One of Tabor Academy’s core values – “to foster care for others and committed citizenship” – is often reflected in the actions of students in fundraising and helping the community on and off of the Tabor campus.
Rachel McCoog, a Tabor senior and Marion native, is an example of this compassion for others in the community, as evidenced by her founding of The Flora Foundation.
“The mission of The Flora Foundation is to provide funding for daycare and summer care for children living in women’s shelters or transitional housing with their mothers,” said McCoog.
McCoog considers her recent trip with 22 other Tabor students to the Mariposa Foundation in the Dominican Republic as the inspiration for her new philanthropic organization.
The organization, which seeks to educate girls and solve global issues, was inspired by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Rachel mentioned this experience in the website she is creating for The Flora Foundation, theflorafoundation.org.
“[I] was inspired by the administration and the incredible young girls,” said McCoog, “and knew I wanted to make an impact in my own community the way the Mariposa Foundation had in the Dominican Republic.”
McCoog has been working on this for the entire fall after registering The Flora Foundation with Massachusetts as a nonprofit organization. After she received her nonprofit status approval in October, she began creating bylaws and is currently working to get more approvals before the foundation is officially launched.
McCoog has been fortunate to have the help of friends and family throughout this process. She attributes the speed of her progress to Nancy Woods, with whom Rachel has worked on the necessary forms and applications.
“She has been such a great resource for me and is very knowledgeable in the realm of nonprofit administration,” said McCoog. She also considers Eileen Lonergan, Anny Candelario, and her mother, Amy McCoog, as helpers and supporters of The Flora Foundation.
“I am already planning fundraising for the organization,” says McCoog, who hopes to have the foundation in full swing before the start of the New Year. “Thus far, I have learned so much about starting a business and I am very excited to start fundraising and seeing the impact we will be able to make on these family’s lives.”
McCoog hopes to receive additional funding from the Elizabeth Taber Foundation and will incorporate the school community in her efforts.
As for the future, McCoog hopes to merge the efforts of her new foundation into a Senior Project. Additionally, The Flora Foundation is already helping one women’s transitional home in New Bedford.
“Depending on where I end up for college,” said MCoog, “when the foundation is ready to expand, I hope to start a relationship with a shelter or transitional home in the area of that college or university.”
By Julia O’Rourke
