?Milan, Illinois - The Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation has been established to benefit the Village of Milan. The Foundation assets total $2.8 million, and it will make its first grants this fall. Applications are now being accepted from nonprofit organizations located in Milan.
Grant and Virginia Brissman were long time residents of Milan, Illinois. Grant Brissman was a graduate of Rock Island High School and the former Brown's Business College. He was a pioneer Milan business owner, having started Brissman's Auto Supply in 1948. The company served Milan and the surrounding communities for nearly 30 years before Mr. Brissman retired in 1978.
Virginia Brissman worked for the Illinois Bell Telephone Co. for 40 years before retiring from her position as a schedule clerk in 1977. They had been married for 60 years when Grant Brissman passed away at the age of 88 on April 3, 2004. Virginia Brissman was 94 when she passed away on January 23, 2010. The Foundation was established through their estate.
The mission of the Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the Village of Milan, Illinois by funding work to enhance youth development, foster community development, support cultural activities, and invest in ways to relieve the suffering of underprivileged people.
Grant and Virginia Brissman were active in their community, and cared about helping their neighbors. Grant was a World War II Army veteran and received a battlefield commission as a 1st Lieutenant. Together they were members of Calvary Lutheran Church in Moline, and the Holiday Ramblers R.V. Club, and the Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, where Grant was an avid golfer. He also was a Founding Director and Founding Shareholder of Blackhawk State Bank in Milan, where he has served on the board of directors for many years.
The Brissmans appointed a board of directors to oversee their Foundation. Grant applications are available on the Foundation's website at www.brissmanfoundation.org and are due by October 15th. Nonprofit organizations located within the Village of Milan, Illinois, are eligible to apply. Organizations located outside of Milan may be considered if they provide significant services benefitting the Village of Milan and its residents. The administration of the Foundation will be conducted by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.
"This partnership between the Brissman's Foundation and the Community Foundation ensures that the charitable wishes of Grant and Virginia will be carried out for years to come," said Susan Skora, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. "We are regional experts in philanthropy, identifying community needs, and the grant making processes, and will provide our support to The Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation to create maximum impact in the Village of Milan."
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