Health Funds

The Health Fund supports prevention and healthy living efforts in addition to behavioral, mental, and physical health programs in Charlevoix County. The Community Foundation has made many grants in these areas, like grants to local hospitals to fund youth fitness and nutrition programs, as well as to agencies that work with senior citizens to provide education and access to nutritious food. Other grants have helped improve patient access to better healthcare by providing specific equipment to aid in recovery and rehabilitation, as well as signage and crosswalk improvements to provide safe routes to school for area youth.

Photo: Children learning about healthy foods at the Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Wellness Workshop

Towsley Fund for Health     

The Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation established the Towsley Fund at the Community Foundation in 1994.  Founding President Bob Tambellini applied for funding for a permanent endowment to both grow our young foundation and to capture matching funds from the Frey and Kellogg Foundations.  The purpose of the Towsley Fund was to provide grant dollars for youth projects and health related issues in Charlevoix County. 

Margaret Ann (Ranny) Riecker was the President of the Towsley Foundation at the time.  According to her 2013 obituary in the Midland Daily News, “Ranny was a strong believer in collaboration in philanthropy.  In the 2012 annual report for The Dow Foundation, she wrote ‘In a time of tightening resources and increasing need, it’s important that we make the most of every minute and every penny.  Often, the best way to do that is to work together.  So we help create collaborative opportunities among nonprofits, governmental agencies, the private sector and other organizations. Sharing expertise, finding complementary strengths and leveraging resources gives us stronger organizations who accomplish more.  Even better, it creates a shared sense of purpose that makes us even stronger’.” Establishing the Towsley Fund was a demonstration of that sense of collaboration and a significant contribution to the Charlevoix County Community Foundation.

In 2017, the Community Foundation’s trustees approved an alteration to the Fund: splitting the existing balance into two funds named the Towsley Fund for Health and the Towsley Fund for Youth.  In addition to clearer grant-making guidelines, the new Funds now offer opportunities for others to contribute and make a difference in the overall health of residents and for youth in Charlevoix County.

Owen Welsh Fund for Health     

More Funds that support Health