Dental issues have been shown to have a clear connection with overall health.  The Marga Ebel Children’s Dental Program was formed in 2012 to help identify and address dental concerns in students of USD 410 schools.  The program is funded by the Marga Ebel Health Fund endowment held by the Hillsboro Community Foundation.

USD 410 provides dental screenings for students which identifies children needing professional attention.  Financial assistance is then made available through the Children’s Dental Program for qualifying families that may need help in covering the cost of dental services.

The program was developed by a committee of education and health care providers in the community, and is believed to be the first program of its kind among public schools in Kansas.

A total of $172,000 in grants have been issued from the Hillsboro Impact Fund by the Hillsboro Community Foundation since the first grants were awarded in 2008.

Local charity, youth, and educational programs have been the recipients of nearly two-thirds of the Impact Fund grant dollars.  Other programs receiving grants included those in senior living and care, city services, health and recreation, and arts and history.

The grants come from the investment earnings of the endowed fund, the balance of which continues to grow through new donations received each year.  These donations allow the Impact Fund to make a greater and increasing difference in our community, now and in the future.

The first endowment fund established through the Hillsboro Community Foundation was the Hillsboro Impact Fund.  The idea was to create a permanent source of investment earnings that could be distributed to charities and projects through an annual grant-making process.

To raise money for the fund, a community-wide campaign was begun in 2006 with a goal of $250,000.  By December 2007, contributions and pledges totaling more than $265,000 had been received from more than 100 donor households and businesses. 

The success of the Impact Fund campaign is a tribute to the generosity of the Hillsboro-area community and the desire to ensure that the well-being of the community will always remain a priority.

On the evening of Tuesday, May 4, 2004, about 40 people gathered at the Hillsboro High School to hear the first public presentation about the recent formation of the Hillsboro Community Foundation.

HCF board members talked about how the foundation would provide a “vehicle to give back to the community,” for both current and former residents who “value the benefits they received while growing up in Hillsboro and are now in a position to give something back.”

Startup seed money of $2,250 was raised from 19 households to fund brochures and promotional materials.  These were used to announce the formation of HCF to more than 400 attendees at the Hillsboro High School All-School Reunion later that month.

HCF established the Give $360 Fund as a way for donors to make recurring donations that compound with those of like-minded individuals to extend their impact.  The name of the fund is based on the idea of simply contributing $1 a day through monthly, quarterly, or annual contributions, although recurring donations of any size are welcome.

Give $360 contributions are divided equally between the Hillsboro Impact Fund and the Hillsboro Community Fund, to provide for both long-term and short-term grants to the community.

Automatic recurring donations may be set up through an employer payroll deduction program or by selecting the Recurring Donation Amount on the online payment portal for the fund.

For more information, please contact the HCF director.

The Hillsboro Impact Fund was established through a major capital fundraising campaign in 2006 and 2007.  The purpose was to create a permanent endowment fund in which the earnings could be distributed annually to benefit charitable groups and community enhancement projects.

The campaign was a success with contributions from 118 individuals, families, companies, and other groups.  By December 31, 2007, pledges and contributions of more than $265,000 were received, exceeding the goal of $250,000. 

The Impact Fund remains open to additional gifts and has continued to receive new contributions every year since the original campaign.  HCF thanks and recognizes all donors to the fund for their support, and especially that first set of “founding” donors who made it all possible.

Hillsboro Impact Fund Founding Donors

Gold Founders

Brent & Lynette Barkman

Richard & Joyce Barkman

Carl Calam Family

Central National Bank

Emprise Bank

Don & Pauline Greenhaw Family

Mike & Carolyn Kleiber

Richard Nickel

Silver Founders

Marcella Bruce

Delores & John Dalke

Darrell & Charlene Driggers

Gerald & Sharon Funk

Jared & Julia Jost

Albert & Vada Reimer

Layne & Nancy Reusser

Ennis & Dayle Unruh

Bronze Founders

Doris Arnold

Johnnie & Myrta Bartel Family

Betty Bernhardt

Bremyer & Wise, LLC

Lawrence J. & Rita Brennan

Kathy Decker

Gary & Becky Evans

Roger & Cynthia Fleming

Ray & Aldina Franz

Kenneth & Bonnie Funk

Glenn & Janice Goertz

Dorothy, Randy & Terry Hagen

Jayson & Jan Hanschu

Keith & Judy Harder

Hillsboro Hardware, Inc.

