Foundation of Grand Terrace Reflects on a Decade of Accomplishment

The Foundation of Grand Terrace officially celebrated a decade of service to the Blue Mountain community. The celebration also included the presentation of the Grand Terrace Lions Club’s Tony Petta Spirit of the Community Award to Petta’s widow, Ann. The organization invited community members to the Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Fellowship Hall on Saturday, Sept. 28, to reflect on the last 10 years and envision the next decade of service and the Foundation’s role in the community, shared the Foundation’s Vice President of Development, Ryan Stephens. The Foundation “cast a vision for the next 10 years, for the future of service in the community and for the Foundation’s future in Grand Terrace,” Stephens said. “The Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the city of Grand Terrace. We do this through city beautification, youth services, events committees [who plan] the Grand Terrace Days and the Halloween Festival, the Veterans Committee and the Dog Park Committee,” said Stephens. Saturday’s celebration was the opportunity for the Foundation to showcase their accomplishments within the city and raise funds to continue their work in the community. Congressman Gary Miller (R-Rancho Cucamonga), Assemblymember Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino), Assemblymember Mike Morrell (R-Redlands) and San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos also participated in the anniversary and recognized several honorees, and Baskets Ahh La Cart donated a gift basket for the occasion. The Foundation of Grand Terrace was established in 2003 by a group of community leaders who desired to strengthen the community and in the last decade has accomplished a long list of projects for the betterment and benefit of Grand Terrace and its residents. The Foundation has preserved land on Blue Mountain, raised funds for the Fire Department paramedic, has hosted the annual Grand Terrace Community Days and Halloween Festival events, sponsored city-wide beautification and cleanup days, has donated trees to the city, supported local clubs and organizations, has sponsored reading programs, has secured land for the city’s future dog park, and has assisted veterans in creating a veteran’s memorial wall in Pico Park, to name a few. Foundation President and Grand Terrace City Council Member Darcy McNaboe shared that as the Foundation’s ability to support various community projects and organizations, the Foundation of Grand Terrace’s “impact and significance to the well-being of Grand Terrace also increases.” [END] Foundation of GT 10th Anniversary Date: Saturday, September 28, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Event Location: Azure Hills SDA Fellowship Hall Address: 22633 Barton Rd. Grand Terrace CA 92313 Description: The Foundation will present the “Tony Petta Community Spirit Award.” Tickets $40/ person or $75/couple. RSVP required. CONTACT INFO Phone: RSVP Sally McGuire 909-238-9944 After a decade of service to the community of Grand Terrace, the Foundation is taking time to celebrate the accomplishments of the last ten years and envisioning plans for the future of service in the community. The celebration will take place on Saturday, September 28th and will include the presentation of the Grand Terrace Lions Club’s first annual Tony Petty Community Spirit Award. The Foundation of Grand Terrace began in September of 2003 with the goal of establishing a community endowment fund that could support the organization’s mission of: “…enhancing the quality of life in our community by working with our neighbors, service organizations and civic leaders to undertake projects that support the future of Grand Terrace.” Initial contributions exceeded the original goal of $25,000 to establish the endowment, and now 10 years later, the Foundation reports that its endowment has expanded to over $100,000. The Foundation’s VP of Development, Ryan Stephens, explains, “The endowment is the key to establishing a lasting legacy in the community. The interest earned from the endowment funds allows us to provide annual grants to support a variety of projects in the City, as the endowment grows so does our ability to make a difference in the community.”Foundation 10 year Anniversary Logo Over the last ten years the Foundation has used its funds to preserve land on Blue Mountain, raise money for the Fire Department Paramedic, host the annual Grand Terrace Community Days, contribute to the sculpture in the pocket park, sponsor city beautification and cleanup days, donate trees to the city, support the local Grand Terrace Cub Scouts, sponsor reading programs, secure land for a future dog park, and assist local Veterans in accomplishing their goal of creating a Veteran’s Memorial in the City. Yet, with all that the Foundation has accomplished in the last ten years board members believe there is still much more to accomplish, and that the best days of service are still ahead. Council Member and Foundation President Darcy McNaboe states, “The Foundation has taken on an increasing number of projects such as City events, youth programs, beautification projects, and as our capacity to support these projects increases, our impact and significance to the well-being of Grand Terrace also increases.” On Saturday September 28th at 7:00 pm at the Azure Hills Church Fellowship Hall the Foundation will hold a celebration to showcase their past accomplishments, raise money to continue their work in the community, and set a vision for the future of service in the City. The Lion’s club will present their first annual “Tony Petta Community Spirit Award” at the event. To purchase tickets go to https://gtfoundation.eventbrite.com/ or call Sally at (909) 238-9944. Donations to the Foundation of Grand Terrace are tax deductible as a 501(c)3 affiliate of the Community Foundation. You can visit the Foundation of Grand Terrace website www.grandterracefoundation.org or the Foundation Facebook page www.facebook/GTFoundation to become involved in future community projects.