As part of their global leaders series, #GivingTuesday sat down with Brenda Sooter. Brenda is one of the leaders behind #GiveNowNewton in Newton, Kansas. Here’s what she had to say about her experience so far championing #GiveNowNewton.
News
Menocause Awards $18,265 in Grants
Valley Center Menocause awarded 11 grants in the amount of $18,265 January 27. Eighty men joined the giving circle in 2018 and contributed to the fund – a complete success!
Sarah Warren of Hornets’ Hanger accepts a $3,000 grant from Menocause: Ignite Valley Center. Warren and her colleagues will use the funds to offer clothing for all students in the district through VCIS. Also pictured from left are Menocause members Chiefs Superfan Larry Hall and Greg Lehr.
Read more and see a complete record of the awards on the Valley Center Facebook Page!
Complete Grant Listing
| 1 | Main Street Threads | $ 1,500.00 |
| 2 | Hornet Cupboard Food Pantry | $ 1,000.00 |
| 3 | VC Cares for Kids | $ 2,000.00 |
| 4 | VC Community Scholarship Fund | $ 3,000.00 |
| 5 | Friends of the VC Library | $ 1,000.00 |
| 6 | VCHS Student Advisory Leadership Team | $ 500.00 |
| 7 | VC Historical Society & Museum | $ 1,756.00 |
| 8 | VC School District Education Foundation | $ 1,500.00 |
| 9 | VCIS Technology Makerspace for Media Center | $ 2,500.00 |
| 10 | Hornets’ Hanger | $ 3,000.00 |
| 11 | Serve VC | $ 500.00 |
| $ 18,256.00 |
Welcome, Melinda and Becky!
Central Kansas Community Foundation is excited to announce the addition of Melinda Newell and Becky Nickel to our staff team. We are looking forward to a greater opportunity to serve both our affiliates and our donors.
Melinda Newell is an Accounting Clerk at Central Kansas Community Foundation. She will work primarily with deposits, but will also be in a supporting role for Brenda Eitzen with many other accounting duties. Melinda will work closely with affiliates in making sure all forms and details are being handled correctly and will be present at all CKCF board and finance meetings for recording purposes.
Melinda graduated in 1998 from Wichita State University with a Business Administration major and a Management minor. She has worked in sales, bookkeeping and administration in the past. Melinda and her husband Pete live on a farm outside of Newton and have four children ranging from age 19 to age 5 and has been fortunate to be able to spend most of the last decade at home raising them. Now that her children have reached school age, Melinda is very excited to be taking on this part-time position as a support role for CKCF.
Becky Nickel has been working with Peabody Community Foundation since 2016. She co-founded and co-owned Prairie Harvest Market & Deli 2000-2014. She has two adult children. Becky enjoys being active, especially riding bicycle and gardening, but spends most evenings in winter reading near the wood-burning stove.
The Affiliate Liaison position at CKCF allows Becky to meet people on affiliate boards who are engaged in bettering their communities, something she finds fascinating. She is excited to learn more about what Affiliates have been doing and hopes to be helpful to them in their endeavors.
Now Hiring
Halstead Community Foundation Director
Halstead Community Foundation (HCF) is hiring a quarter-time executive director.
Primary Responsibilities
Work in conjunction with the local board of directors to raise funds for HCF endowment, managing grant opportunities, building relationships with grantees, engaging with HCF board of directors and Halstead community, and work as the liaison between HCF and Central Kansas Community Foundation.
Applicant must be a self-starter with communication skills and proficiency in computers.
Contact
Please send cover letter and resume to Angie Tatro at angie@centralkansascf.org or call Central Kansas Community Foundation at (316) 283-5474.
Latest CKCF News
CKCF Celebrates Bill Hake’s Retirement!
CKCF staff recently celebrated Bill Hake’s years of service as the affiliate staff program officer. He has been a servant leader in numerous capacities at CKCF – he served 9 years as board member and held the chair position; he has worked as our affiliate liaison as staff for over 4 years and has been a dedicated donor with his daughters, sharing his story as an example for familial philanthropic giving!
