Listen to excerpts from the press conference (5:25) and watch ABC12's coverage.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BUILDING IS DOWNTOWN FLINT’S
NEWEST SYMBOL OF HOPE

(FLINT, MICHIGAN, June 17, 2008) Local dignitaries, business leaders, and friends of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF) celebrated the grand opening of the new Community Foundation Building this morning during a press conference and open house.

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce photo From left: Phil Shaltz, Uptown Six partner, Lawrence E. Moon, Chair of the CFGF Board of Trustees, Kathi Horton, CFGF President, Arthur Hurand, Partners for Progress Chairman, and Tim Herman, CEO of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and President of Uptown Development.

"Together with our partners—the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation and Uptown Six—we are the newest and coolest anchor on the 500 block of Saginaw Street," said Lawrence E. Moon, Chair of the CFGF Board of Trustees. "The Community Foundation Building is a symbol of hope for a new, vibrant future for downtown Flint."

The former home of Dale’s Natural Foods and Baker Drugs has been transformed into a contemporary, multi-use structure featuring CFGF headquarters on the second level, two residential lofts on the third level, and 5,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. CFGF hopes to attract a high quality restaurant to occupy the first level and further contribute to the new, emerging landscape in downtown Flint.

Kathi Horton, CFGF President, said that the new building represents the power of positive change when philanthropic institutions work collaboratively with nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurial individuals and government. CFGF partnered with the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Flint, and with Uptown Six, a group of six private individuals with the same mission, on the redevelopment project.

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce photo The new entrance to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

"In order to provide the increased level of services to the community called for in our strategic plan, we are building comprehensive services that require additional staff," said Horton. "The new building will yield the space we need for a growing staff, support the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Flint and continue our 20-year presence in the downtown area."

At the close of its first 20 years CFGF assets totaled over $140 million, ranking it as one of the top 100 community foundations in the United States. In 2008, total grantmaking from the Community Foundation’s 360-plus charitable funds will surpass $75 million.

Established in 1988, the Community Foundation was created following a merger between The Flint Public Trust and the Flint Area Health Foundation.

"We are grateful to our trustees, staff, donors, grantees and community leaders who have helped nurture a spirit of caring, giving, investing and taking action for the common good," Horton said. "We look forward to a vibrant future where, as a community advocate and partner, CFGF can build on the community’s strengths, help solve community problems, and enrich the lives of all who live here."

For more information contact:
Mary Jo Herbig
Director of Communications,
(810) 767-8270 or mherbig@cfgf.org