Ottawa County Community Foundation Celebrates Roth Legacy
Cover Photo: OCCF Founder Joy Roth (1945-2020)
Approximately 250 Ottawa County Community Foundation (OCCF) friends and supporters attended or donated to OCCF’s second annual Doing Good Gala, “Cheers to 25 Years,” a 25th anniversary celebration and fundraiser held at Catawba Island Club on Tuesday, July 23. More than $58,000 was raised during the sold-out event celebrating the history of the Foundation.
“We wanted to be here to commemorate this amazing 25 years,” said Alison Roth Patellis, daughter of OCCF Founder Joy Roth. Patellis spoke on behalf of the Roth Family and noted that OCCF began in 1999 because Joy was at a crossroads in her life, with her children off to college, and needed a project. “She asked herself ‘What can I do for others?’,” added Patellis, “and that is how the Ottawa County Community Foundation was born … She knew that she wanted to touch people, to help people.”
Joy Roth passed away unexpectedly in 2020, but Patellis feels her mother would be proud of how far OCCF has come. Throughout its first quarter century, the Foundation has distributed more than $8 million in grants and scholarships.
Thanks to the support of generous individuals and area business owners, one hundred percent of event proceeds generated from ticket sales, sponsorships, and live auction and raffle purchases, will help continue OCCF’s countywide efforts to award student scholarships and provide grants to area nonprofits supporting the fields of education, health and social services, economic development, natural resources and the arts.
“In the next 25 years, building OCCF’s financial base is the key to enhancing our capacity to serve Ottawa County,” said OCCF Executive Director Shea McGrew, who indicated OCCF plans to grow the Joy Roth Founders’ Fund, originally established by the Roth family and other donors several years ago to support the Foundation’s operating costs. “We hope that, eventually, every dollar OCCF needs to operate will come from earnings from this fund. What a fitting way to ensure that Joy’s vision carries on forever.”
“Hardly anyone said ‘no’ to Joy Roth,” concluded Patellis. “People trusted her. They knew if she was involved with a project, the cause was worthy and recipient deserving … Joy Roth left the world a better place. Because of her legacy the Foundation is strong and will continue ‘Doing Good. Forever.’”
Ottawa County Community Foundation (OCCF) is a public charitable organization established in 1999 to improve the quality of life in Ottawa County. OCCF administers more than 100 donor-established funds totaling approximately $12 million in assets. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $8 million in grants and scholarships.
For information, contact OCCF: http://www.ottawaccf.org, ottawaccf@gmail.com, 419-635-7750, or visit during Wednesday office hours, noon-3 p.m., 306 Madison Street, Port Clinton, OH.