Projects of the Hillsboro Community Foundation
The Hillsboro Community Foundation was incorporated in 1986, and has since sponsored several projects - many of which wouldn't have been possible without the Foundation's support.
It was instrumental, for example, in the successful community campaign to raise $400,000 for the purchase of a 37-acre tract of land marked for development. With matching funds from the City of Hillsboro, the property was purchased and is now home to Noble Woods Park. The Foundation also contributed approximately 30 acres of land to Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, as well as $25,000 toward construction of its Education Center.
The Foundation's signature project is the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center in downtown Hillsboro. The Center was purchased by the City of Hillsboro in 1999 with a $1 million gift from Glenn and Viola Walters (Glenn was a board member of the Hillsboro Community Foundation at the time). The generous gift was enough to purchase the property, but an additional $2 million in renovations were required to complete the project. When other community fundraising efforts slowed to a point that threatened to delay the Center's opening, the Hillsboro Community Foundation pledged $150,000 to the project. The Center opened in 2004 when the Foundation had collected approximately half of its pledge. With several aspects of the renovation remaining to be completed, however, the Foundation continues to raise funds for the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, and is well on its way to meeting the $150,000 goal.
In addition to these sponsored and signature projects, the Hillsboro Community Foundation has managed funds for other projects as well including an $80,000 grant from the Dal A. Baker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust for construction of the picnic shelters at Rood Bridge Park; a $50,000 GTE grant for the Hillsboro School District to improve the Hare Field Athletic Facility; a 16-acre land donation for Dairy Creek Park; and a $30,000 Tokyo Electron grant for Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve.
