Inside Northside

The foundation works hard to communicate how the foundation can help individuals and corporations accomplish their philanthropic goals. "When people think 'donors,' they think the mega-rich," Susan says. But that's not necessarily true. Any size donation can be used through the foundation to fulfill a donor's passion, whether for gardening initiati... ves (see sidebar), disaster relief services or other projects those are important to the donor and the community. Ann Hebert of Covington provides a touching example of an individual who wanted to make an impact quickly. Her son, 6th-grader Jeremy Hebert, died of heart failure while at Pine View Middle School last September. "The awareness of heart disease and the importance of having a defibrillator immediately available to both children and adults became a passion that spoke to my heart immediately upon Jeremy's death," Ann says. Realizing that defibrillators were only available in public high schools throughout St. Tammany, Ann wanted to obtain defibrillators for all schools. "After researching where and how to place funds, the vision of the NCF was a perfect match with our mission," Ann says. The result of her initial meeting with the foundation was immediate-"[the fund] was established by the time she left 45 minutes later," Susan recalls. Family and friends could make a tax-deductible donation to the NCF for the Jeremy Hebert Defibrillator Fund. With those gifts, the foundation has begun purchasing defibrillators, and the school board has started delivering them. Another advantage of working with the foundation to carry out your philanthropic goals is that they handle administration hassles, such as writing thank-you notes for donations received and managing tax and reporting requirements for the donors. Individuals and corporations can write one check to the foundation to create a fund from which they can manage their philanthropic giving. Jack and Maura Donahue, who have both a company fund and a personal fund at the foundation, are grateful for the ...Read More