This year marks the beginning of the Mercer Island Community Fund’s next quarter century of partnering with other charitable organizations on the Island that share a vision of promoting a healthy and vibrant community.

On behalf of the MICF Board of Directors, I would like to thank all past MICF contributors for their generosity. Without their support and commitment, MICF would not have been able to award grants to organizations that have helped improve the quality of life on the Island.

During the past 25 years, MICF has awarded grants totaling over $217,000!

Some of these grants have allowed other organizations to start new projects that benefit the entire Island, e.g., a $10,000 grant to help start the Mercer Island Farmers Market, and just this past summer, a $10,000 matching grant that helped raise enough money to allow the city to sponsor the Summer Celebration Fireworks Show that was enjoyed by all of us.

As MICF looks into its next quarter century, challenges and opportunities await. As the economy slowly recovers, the next few years will present a challenge for organizations to provide services and programs to meet the immediate needs of Island residents. With your generous support, MICF will be able to provide grants to some of those organizations. However, this is also a time to think boldly and creatively, and to envision what our community can become. What’s the next “Mercer Island Farmers Market?” Be a part of the Island’s present and future by contributing to MICF this year and each year thereafter.

During this week many of you will receive a letter from MICF encouraging you to donate to MICF. Please take time to reflect upon how MICF has benefitted the Island and how with your help it will do so in the future. We ask for your continuing financial support. For those who do not receive such a letter, you can still make a tax-deductible contribution to MICF as part of our 2011-12 campaign by mailing your contribution to the following address:

Mercer Island Community Fund

P.O. Box 751

Mercer Island, Wash., 98040

Better yet, you can learn more about MICF, how to apply for a possible grant, how to become an MICF volunteer and how to make a tax-deductible contribution online by going to the MICF Web site: www.micommunityfund.org.

Make a gift and make a difference.

Benson D. Wong is the president of the Mercer Island Community Fund.