The Lancaster County Foundation, a nonprofit corporation and trust that aims to improve the quality of life around the county, has changed its name to the Lancaster County Community Foundation.
"The "Community' fit much better with what we do,'' said Doug Levering, director of programs and initiatives with the Lancaster County Community Foundation.
"We try to takes seeds and germinate them. We support projects that are going to help improve our community.'' The foundation has been a reliable mainstay of Lancaster County life since its founding in 1924, and has given money to many educational and public initiatives over the years.
For instance, in 1999, the foundation provided $125,000 to the Lancaster Campaign to study the feasibility of a convention center in downtown.
This year, the foundation announced a multi-year, $90,000 grant for the county district attorney's office to monitor gang activity here.
It distributed nearly $1 million in grants to charitable organizations in 2003. The foundation presently has some $35 million in assets.
Along with a new name, comes a new look.
Foundation staff have redesigned the organization's logo to better reflect its mission in the community.
It adopted a quilt from the new Lancaster County Quilt and Textile Museum collection to use as its new logo.
The quilt, a simple, yet elegant sawtooth diamond design in red and blue, was created in 1925 by Sarah Zook of Lancaster. An image of the quilt will appear as the organization's new logo, appearing on business cards, advertisements and other items.
The museum is slated to open next year in the Lancaster Trust building, 37-41 N. Market St. The museum will feature the Esprit Quilt Collection, considered the finest collection of handmade quilts in the world.
The Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County purchased the collection of 82 antique, county-made Amish quilts last year. The quilts were created between 1890 and 1950. The collection is expected to draw between 150,000 and 250,000 new visitors per year to downtown.
The museum had asked the foundation for a grant to help pay its debt on the $1 million purchase of the collection at about the same time the foundation was looking for a new logo design.
"Not only does the collection have extreme art value, but in terms of its economic viability for downtown, we think it will be a great boon,'' said Levering.
Representatives from the museum sat down with Levering earlier this year and hammered out a deal for the use of the image. In exchange, the Heritage Center received a $15,000 grant from the foundation.
In September, the foundation commissioned the Red Rose Quilt Guild to recreate an exact replica of the Zook quilt for its office at 29 E. King St.
The reproduction, "is very impressive,'' said Levering. "The ladies did an excellent job. This is something they've taken a lot of pride in and we are grateful for it.'' The foundation, which turns 79 this year, began as the Lancaster Community Trust by Martin M. Harnish, a prominent Lancaster attorney. The organization changed its name to the Lancaster County Foundation in 1951.
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