The Community Foundation of Greater Butler County will join more than 700 community foundations across the United States in celebrating charitable giving during Community Foundation Week, mid November.
In 2007, community foundations gave an estimated $4.1 billion to a variety of nonprofit activities in fields that included the arts, education, environment, disaster relief, and health and human services. Locally, because of the generosity of donors, more than $220,000 has been granted toward charitable project, programs and services here in Butler County since 2002.
“This is a week for us all to celebrate and thank our generous donors. Because of their gifts we have been able to make an impact in many areas of need here in Butler County”, said Angie Baur, CEO/President of the Community Foundation. She went on to say, “There is however, more to be done. So a critical goal for our foundation is growing our asset base. As our asset base grows, our platform for building community becomes stronger.”
Another goal locally the foundation mentions is broadening the perception of building community through a variety of charitable gifts. Health and human services are a critical element of need in many local neighborhoods. Advanced education, the arts and community revitalization and preservation are at the core of our mid-western values. A community foundation is able to support donors in fulfilling their dreams for community building. The definition of community building is very donor specific.
Community foundations are one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy in the United States, with total assets of more than $50 billion. Every state in the U.S. is home to at least one community foundation. Although community foundations make up only 1 percent of all U.S. grantmaking foundations, they account for more than 9 percent of all foundation giving. While the community and clients each foundation serves vary greatly, every community foundation shares in the commitment of improving the lives of others.
“Community foundations are catalysts for positive change within both urban and rural areas,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. “Donors of all income levels and from all geographic regions are finding community foundations to be an ideal way for them to easily give back to their community in a meaningful way.”
Across the nation, community foundations help create stronger hometowns where families want to establish roots, with recreational parks, social service programs and scholarship opportunities for promising local students.
Community Foundation Week began in 1989 with a proclamation from former president George H.W. Bush and a congressional briefing about community foundation activities. The observance has made donors seeking to maximize their philanthropic dollars aware of community foundations’
The Community Foundation of Greater Butler County was founded in 2001: by local people, for local people. Their mission is to assist donors in building a permanent pool of assets for the people, organizations and causes in the Greater Butler County area.
To make a gift send check to Community Foundation of Greater Butler County, PO Box 851, Andover, KS 67002; or contact the Foundation staff to discuss other asset and gift acceptance options at 316-733-0230 or foundationgbc@
