There is a lot happening here at The Dayton Foundation. Read what’s new on this page, or check out our News & Publications page, where you will find recent press releases, a calendar of events or highlights about the Foundation in the news.

For the seventh consecutive year, The Dayton Foundation has been named an award winner for excellence in communications by the national Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the premiere professional organization for all foundations in the U.S. and abroad, this national awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs.

The Dayton Foundation received the 2010 Silver Award in the magazine and periodicals category for Good News, the Foundation’s general newsletter. The Dayton Foundation competed against the largest of more than 700 community foundations across the United States and abroad (foundations over $250 million in assets). The award will be presented next month at the Council on Foundations’ 61th Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.

The Dayton Foundation has named Gary L. LeRoy, M.D., the new chair of the Foundation's Governing Board. Dr. LeRoy will serve a two-year term as chair, succeeding Charles A. Jones, retired chief operating officer/assistant city manager (deputy city manager) for the City of Dayton and Foundation Board chair for the past two years.

A Governing Board member since 2004, Dr. LeRoy chaired the Foundation’s Grants and Programs Committee and most recently has served as Board vice chair and a member of the Executive Committee. Dr. LeRoy is a practicing family physician and associate dean of Student Affairs and Admissions and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He is the former medical director of the East Dayton Health Center.

Over the past several years, Dr. LeRoy has held numerous prominent leadership positions throughout Greater Dayton, including serving as the Chief Medical Consultant for the City of Dayton Schools. He currently serves on the boards of Hospice of Dayton and Mound Street Academy and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the Ohio State Medical Association, as well as a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. LeRoy previously served on the boards for The American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter, Dayton Gem Special Needs Center, Miami Valley Academy of Family Physicians, Miami Valley Hospital, Reach Out of Montgomery County and the Wright State University Alumni Association. He also served as the president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians in 2004 and 2005 and has held leadership positions with the American Academy of Family Physicians and Phi Rho Sigma Medical Society.

The Dayton Foundation has appointed Anita J. Moore and Charles G. Schroeder as new members to its Governing Board, which provides stewardship for the Foundation and its charitable activities.

Anita Moore is the retired vice president of Human Resources for The Berry Company/AT&T and serves on the boards of County Corp and Miami Valley Hospital. She is a founding member and president of the Dayton Diversity and Inclusion Partners and is a member of the Dayton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Premier Health Partners Cultural Diversity Board, Dayton Area Recruiting Alliance Program Committee and the Victoria Theatre Association Marketing Advisory Committee. She previously served on the Dayton Diversity Task Force.

Charles Schroeder is the president and owner of Dayton Wire Wheel, which has been designing and manufacturing specialized wire automobile wheels since 1916. He has served on the Board of Directors of The Muse Machine and as Racquets chairman of Moraine Country Club. He also has co-chaired the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery’s Concours d’ Elegance and has been of service to Citizens Motorcar Company – America’s Packard Museum – and to the Asian Arts Center.

Angela Clements, C.P.A. and senior development officer of The Dayton Foundation, has been elected to the Ohio Grantmakers Forum (OGF) Board of Trustees. OGF is an association of foundations, corporate contributions programs and other grantmaking organizations that provides leadership for organized philanthropy in Ohio to help fulfill their members’ charitable goals. Together, OGF’s more than 200 member organizations provide over $1 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations yearly.

Dayton Foundation President Michael M. Parks, who just concluded his term on the OGF Board, continues to chair OGF’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Channon Lemon, director of the Minority Economic Development Council (MEDC), created in part by The Dayton Foundation, was named Advocate of the Year for 2009 by the South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council. Since joining MEDC in 2007, Ms. Lemon has helped to forge greater collaboration and support for minority businesses in the Greater Dayton Region, particularly in the construction and building services industries, and to develop stronger supplier inclusion programs.

Thomas J. Lasley, III, has stepped down as dean of the School of Allied Professions at the University of Dayton to become the executive director of EDvention. EDvention, which is located within The Dayton Foundation’s offices, is a collaborative effort dedicated to accelerating science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) talent to grow the workforce for the Greater Dayton Region. Said Dr. Lasley, “The capacity for innovation and the ability to leverage the assets of the region to enhance talent development — that's what excites me."

Two charitable organizations that benefit individuals with disabilities – The Disability Foundation, a supporting organization of The Dayton Foundation, and the Brighter Tomorrow Foundation (BTF) – have formed a new partnership that will better serve individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and the community. The Brighter Tomorrow Foundation recently announced its merger with The Disability Foundation in order to provide greater efficiencies and economies of scale.

“The ultimate result will be that more people with developmental disabilities will benefit, thanks to more funds being made available to support those organizations that provide direct services to these individuals and their families,” said Kevin Hayde, executive director of The Disability Foundation. “This is good for the community and for thousands of individuals in our region who directly or indirectly benefit from the work of these two organizations.”

The Disability Foundation was established in 1998 as a nationally groundbreaking opportunity for families to provide supplemental support to their loved ones with disabilities without jeopardizing governmental benefits. The foundation currently manages 209 trusts and has awarded more than $668,000 to individuals with disabilities, with $287,000 distributed last year alone.

Established in 1989 through the Montgomery County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD), The Brighter Tomorrow Foundation awards grants to organizations that serve people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Projects supported include housing, mobility equipment, and educational and recreational activities.

“The Dayton Foundation, through The Disability Foundation, will handle the day-to-day operations with the Brighter Tomorrow Foundation advisory committee focusing on donor relations and developing a plan for long-term financial stability,” said Mark Gerhardstein, superintendent for the Montgomery County Board of MRDD. “We will continue to operate with the same brand and identity, as well as trustees. This is a win-win-win opportunity for both organizations and for the community.”