R-M staff
Recently planted daffodils are now blooming in Perry County, part of a regionwide beautification effort led by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and championed locally by the Perry County Community Foundation. Last fall, 50,000 daffodil bulbs were planted in Springfield and more than 40 rural communities in central and southern Missouri to commemorate the CFO’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2023.
The local plantings — located around and near the “Welcome to Perryville” digital sign, at the intersection of Highway 51 and Edgemont Boulevard— are on display this spring, and will rebloom for years to come.
Daffodils were selected because they naturally spread and multiply over time as a symbol of place-based philanthropy and planned giving. The bulbs were planted last fall by the Perryville Garden Club and supported by a grant from the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation, administered by the CFO in partnership with Commerce Trust Company.
“We would not be the region’s leading public charitable foundation today without the strong partnerships we have formed through our affiliate network,” CFO President Brian Fogle said. “We are so pleased to join with our affiliates in commemorating 50 years of philanthropy with these vibrant displays of growth and renewal for years to come.”
To learn more about the project, visit cfozarks.org/daffodils.
The Perry County Community Foundation was founded in 2013 with a mission to enhance the quality of life in Perry County through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.
Founded in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks is marking its 50th anniversary in 2023 as the region’s largest public charitable foundation serving a network of donors, 53 regional affiliate foundations and nonprofit partners across central and southern Missouri through its mission of resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.
