businesses interested in having
booths or being sponsors for the 50th
anniversary should call the BCCF at
(269) 962-2181, said Muliett.
“With the 50th year here,” she
added, “we are going back to some
words we used to say and we’re say-
ing, ‘For Good, Forever and For All.’
And we truly mean each of those
words. With that, we’ve reignited
the Forever Fund here at the founda-
tion. As we build that fund, it helps
us remain strong for another 50 years
and beyond and it creates the ability
for us to make even more, tremendous
impact out in the community with our
grand making, etc.”
Muliett added that she is thrilled to
be a part of the BCCF.
“We’re here to hear our commu-
nity,” she said, “engage with the com-
munity and serve.”Local students
make NMU
dean’s list
Northern Michigan University
in Marquette recently announced
its dean’s list for the winter 2024
semester.
The following Battle Creek
students qualified for the dean’s
list with a grade-point aver-
age of 4.0: Kaitlyn McMillen,
Emily Snyder and Megan
Yorke.
Also from Battle
Creek, Maddy Perry qualified
with a grade-point average of
3.5-3.99.The letters of these crazy words are all mixed up.
To play the game, put them back into the right order
so that they all make real words you can find in the
dictionary. Write the letters of each real word under
each crazy word, but only one letter to a square.
Now you’re ready to solve today’s Jumble for Kids.
Study the picture for a hint. Play around with the
letters in the circles. You’ll find you can put them in
order so that they make your funny answer.Print Answer Here