ROD KREIE

CKCF FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

ABOUT ROD
Rod Kreie was born and raised in Ulysses, Kansas.  After graduating from Ulysses High School, he attended Southwestern College in Winfield, Ks. Rod and his wife Dana have three girls (Rebecca, Melanie, and Bethany) and 5 grandchildren. Their kids live in New York City, Seattle and Alamogordo, NM.  When not working or volunteering, he loves golf, sports and mowing his big yard.

CARRER
Rod is the managing member of Great Plains Biosciences Group. He also is an advisor and on boards of several other entities that he is involved with.

ROD IS PASSIONATE ABOUT CKCF!
Rod seldom says no to helping his community and said yes when asked to serve on the CKCF board. His passion for CKCF is motivated by seeing groups prosper, using the concept that by pooling resources, a bunch of little contributions can add up and make a big dent in things a community can invest in to take care of it’s needs.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Rod is deeply involved in Rotary and sells lots of peaches that help every 3^rd grader in Harvey County get a dictionary, often the first book they have ever owned. He was recently appointed  to the Newton City Commission, has served as president of the Chamber, chairs the Greater Newton Community Foundation, on the inaugural committee for the Sand Creek Festival and is actively involved in Rotary Youth Exchange.

FUN FACT ABOUT ROD
I’ve been involved in Rotary Youth Exchange since 1987 and know kids (grown into adults) all over the world. For my last birthday, because of social media, I received birthday wishes from over 40 countries.

Mission Moment from Angie Tatro, Executive Director

The Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF)  acts as a steward, protecting your charitable dollars and watching out for your interests during your lifetime and even after you’re gone. We are committed to knowing what matters to you by finding ways to make a charitable impact that makes a difference.

Central Kansas Community Foundation donors do make a big difference. We would like to show you how they impact the communities in which they live or have lived.

Daniel J. Taylor Charitable Foundation

The Daniel J Taylor Charitable Foundation was passionate about serving at-risk youth and partially funded the Sunshine Children’s Home. The Home has served more than 1,700 victims of child abuse, ages 0-18, since its opening in 2014.

The Taylor Foundation established the fund with CKCF, Taylor Family Children’s Home Endowment Fund, to give the grant of $25,000 to the Children’s Home. In addition, their fund provides ongoing support through annual giving.

CARRIE HERMAN

CKCF BOARD CHAIR

ABOUT CARRIE
Carrie Herman is a graduate from Halstead High School and obtained her Bachelor in Business Administration from Pittsburg State University.  When not working or serving the community, Carrie and her husband Clint enjoy watching their two sons (Cole 15, Connor 10) in multiple sporting activities and also spending time at the lake.

CARRER
Carrie has been the Executive Director at the Kansas Learning Center for Health in Halstead since July 2016.  Prior to that she spent almost nine years at Asbury Park where she was most recently the Vice President of Operations.

CARRIE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT CKCF!
A previous Board Member introduced Carrie to CKCF and invited her to become a part of a wonderful, growing foundation.  Her passion is to see the scholarships and grants continue to flourish, giving back to the surrounding communities in wonderful ways.  This is possible by promoting the Community Foundation and helping others invest in the causes that are near and dear to their hearts.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
In addition to serving as the Board Chair of CKCF, Carrie serves as the Vice President of P.E.O. Chapter AK and as a Past President of the Newton Lions Club.  Carrie is also involved with the Healthy Harvey Coalition, Healthy Harvey Drug Free Communities Coalition, USD 440 All School Alumni Committee, and the AFP Greater Wichita Chapter.

FUN FACT ABOUT CARRIE
After college, Carrie enjoyed traveling across the US on a promotional tour hosting pre-concert events for the Rolling Stones.

There is a lot we can learn from the power of training for a triathlon. To win, a competitor must be an excellent swimmer, bicyclist and runner. The athlete must master not only these stages of the race but also the transitions between these disciplines.

In life, we all have a finish line, we just never know when we will cross it. A triathlete’s goal is to cross the finish line first. However, we don’t have to finish first to have a successful future. Everyone has the power to win.

While a triathlete can be finely tuned and train for life, he or she may still only come in second place. Unlike the triathlete, we don’t have to train, and there are no sacrificial diets or exercise regimens. The cost for having an estate plan is minimal compared to the investment a triathlete makes, but the rewards are remarkable.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP

Like the triathlete, the first step in estate planning is always the most difficult: Starting. To help you begin and even give you a head start, we have free tools that make getting started easy. Once you have them and use them, you have already completed step two—preparation.

You are 2/3 of the way to victory! The final step is easiest—completion. It comes when your attorney combines your preparation into a solid, thoughtful plan that follows and preserves your wishes. What could be easier or more rewarding than that? Call or email us and ask us for our free, no-obligation tools we have for you.

Mission Moment from Angie Tatro, Executive Director

Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF) is a nationally accredited community foundation. The accreditation process for National Standards is not mandatory. We chose to go above and beyond by affirming our commitment to excellence and accountability. Our accreditation provides assurance that we have sound policies and practices in place. In short, it means we meet the highest standards for local giving.

Kaden Buer

• I am currently working toward a Graduate degree at FHSU.
• After graduate school, I plan on working as a fisheries biologist.

Gift Amount: $5,000 for four years

The Scholarship

Mr. Wayne Willis was born in eastern Kansas and spent part of his youth in Maryland and Virginia. In both environments, he was constantly exposed to the sportsman’s life and spent every available moment hunting, fishing, and in the outdoors sketching and drawing wildlife.

Wayne’s remarkable aptitude for painting stemmed from his desire to recapture his experiences in the field, for he was an ardent sportsman and conservationist. He ranked among the top wildlife artists in the country and is considered by many to be the premiere quail painter.

In 1992 former Kansas Governor Mike Hayden, Community Leaders in Kansas, and the Willis family created the Wayne Willis scholarship fund, later known as the Wayne Willis Wildlife Foundation, partially funded by the annual Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt and auction. Scholarships were established to support university students enrolled in Wildlife Management programs. In the Fall of 2012 the Wayne Willis Foundation, Inc. arranged the on-going management of this scholarship with Central Kansas Community Foundation Butler County, an affiliate of Central Kansas Community Foundation.

Community Impact

Thanks to the Willis Scholarship and the affordability of tuition at Fort Hays State University, I was able to earn my bachelors degree in Fisheries Biology without acquiring any student loans.

Have you ever wished you could help us in our work, but thought you couldn’t afford to make a charitable gift? Perhaps you are concerned that giving may adversely affect your cash flow or your family’s financial security.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS!
You can support our mission without impacting you or your family.

Contact us and talk with your attorney or advisors to learn more about the many easy, affordable ways to give back and make a difference.

Mission Moment from Angie Tatro, Executive Director

The Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF)  provides personalized services, tools and resources that fit donor aspirations and community needs. We are committed to providing solutions to make giving an easy, flexible and effective process. We pride ourselves in our local expertise and in-depth understanding of community challenges, trends and needs. And our team is engaged in community leadership in meaningful ways that provide us the capacity to work with donors on project and initiatives that will make a lasting impact.