For the past twenty-six years, the students at Gaylord Middle School (GMS) have held a Veteran’s Day Celebration to honor those who have served in our military in wartime or peacetime. Local veterans and their spouses are invited as GMS students and staff pay tribute...
Bill Corkill
Fund Spotlight: Adopt-a-Classroom Fund
We are featuring our Adopt-a-Classroom Fund this September as students and teachers return to the classroom. The Adopt-a-Classroom Fund of the OCF was established in December 2021 as a Designated Fund. The first grants from this fund were awarded in 2022. ...
Volunteer Spotlight: Bob Courtois
In September, we are proud to feature Bob Courtois in our OCF Volunteer Spotlight. Bob and his wife, Gay, moved to the Gaylord area from Troy in 2010. A decade later, Bob retired as CFO for the East Region of Munson Healthcare. He currently serves on the Munson...
Fund Spotlight—Arts and Culture Fund
This month, we are highlighting the Arts and Culture Fund of the Otsego Community Foundation (OCF). The Arts and Culture Fund is a Field of Interest Fund, which allows donors to support various nonprofits focused on a particular area of interest. Field of Interest...
Welcome to the OCF Team—Katie Warner
Please help us welcome our newest team member, Katie Warner, who has joined the Otsego Community Foundation (OCF) as our Administrative Assistant. The OCF has grown at a steady pace over the past decade. This growth is reflected in all areas of the...
August Volunteer Spotlight—Justine Hees
We are excited to feature Justine Hees this month in our Volunteer Spotlight. She has been a valuable OCF board member since 2021; this year, she is acting as board secretary. Eight years ago, Justine moved from Rhode Island to Northern Michigan, settling in her...
100+ Women Who Care 2023 Recap
May 9, 2023, was one of those magical Spring evenings in Northern Michigan that convinces everyone beautiful weather is here to stay. The grounds of Treetops Resort were fresh and green against a blue-sky backdrop. Nature was conspiring to get everyone outside, which...
June Volunteer Spotlight—Haley Dawe
We are proud to feature Haley Dawe this month in our Volunteer Spotlight. Haley has served on the OCF Scholarship Committee for two years. She draws on her fifteen years of experience as a teacher to help make important decisions about which scholarships are awarded....
2023 Kevin Reynolds Achievement Award Recipient—James Camiller
The Otsego Community Foundation (OCF) awards one of its amazing volunteers with the Kevin Reynolds Achievement Award each year. Kevin served as a board member for ten years, between 2005 and 2014. This award was established in 2014 and is presented to a board member...
Generosity in Action—Michigan Arts Access
It was St. Patrick’s Day, and the seven special education students in Sarah Peterson’s music class dressed accordingly. The middle schoolers sat in a semicircle around the teacher, some with an aide and some without. Sarah, a music therapist, invited the students to...
Volunteer Spotlight—Tabitha Pardo
We shine our Volunteer Spotlight on 100+ Women Who Care (WWC) Ambassador Tabitha Pardo this month. Since 2017, Tabitha has helped plan and promote this impactful one-hour event. She and the other seven 100+ WWC Ambassadors work hard to expand this giving circle,...
OCAN Update
Did you know that 85% of high school seniors in Otsego County have plans to enroll in some form of higher education (two-year college, four-year college, or trade school) after graduation, yet only 56% will attend when classes start? Otsego Career Access Network...












