Ignite, Unite, Fight, “Help Find a Cure” founder Nia Josiah presents a donation from The Premiere Masquerade Ball, a Cancer & Disease Benefit fundraiser to Community Foundation Trustee Joy Hall Onley.

Health Care Field of Interest Fund Receives Donation from Ignite, Unite, Fight, “Help Find a Cure”

May 12, 2009: A desire to help others and to give back to the community took Ignite, Unite, Fight, “Help Find a Cure” founder Nia Josiah on a path that recently culminated in a benefit fundraiser attracting widespread interest from the community, corporate sponsors, and area doctors. A donation from the fundraiser was then made to The Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Health Care Field of Interest Fund.

The Premiere Masquerade Ball, a Cancer & Disease Benefit, turned out to be a smashing success on March 6, bringing together over 300 people, local bands, and six area doctors who were recognized for their contributions to educating and healing the community.

The idea of a masquerade ball had always intrigued Nia, but as the vision to unite people behind a benefit honoring people affected by cancer and disease evolved, she decided that the masquerade ball theme was a perfect fit in her mission. “Because we were hidden behind masks, the masquerade ball allowed everyone to focus on the cause, not on themselves. Just about everyone I know has been affected in some way by cancer,” said Nia.

Her passion for helping others has been a philosophy all her life, Nia said. It drives her educational goals as well. Currently a student at Frederick Community College, Nia wants to continue her education in a health related field, hopefully in psychoneuroimmunology. In the meantime, this one-woman dynamo has founded Ignite, Unite, Fight, “Help Find a Cure” an organization dedicated to helping others see that they can make a difference by taking a stand and making a vow to fight for a cause they believe in.

Even before the actual planning of the benefit began, Nia wanted to be able to donate the proceeds from the event to an organization that believed in what she was doing, that believed that whatever she was able to raise that the funds could make a difference in her community. She found that guidance and encouragement when she called The Community Foundation of Frederick County.

“When Nia came to us, she immediately impressed me with her ability to articulate her desire to make a difference in the community, “ said Gayle Sutch, Director of Donor Services.

After meeting with the Community Foundation, Nia felt the most appropriate way to maximize her fundraising efforts would be to donate to one of the Community Foundation’s 20 Field of Interest Funds. “Nia wanted her donation to have an impact on health care and found the perfect fit with the Community Foundation’s Health Care Field of Interest Fund which supports health care and health-related initiatives and scholarships,” Sutch said. A grant from the Fund will be awarded during the Community Foundation’s grant cycle this fall.

The Community Foundation’s 20 Field of Interest Funds are ideal for those looking to make the most of their charitable giving in areas of interest to them. Gifts are added to the larger resource of a Field of Interest Fund, which then provides grants and scholarships supporting education, health and human services, community enhancement, and special interests ranging from environmental initiatives to historic preservation and animal care. “If someone is passionate about a particular cause that one of our 20 Field of Interest Funds benefits, then there is no better way to make an impact than by donating to a Field of Interest Fund,” said Sutch.

Helping donors maximize the power of giving is exactly what The Community Foundation of Frederick County has been doing since 1986. More than $19 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and educational scholarships has been given back to the Frederick County community thanks to generous donors eager to make a difference in the lives of others.

Additional information about The Community Foundation of Frederick County is available at www.cffredco.org where secure, online donations to any of its 20 Field of Interest Funds may be made by clicking on “contribute” in the upper right hand corner. Checks made payable to The Community Foundation of Frederick County, with the Fund’s name in the memo line, may be sent to 312 East Church Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Call 301.695.7660 for more information on the Community Foundation.