Our Mission

The Carman Cougar Charities Corporation exists to improve the educational opportunities and environment for students in the Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, so they might have the same opportunities for lifetime achievement we experienced as students at Carman High School from 1968-1986.

There are three areas we have chosen to focus our efforts on, in order to maximize the impact of our work. More information on those three areas can be found on the "Activities" page.

Periodically, the charity receives requests from individuals and organizations for monetary support. While these are a compliment and recognition of our work, our Board of Directors has adopted a policy to pass on all such requests for the foreseeable future. Some of the reasons include:

1. Our revenues come from those who give to further CCCC’s stated efforts, and who desire to help us continue that specific work. Thus, while the end goal of the requesters may be the same as that of CCCC’s mission, we do not want to violate the trust of our donors.
2. Our organization was established in 2014 and is still establishing its roots. CCCC no longer has the financial support from its originator/base donor--we have been financially independent since approximately 2016. CCCC’s Board has chartered a disciplined financial course focusing on maintaining our self-sufficiency in expanding programs and outreach only where they do not jeopardize our long-term progress. We balance our budget each year with an eye to strengthening and growing the core programs we promote.
3. When CCCC considered the first such request, we quickly heard from multiple other groups/programs who thought we were open to making financial contributions to other causes. It is virtually impossible to prioritize, choose between, and fund the numerous programs and causes looking for help, because they come from great organizations with excellent intent--but the requests are many. We cannot and will not favor one group/organization over another, and just as importantly, CCCC cannot continue to exist or serve our focused mission by diverting scarce funds to other organizations/programs.
   Accordingly, we have published this heartfelt message hoping that our members and other groups will understand our position. Thank you and best wishes to those of you who work so hard to better our community!