Valley Center Community Foundation raises $12,000 with Pie Auction
Two pies sold for more than $1,000 each. A third went for $3,000.
The second annual Community Pie Auction Nov. 20 saw 20 homemade pies raise $12,641 for the Valley Center Community Foundation.
“We continue to be impressed by our community members. It’s amazing how much Valley Center folks support each other year after year,” said Spike Anderson, president of the foundation. “We appreciate the hard work and effort that the pie bakers put into creating these masterpieces that attracted the pie buyers. The decorations were incredible and we even had one superhero show up for the event.”
Read More of the Ark Valley News Article Here
CKCF Attends PPREP Conference in Oklahoma
November brought the community foundations from the PPREP cohort sponsored by the Funders’ Network together in Oklahoma City for two days, which included a tour of the National Weather Service on the OU campus in Norman. While the group received behind the scenes opportunities, public tours of the facility are available. Key presentations during the sessions centered around public policy and its role in disaster response. As communities respond to a variety of disasters, the implications of policy are important considerations.
As the CKCF affiliates continue to navigate next steps in disaster preparedness, it is worth noting that a majority of our affiliates have response funds in place and are holding conversations at the board level to determine how best to make communities aware of this important work.
Dick and Dorothy Miller housing fund established through El Dorado Community Foundation
Friends and family of Dick and Dorothy Miller gathered recently to celebrate Dorothy’s decision to establish a fund thru the El Dorado Community Foundation, with the primary purpose to help children avoid being homeless.
Read More about the event in the Butler County Times-Gazette
CKCF Hosts Annual Meeting, Elects New Officers
Monday, October 22 brought about change for the Foundation. CKCF hosted their annual meeting and performed a changing of the guards, electing new officers and welcomed new members to the board. Welcome to CKCF, friends. We look forward to a spectacular year under your leadership.
2018-19 Slate of Officers and Members at Large
Officers
- Immediate Past Chair, Carrie Herman (Halstead)
- Chair, Joel Gaeddert (North Newton)
- Vice Chair, Jennifer Vogts (North Newton)
- Treasurer, Todd Kasitz (Newton)
- Secretary, Amy Budde (Newton)
- Finance Chair, Rod Kreie (Newton)
Members At Large
- James Regier (Whitewater)
- Jason High (Newton)
- Tim Hodge (North Newton)
- Colin Bailey (Halstead)
- Brad Bartel (Hillsboro)
- NM Patton (Peabody)
- Marge Warta (Newton)
- Ron Lang (Newton)
- Linda Ogden (Marion)
- Jon Zerger (Newton)
- Rachel Swartzendruber Miller (Hesston)
- Becky Wolfe (new) (Andover)
- Amy Mitchell (new) (Newton)
- Myron Schmidt (new) (Goessel)
- Mary Martha Good (new) (El Dorado)
Staff
- Angie Tatro, Executive Director
Community Foundation Hosts Eastern Mennonite University Trainers
Harvey County continues to have individuals and organizations working in the area of trauma awareness. Central Kansas Community Foundation, in partnership with Eastern Mennonite University, the Harvey County Health Department and Offender Victim Ministries are host two training opportunities. Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Funders’ Network to Central Kansas Community Foundation in June of 2018, training in STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resiliency) and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) will be offered in Hesston, KS at Dyck Arboretum of Plain the week of October 8-12th.
Area First Responders, Excel employees, health and human service providers and other invested partners are coming together to gain understanding and skills to use in the work place but also in their personal realms. “The STAR and ACEs trainers are highly skilled professionals” shared Susan Lamb who is working contractually with Central Kansas Community Foundation to coordinate both trainings, and we are confident our county is ready for the information that will be shared at both events.”
