History of Ossipee Children's Fund
Ossipee Children’s Fund began in 1990 with an anonymous donation and the creative brainstorming of Cecily Clark, Susan Wiley, and Frances Strayer. Childcare was its primary focus. Gradually its services expanded to fund recreation and, eventually, education and enrichment programs. The area to be served was the Ossipee River Area which is now defined as the towns of Effingham, Freedom, Madison, and Ossipee. Since its inception, the number of licensed childcare facilities has increased as have the opportunities for recreation and enrichment.
OCF has built a substantial donor base of individuals and businesses, and the towns it serves support OCF with Town Meeting Appropriations. In 2003 the Wolfeboro Fund gave OCF a challenge grant that became the basis of today’s endowment fund, held by New Hampshire Charitable Fund, which supports about 13 % of our services to children.
In the early years OCF payout for children’s care and activities ran an average of about $10,000. Today the average is $79,000 and represents nearly 350 awards each year for children’s services. After so modest a beginning, the board was proud to announce in 2012, our 22nd year, the awarding of our millionth dollar for direct services for children. The accumulated cost of running the fund – mailings and postage – has been consistently just under $20,000 over those 22 years.
OCF has assisted parents with the costs of essential childcare, and recreation and enrichment, and educational programs including day and overnight camps, music, dance, theater, karate, winter sports, adaptive sports, swimming, driver’s ed, after school activities, and field trips to lakes and the ocean.
OCF has built a substantial donor base of individuals and businesses, and the towns it serves support OCF with Town Meeting Appropriations. In 2003 the Wolfeboro Fund gave OCF a challenge grant that became the basis of today’s endowment fund, held by New Hampshire Charitable Fund, which supports about 13 % of our services to children.
In the early years OCF payout for children’s care and activities ran an average of about $10,000. Today the average is $79,000 and represents nearly 350 awards each year for children’s services. After so modest a beginning, the board was proud to announce in 2012, our 22nd year, the awarding of our millionth dollar for direct services for children. The accumulated cost of running the fund – mailings and postage – has been consistently just under $20,000 over those 22 years.
OCF has assisted parents with the costs of essential childcare, and recreation and enrichment, and educational programs including day and overnight camps, music, dance, theater, karate, winter sports, adaptive sports, swimming, driver’s ed, after school activities, and field trips to lakes and the ocean.