If crystal balls really had the power to show us the future, then there are a few things I would like to know.

For instance, will the homeless finally have shelter?  Will food banks have an abundance of food to feed the hungry?  Will the arts play a vital role in sustaining us as a culture?  Will abuse and neglect be absent neighbors?  Will our lakes, rivers and forests thrive? Will every child have the opportunity for a world-class education?

At the Renton Community Foundation, we hope so. Yet, we know those things won’t come easily and won’t happen by themselves.  After all, crystal balls might reveal the future (if they were real), but they wouldn’t tell us how to get there. That’s why RCF is here. To kick-start and expand philanthropy in creating a healthy and vibrant future for the greater Renton area.

This week, the Renton Community Foundation joined more than 700 other community foundations around the country in celebrating National Community Foundation Week.  In 2010, community foundations granted an estimated $4 billion back to their communities to address essential services in the arts, healthcare, education, senior care, human services, the environment and so much more. In Washington state, more than $74 million was distributed to help those in need.

While there are more than 20 community foundations in Washington state, not every community is fortunate enough to have one.  Renton is one of the lucky ones.

In 1999, a group of concerned citizens banded together to transform the old Renton Chamber Foundation into the Renton Community Foundation. Beginning with just two funds and $257,000, today RCF manages more than 40 individual charitable funds and $6 million.  In 2010 alone, the Renton Community Foundation distributed more than $700,000 to the Puget Sound area, supporting dozens of nonprofit organizations struggling to provide critical services and impacting countless lives. Perhaps we even impacted your life, or someone you know.

The Renton Community Foundation seeks to partner with individuals, businesses and local organizations hoping to enhance services to those in need and inspire our community to be all that it can be.  Please join Gov. Gregoire, who proclaimed November 12-18 as Community Foundation Week, and consider how you can support a cause close to your heart.

For more information on how you can make a difference, please visit www.rentonfoundation.org or call the Foundation at 425-282-5199.

Lynn Bohart is executive director of the Renton Community Foundation.