Building Stronger Communities Through Charitable Giving is the mission of Central Kansas Community Foundation, host to 19 affiliate foundations within our service region. Our Board of Directors and staff along with our generous donorship are dedicated to serving our communities for needs today and tomorrow.
The possibilities for our communities are boundless!
We believe possibilities are limitless when we come together.
The Sky’s the Limit!
Please join us in marking your calendars for our Sky’s the Limit: CKCF’s Online Charity Auction. We are so excited to offer a vast array of desirable items up for bid in order to secure the funds needed for CKCF to continue Building Stronger Communities for and with all of their affiliates.
WHEN: July 21-27
WHERE: Online (We will announce when the link has been released)
SAVE THE DATE!
I am honored by your request for some reflections from me on the NNCF.
The NNCF had its origins in discussions in the office of John Torline, then North Newton City Administrator, during the summer of 2011. It was noted that several surrounding communities–Hesston, Hillsboro, Hutchinson and others, had created community foundations with seemingly positive experiences! John, based on his extensive experience with the Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF) emphasized the flexibility of the CF concept to accommodate diverse philanthropic interests of community members. The NNCF was legally established on December 11, 2011 and I became Board Chair shortly thereafter.
The first donation to the NNCF was a very thought and exceedingly generous gift in 2011 of $5,000 from Sher Klaassen Neufeld, then the North Newton City Clerk and now deceased. That donation was the financial base of the Sher Klassen Neufeld Endowment, now with a value in excess of $25,000!
The mission statement of the NNCF emerged from thoughtful deliberation by the first Board of Directors; It stated The NNCF supports efforts that enhance community well being through the expansion of educational opportunities, cultural enrichment and the improvement of human health and the physical environment!
Our first Board was also strongly influenced by the thinking of Andrew Carnegie, creator of the world’s largest foundation which bears his name, who noted that a foundation should have the goal of “…doing real and permanent good in the world” and that it should “…create ladders on which the aspiring can rise”!
My own thinking about my role as Board Chair derived from several sources, including one from the Good Book, viz. Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much will be required”! That bit of wisdom describes to a considerable degree my circumstances: I was given an opportunity to get a good education– from grade school through a PhD! I had a profoundly thoughtful father who once remarked to me, “Jim, I hope one of your objectives in life is to leave this world a bit better than when you found it!”
Over time I have been attracted to several quotes of wisdom, from the Good Book and elsewhere, which provided useful guideposts along life’s way! There was a quote from Helen Keller that true happiness in life does not result from the abundance of one’s material possessions; but rather, the extent to which one uses those blessings to assist those less fortunate. The words of Andrew Carnegie continue to resonate strongly, viz. “A foundation should do those things which are of real and permanent good and which create ladders on which the aspiring can rise!” Those are certainly worthy future guidelines for the NNCF!
In closing, permit me to share two more “wisdom phrases” that come out of the experiences Shirley and I have had in teaching English in Southeast Asia during the partial summers of 16 years! The first relates to our teaching in Vientiane, Laos in the summer of 2015. On this occasion I was saying good-bye on the last day of class of Laotian university students. It was a bittersweet occasion for me because I almost certainly would never see these courteous and committed students again! In these circumstances I was seeking some final words of guidance and encouragement, The phrase which came to mind, and which I shared with them, was, “The greatest fear of life should not be fear of failure; but, rather, of succeeding at things that don’t really matter!”
Now I fast forward to the summer of 2017. Shirley and I were teaching English to middle school teachers in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, in the far northeast of Asia. (A report of that summer’s experiences is attached.) During that unforgettable 5-week period of teaching the “aspiring teachers of the grasslands” we were housed in the temporarily vacant apartment of an American missionary on home leave!
Taped on the refrigerator door of the apartment, along with numerous Bible verses, was the quote of great profundity to me and perhaps others: “The purpose of life is not to arrive at one’s grave in a perfectly-preserved body! Rather, it is to slide in sideways, totally exhausted, and shout, “Holy Cow! What a ride!’ What a wonderful philosophy to guide us in our sunset years!
