MMCF Press Release

Initial Grant for Community Support

Monsignor McCann

The Monsignor McCann Community Fund is pleased to announce today its first disbursement of grants to local charities to assist children, youth, and needy adults. The Monsignor McCann Community Fund anticipates making annual donations to already existing entities in Newton which have a proven track record of nobly assisting the needy.  We anticipate yearly donations in the amount of $50,000-$90,000.

The Monsignor McCann Community Fund came into existence recently following the sale of McCann Village to Wishrock. McCann Village has enjoyed a long history of exemplary service to individuals in Newton, a history which the Monsignor McCann Community Fund hopes to replicate with annual grants to entities already serving Newton.

McCann Village came about in 1981 following the recognition of Father John (Jack) Denning in the late 1970’s that there was a need for housing for economically challenged individuals in the area. McCann Village was incorporated in 1979 and the Village opened its doors to its first residents in 1981.

Fr. Thomas E. McCann, for whom McCann Village was named, arrived in Newton in 1910 to become the pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Msgr. McCann retired in 1970, having served as pastor of Sacred Heart for 60 years. Msgr. McCann died in 1973 and is buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery.

Under the inspiration of Father Denning, the operation of McCann Village was directed by a Board of Directors. Sacred Heart Church served McCann Village as a sponsoring agency from the Village’s founding until its sale to Wishrock in 2018.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided the loan which allowed for the construction of McCann Village. As a HUD sponsored agency, McCann Village had an obligation to provide housing to the underprivileged and those with special needs.

In recent years there have been numerous inquires made to the McCann Village Board of Directors expressing interest in purchasing McCann Village.

Realizing that with an outstanding loan balance of about one million dollars—and with a nearly forty-year-old facility that would soon require significant upgrades and improvements—the McCann Village Board of Directors accepted the offer of Wishrock in 2016 to purchase McCann Village. The sale of McCann Village to Wishrock  closed in March of 2019. A condition of the sale was the awarding of low income tax credits by the Iowa Finance Authority.  These tax credits were finally approved in March 2018.  To help facilitate the sale, the McCann Village board agreed to a $500,000 low interest loan to Wishrock.  This loan has since been conveyed to the Monsignor McCann Community Fund.  Wishrock is currently in the process of remodeling the entire facility investing up to $6 million dollars in the construction project.

The Monsignor McCann Community Fund is the successor entity of the McCann Village Board of Directors. Since HUD funds were used for the construction of McCann Village, the Monsignor McCann Community Fund is obligated to use the proceeds from the sale of McCann Village for charitable purposes.  The Monsignor McCann Community Fund will invest and support organizations under the guiding principles of the Catholic Church.

With this background the Monsignor McCann Community Fund is pleased to announce the recipients of its first grants. To the Salvation Army of Newton the Monsignor McCann Community Fund grants $25,000.

The Monsignor McCann Community Fund is a 501 (c) 3 organization, able to accept charitable donations. The Monsignor McCann Community Fund Board of Directors hopes that community members and people from the wider area will support the Fund so that the legacy of giving may continue long into the future.

Interested organizations and groups who wish to seek funding can obtain applications at www.mmcfund.org.  We anticipate 2020 awards will be made by May 1st 2020.  The application period for 2020 awards will be accepted from November 1st 2019 through February 29th 2020.

The members of the Board of Directors of the Monsignor McCann Community Fund are Mark Thayer, president; Terry Townsend, vice-president; Tim Bloom, treasurer; Jenna ­­­­­­­­­Seals, secretary; Susan Metz, Maureen Doty, and Father William Reynolds, pastor of Sacred Heart.

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