We are asked almost continuously to give something to a worthwhile charity.

The list of good things is endless: Fireworks bands for the Fourth of July, kids looking for returnable bottles, church projects and requests for volunteering via the gift of time. All of these are good things.

Philanthropy in Northeast Michigan is growing and it has been supporting local people and institutions for decades. Since the settling of this area a little more than 160 years ago, kind gifts and deeds have been in abundance. In the last 60 or so years organized charitable foundations have appeared locally.

One of the first was the Besser Foundation and, then 35 years ago, the forbearers of the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan and the Alpena Community College Foundation showed up. In the last decade the Park Foundation came on the scene to fill needs as well.

This time of year three of the four play an important role awarding scholarships to local collegiate aspirants. We can read about these awards on a number of occasions in stories involving graduates. Our local foundations do much more than just award scholarships, however.

The Park Foundation, for instance, is all about funding the construction and helping with some expenses at our community center, The APlex. It also assists with sports funding.

We think of the ACC Foundation as all about scholarships but that’s not the whole story. While last year the ACC Foundation provided 306 scholarships totaling $151,000 to 175 students, it also funds capital projects at the school. Over the years there have been scholarships amounting to $2,340,294 given out, but the capital transfers for new facilities has been $6,956,000.

Besser Foundation makes over 95 percent of its awards in Northeast Michigan. Year after year there is cash given to the hospital, Boys and Girls Club, ACC, United Way, Alpena High School, Besser Museum, and students. Each year about $900,000 is distributed. Many local projects never would be completed without this generous help.

The big guy on the block is the $35 million endowment of the CFNEM. Although this foundation has large and small contributions during the year, the investment portfolio plays a large part in the amount of grants of all types which can be made each year. The scholarship part of the funds is about 25 percent.

There are grants and bequests of all types, large and small. Their largest scholarship is funded at $300,000 and smaller giving may be as little as a commitment for $500 annually. It administers hundreds of bequests.

All told we are blessed with around $50 million of gifts to the community made by hundreds of charitable people living and dead. This money funds hundreds of scholarships and dozens upon dozens of bequests annually. It’s not just about kids, nor the college, nor medical care. It’s about a wide spectrum of giving made possible by individuals sharing some of their life long earnings to others.

It’s local folks helping neighbors through locally administered private foundations.

I would imagine some of the more well-known philanthropists like Jesse Besser, Bob Granum, Ferris Werth, Luke Pfeiffenberger, Phil Park and George N. Fletcher would be pleased to see how their philanthropy has grown over the years. But so, too, would be the hundreds, if not thousands, of others who also have shared their wealth with the community via one of the foundations.

To all of you “Well done, thou good and faithful servants!”