The North Newton Community Foundation will remain in my mind, my prayers and my plans! Thanks again for this privilege of sharing a meaningful segment of my professional career,
With admiration and respect,
Jim Goering“In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action!” -Dag Hammarskjold, UN Secretary General; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
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We are so excited to honor the 2020 achievement of the seniors throughout our service region – Congratulations!
Willow Corliss – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $3,000.00
Jaiden Ingram – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $2,000.00
Jerica Mueller – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Ericson Brown – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Alexandria Nickel – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Kylee Crump – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Tyler Miller – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Tyler Dunbar – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Hunter Jones – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Jared Harder – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Mallory Parsons – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Andrew Vinson – Chelsea Gerbitz Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Adeline Whitlow – May Gruver Scholarship $850.00
Brice Helton – Vada-Vida Fletcher/Ketch Business Scholarship $850.00
Juan Miranda – Walter and Sidney Ewalt Scholarship $500.00
Hayden Anderson – Seeds of Opportunity: Richard and Leah May Ross Memorial Scholarship $500
Hailey Gaynor – Seeds of Opportunity: Richard and Leah May Ross Memorial Scholarship $500
Kylie Litavniks – Andover Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship $250
Isabel McNulty – Andover Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship $250
Essie Juaraz – Margaret L Smith Decker Scholarship $700
Dakota Tireman – Jeremy Allen Taylor Memorial Scholarship $1,000.00, Rusty Allen Inkeelar Scholarship $1,000.00
Grace Huynh – Terry Lee Kaylor Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Jayden High – Dellsea Nachbor Memorial Scholarship $1,000.00
Koby Campbell – Jeremy Allen Taylor Memorial Scholarship $1,000.00
Caleb Hinck – Wayne Willis Scholarship $2,000.00
Clement Huffman – Wayne Willis Scholarship $2,000.00
Erin Wranosky – George Trimble Special Need Scholarship $1,625.00
Garrett Meyer – George Trimble Special Need Scholarship $1,625.00
Grayson Coulter – Wayne Willis Scholarship $2,000.00
Hallie Yeubanks – Clifford and Rubye Angleton Scholarship $1,500.00
Hannah Reynolds – Clifford and Rubye Angleton Scholarship $4,000.00
Jake Johnson – George Trimble Special Need Scholarship $1,625.00
Janae Totty – Jenny Sundgren Baker Memorial $500.00
Daniel Hernandez – Ernest Frank Horn, Jr Endowed Scholarship $500.00
Jaymee Cunningham – Jim and Steve Cummingham Nursing Scholarship $1,000.00
Cooper Odell – Fredonia High School Class of ’63 Legacy Project Scholarship $1,500
Brenna Moya – Fredonia High School Class of ’63 Legacy Project Scholarship $1,000
Allison Funk – Fredonia High School Class of ’63 Legacy Project Scholarship $1,000
Alexandria Nickel – JNCCC Scholarship $700
Kaleb Black – Charlsen Insurance Agency Scholarship $500, Rupp Lawson Scholarship $1,000, USD #440 Alumni Scholarship $500, Nightingale Family Scholarship $1,500, Fleetwood Scholarship $2,000
Kaden Kraus – Rupp Lawson Scholarship $1,000, Fleetwood Scholarship $2,000
Briana Winkel – Charlsen Insurance Agency Scholarship $500, Fleetwood Scholarship $2,000, Delores Sexton Scholarship $750
Harley Lang – Halstead Public Service Scholarship $1,000
Brian Weber – Fleetwood Scholarship $2,000
Jerica Mueller – Fleetwood Scholarship $2,000
Benjamin Roth – Excel Industries, Inc. Scholarship $1,000, G51 Scholarship $1,000, Donna Schadler Scholarship $500
Mason Bradley – Excel Industries, Inc. Scholarship $1,000
Hailey Walter – G51 Scholarship $1,000
Mackenzie Martin – G51 Scholarship $1,000
Jacob Denholm – C.M. Sextro Memorial Math Scholarship $2,000.00
Cassie Meyer – Earl Wineinger Memorial Scholarship $500.00
