Twelve nonprofits, both local and national, recently received grant support from the Doris Reisner Endowment Fund and the Mike and Laura Bysiek Memorial Fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Established by the late Doris Reisner, the Doris Reisner Endowment Fund makes possible 10 annual grants to causes designated by Reisner.
Doris Reisner was a dedicated community volunteer. She was one of the original founders of The ReHabilitation Center, helped with the Blind Association, St. Mark’s Guild at St. Stephen’s Church and much more.
Reisner also established the Lewis and Doris Reisner Fund at CRCF in memory of her husband, Dr. Lewis C. Reisner, a local OBGYN and one of the earliest members of the Olean Medical Group.
This year, the Doris Reisner Endowment Fund made possible $7,990.45 in grants.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, the ReHabilitation Foundation and American Cancer Society each received $1,198.61.
Genesis House of Olean, Empire Association of the Deaf, HomeCare and Hospice and Interfaith Caregiviers each received grants of $799.08.
The American Diabetes Association, SPCA in Cattaraugus County and American Friends Services all received $399.54.
Since the fund’s establishment in 2000, it has made possible over $125,000 in grants to organizations chosen by Doris Reisner.
Mike and Laura Bysiek’s daughters Jean Gonska and Lorraine Diggs, established the Mike and Laura Bysiek Memorial Fund in memory of their parents’ and in honor of their values in hard work, love of family, quality of life and support of community in 2019.
The Bysiek Fund supports six annual grants to local organizations that embody in those values and the interests of the family.
Joyful Rescues received $500 this year. Gonska and her husband, Mike Gonska, are dedicated Joyful Rescues volunteers and foster animals awaiting adoption at the agency.
HomeCare & Hospice, the SPCA in Cattaraugus County, Olean Food Pantry, Canticle Farm and the Olean General Hospital Foundation each received $100 grants.
According to CRCF Executive Director Karen Niemic Buchheit, the grants from these donor-designated funds (grants are made per the designations set by the donors) come at a critical time for nonprofits.
“As we are now a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs of nonprofits only continue to increase due to lost fundraising revenue, increased demand of services, etc.,” said Buchheit. “The grant recipients know that they can rely on the annual funding of these endowments that will only grow over time. The pandemic has really shown the value of endowment funds like these.”
Donations can be made to the Doris Reisner Endowment Fund and Mike and Laura Bysiek Memorial Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14760, or online at cattfoundation.org.
Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).