“The relationship with the Funders’ Network with a grant focused on disaster preparedness and response began for Central Kansas Community Foundation early in 2017, and an opportunity to receive additional funding for an extensive project prompted CKCF to apply for support in the area of trauma,” shared Lamb. “We continue to be committed to caring for our County as individuals and groups continue their journey through the recovery associated with the Excel shooting, but we are also keenly aware of the need to be educated about potential trauma associated with future disasters – be they natural or human created,” commented Angie Tatro, Executive Director for Central Kansas Community Foundation.
Trainers for STAR bring strong experience to their work. Annette Lantz-Simmons is the Executive Director for the Center for Conflict Resolution in Kansas City, MO, and Katie Mansfield is the lead trainer for STAR at Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.
Local facilitators leading the ACEs training are Lynnette Redington, Director of the Harvey County Health Department and Laurel Woodward-Breckbill, Executive Director of Offender Victim Ministries of Harvey County. Woodward-Breckbill is also trained in the STAR curriculum. “We have such a strong community of support for this work and believe that this is another progressive step for our County”, said Lamb.
The mission of Central Kansas Community Foundation is “Building Stronger Communities Through Charitable Giving”, and CKCF is the host foundation for 20 regional affiliate foundations including 15 communities in central Kansas.
Hillsboro Community Foundation Hires Director
Hillsboro Community Foundation and Central Kansas Community Foundation are pleased to announce the hiring of Bonnie Darwin as the Foundation’s new Director in Hillsboro.
Bonnie replaces Cynthia Fleming who served as Hillsboro’s Director from 2015 to 2018 and oversaw the growth of the Foundations assets to the 2.5 million. This year the Foundation distributed $64,000 in grants to various nonprofit organizations and $9,200 to individuals in scholarships.
After attending Jost family reunions in Hillsboro for the past twenty-five years, Bonnie moved to Kansas. from Sacramento, California to be closer to her extended family. During her professional career in Sacramento, Bonnie worked with rural hospitals at the California Hospital Association and served as the Chief Consultant to the Committee on Aging for the lower house of the California Legislature.
Todd Jost, President of HCF, says “We are thrilled to have Bonnie join us as we strive to expand HCF’s work to enhance and sustain our community. We will miss Cynthia’s experience and knowledge, but we are excited by the passion and different perspective Bonnie is bringing to the post.”
Angie Tatro, Executive Director of CKCF, says “We are delighted to have Bonnie join us to continue the outstanding work of Hillsboro’s Foundation and look forward to the ideas she has to help rural communities thrive.” Tatro went on to say Hillsboro Community Foundation was established to promote and facilitate charitable giving in support of project/programs that enhance the quality of life in Hillsboro, Kansas. Then ended by stating “I am confident Bonnie will contribute greatly to this purpose.”
Health Ministries Clinic Benefits from Area Foundation Grants
Health Ministries Clinic (HMC) is pleased to announce that it recently received grant funding through several community affiliates of the Central Kansas Community Foundation. “We resonate with the emphasis of the Central Kansas Community Foundation in utilizing locally donated funds to build strong communities,” commented Health Ministries Clinic’s CEO Matthew Schmidt. “We appreciate the investment of the Hesston, Halstead and Newton affiliates in partnering with us to ensure access to healthcare services for everyone in our community.”
A $3,000 grant funded through the Hesston Community Foundation will be used to ensure that Hesston area residents have access to primary care at HMC, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.
An $800 grant from the Newton Area Health Fund was funded through the Kansas Health Foundation Fund-Newton. HMC will use the funds to assist Newton area residents to obtain primary care services when they can’t afford their care.
A $1,000 grant from the Halstead Community Foundation will purchase a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen and a wheelchair for HMC’s Halstead clinic. Health Ministries has operated the clinic at 126 Main, Halstead since 2015. In 2017, HMC provided primary care services for 670 patients from Halstead and the surrounding area.
Foundation Posts 2017 Annual Report
Central Kansas Community Foundation is pleased to present the 2017 Annual Performance Report.
Highlights include the following:
- A net asset growth of 10.95%
- Organizational growth of 8.23%
- Total annual giving of $1.6 Million
View the full 2017 Foundation Annual Report.