Morgan Gaines – Rod’s Tire and Service & Firestone Agriculture Solution Scholarship $1,000.00
Maddy Daniels – Free Press/Joel Klaassen Journalism Scholarship $500.00
Ashley Salgado – Brian Arellano Scholarship $1,000, Newton Lions Club Scholarship $1,000, Snapp Family Scholarship $1,200
Cattie Arrowsmith – Bonnie Selanders USD 373 Scholarship $1,150
Mariah McDonald – Denise Lynn Oursler Memorial Scholarship $500, Newton Area Women of the Year Scholarship $1,000, Snapp Family Scholarship $1,200, Katherine Hanna Education Trust Endowment Scholarship $750, Vince Garcia Community Service Scholarship $500
John Jantzen – E.S. Sanders Scholarship $1,700
Joshua Kennell – Snapp Family Scholarship $1,200
Eli Regier – Jean and Virginia Coleman Music Scholarship $1,170
Jayden Anton – Nygaard Family Scholarship $850
Hanna Brown – Nygaard Family Scholarship $850
Marcus Sanders – Peabody United Methodist Church Scholarship $800.00
Morgan Gaines – Peabody United Methodist Church Scholarship $500.00
Jerica Mueller – Keith and Marilyn Harsh Scholarship $1,000.00
Abigail Entz – Edna and Mae Mertz Scholarship $1,350.00
Alexis Mersman – Novalis “Nick” or Pauline Toews Scholarship $500.00
Cassandra Wedel – John Edwards Scholarship $100.00
Hannah Johnson – Pat Halabi Memorial Scholarship $500.00, Edna and Mae Mertz Scholarship $250.00
Leslie DeLaRosa – Tina Jo Wedel Burton Scholarship $500.00, Edna and Mae Mertz Scholarship $750.00, Larry Brown Memorial Scholarship $100.00
Maximus Reese – RD Allen Scholarship $250.00
Shelby Henley – Edna and Mae Mertz Scholarship $1,250.00, Keith Sommers Scholarship $100.00
Joshua Dessenberger – Riley Greenwood Memorial Scholarship $300.00
We have broken down our awards by the dollar amounts originating in each county!
In March, the Harvey County Commission in coordination with County Administrator Anthony Schwartzendruber, took decisive action to partner with Central Kansas Community Foundation, giving a donation in the amount of $50,000 to support the citizens of Harvey County during COVID-19.
Harvey County has placed trust in the Foundation to seek out need among residents and be the response entity for charities, thereby reducing the burden of government. The Foundation has opened a grant cycle specifically for Harvey County COVID-19 relief efforts and have to date, funded nearly $25,000 in grants to charities. Projects include securing PPE for front-line workers, providing for food and sanitation supplies, assistance for telemedicine establishment and assisting with increased administrative needs among charities in Harvey County.
By investing in the Foundation’s work, the Commission has essentially made all taxpayers in Harvey County partners in COVID relief work. Every citizen has an investment in reaching their most vulnerable friend and neighbor – something to be very proud of.
For more information on how the Foundation and the Harvey County Commission are working together, check out our COVID-19 Reponse Page.
Throughout the years, we have put down roots in the communities we serve and are honored to grow our communities alongside valued and trusted community partners. The following series features businesses and individuals who have stood by our side in serving our mission to build stronger communities through charitable giving. Thank you dearly for being partners in our charitable work – it wouldn’t be possible without your friendship and financial support.
This week, we honor Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Lloyd, for their commitment to helping us serve our charitable mission in Central Kansas.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, our staff wishes you a very Happy Holiday season! We are fortunate to work with you to fulfill your charitable passions and create vibrant and strong Central Kansas communities.
For those interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation, don’t wait until the last minute! Our holiday hours are posted below.
HOLIDAY HOURS
OPEN 9AM – 4PM – Dec 23, 26-27, 30
OPEN 9AM – 12PM – December 31
CLOSED December 24-25, January 1
If you have questions about our hours or need help making your 2019 tax-deductible donation, please contact Melinda Newell at melinda@centralkansascf.org or 316-212-1918.
