Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

1. JAMES—Laura Antolak of Rolla was presented with a certificate of appreciation from Meramec Regional Community Foundation Board Chairman Wayne Parry at the July 29 meeting for her five years of service to the foundation. This was Antolak’s last meeting as she stepped down to devote more time to The Kaleidoscope Discovery Center.

Antolak was a founding member of MRCF and served as the board’s first president from June 2010 to June 2012. She then served as an at-large member from June 2013 to June 2015 and assisted with the establishment of 10 funds over those five years.

MRCF is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of CFO in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Wayne Parry, a Rolla banker, serves as MRCF’s chairman.

Currently, MRCF has 41 funds totaling more than $697,688.

CFO is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region through resource development, community grant-making, collaboration and public leadership. Formed in 1973, CFO has since grown to include 47 affiliate community foundations and more than 2,600 charitable funds totaling approximately $259 million in assets.

For more information on MRCF, contact Maria Bancroft at 573-265-2993 or mbancroft@meramecregion.org. Visit the website at www.cfozarks.org/meramec.

For the latest news and events from MRPC and MRCF, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/meramecregion or visit the MRPC website at meramecregion.org.