This is a story about a foundation that comes to the rescue says Board member Jon Loufman. The story begins in 1995 when a group of civic minded volunteers established a fund to help the city build a playground. The project was called, Play in Bay. The playground was completed by the cooperative efforts of non-profit organizations that came together to see the project through to completion. Seeing this collaborative effort succeed, a small group decided to see what they could do to develop a community fund that would be there when another project like Play in Bay emerged. Under the leadership of T. Richard (Dick) Martin, they began to think about creating one organization to which all the others could look for financial help. So they set about making their dream a reality. It took several years and many volunteer hours but they did it. That fund is now called The Village Foundation. (Hereafter The Foundation).