Hillsboro Free Press

Harold B. Jost

Marvin & Rosella Jost

Kiwanis Club of Hillsboro

Adam & Ashley Kleiber

Andy & Jenny Kleiber

The Lumberyard, Inc.

Phyllis Meisinger

Gordon & Vicky Mohn

Marvin & Marilyn Ratzlaff

Kirby & Kathy Rector

John & Eileen Unruh

Paul & Christine Unruh

Robert & Susan Watson

Wheatbelt, Inc.

Randy & Janet Whisenhunt

Foundation Friends

N. E. Abrahams Memorial

Ray & Sylvia Abrahams

Lyman & Marie Adams

Lee & Verda Albrecht

David & Sue Baker

Jim & Elaine Baker

Ruth Bartel

Ruth Bartel Memorial

Brad & Rita Bartel

Kenneth (Bud) Buller Memorial

Richard & Joni Calam

Lavonne Carrington

Concrete Products, Inc.

Cooperative Grain & Supply

Len & Brenda Coryea

Warren & Ruby Dalke

John & Carol Dick

Jim & Karen Elliot

Emprise Bank Employees

G. George & Evelyn Ens

Willis & Marilyn Ensz

Norman & Rosella Epp

Harris & Debra Ewert

Fast Realty

Robert G. & Darlene Franz

Ray N. Funk Memorial

Steve & Michelle Glahn

Lowell & Judy Goering

Gaylord & Peggy Goertzen

Steve & Lou Greenhaw

Loren J. & Lois Groening Family

Celia Gross

Larry Hatteberg

James & Leanna Hefley

Ed & Margaret Hein

James E. & Darlene Hiebert

Hillsboro Community Hospital

Hillsboro H.S. Class of 1950

Hillsboro State Bank

Paul & Elaine Jantzen

Bruce & Kimberlee Jost

Kim & Delora Kaufman

Pearl Koch

Menno Lohrenz

Carl & Jane Long

Raymond & Eunice Matz

Larry & Elaine Nikkel

Michael & Shelly Padgett

Dean & Sandi Patterson

Kermit & Ruth Ratzlaff

Edith Rempel

Michael & Meredith Ryan

Clint & Ev Seibel

Robert Sextro

Randy & Ann Smith

Southwest Distributor

Elva Suderman

Wilmer & Hildegard Thiessen

Lou & Lori Thurston

John & Hilda Vogt

Rubena Wiebe

Raymond F. Wiebe

Clark & Anna Marie Wiebe

David & Susan Wiens

Eldon & Lavonne Wiens

Randy & Lindy Wiens

Evan & Rebecca Yoder

From an early Hillsboro Community Foundation promotional brochure:

Pioneering a Vision

The year is 1879.  Quiet but enterprising Scottish immigrant John G. Hill purchases 80 acres of land in Marion County and launches a flourishing trade center he names Hillsboro.

The year is 1887.  William F. and Ida Schaeffler invest their financial future to build a large, two-story building along Hillsboro’s fledgling Main Street.  Schaeffler Mercantile Co. eventually prospers into the largest department store in the county and enables the family to contribute widely to the musical and religious life of the community.

The year is 1907.  Two young dreamers, McPherson College senior Henry W. Lohrentz and farmer J.K. Hiebert, plant a seed of starting a Mennonite Brethren college in Hillsboro.  A year later, Tabor College is born.

The year is 1918.  Thanks in part to the effort of Russian-born physician and druggist Jacob J. Entz, a fledgling Salem Home and Hospital moves from its rural origin into a new three-story facility along Main Street, where it faithfully serves the health care needs of the community for almost 40 years.

The year is 1968.  Nine local businessmen form the Hillsboro Development Corporation board and purchase 160 acres of land east of Hillsboro.  The land is used to create an industrial park that will draw significant new businesses to the community.

These “pioneers” are just a few of the men and women of Hillsboro who envisioned possibilities for their community.  Their passion was imperative.  Their vision was vital.  Their contributions were crucial.

Creating a Community

Today, Hillsboro enjoys a statewide reputation as a progressive community rising above the rolling prairie – a tribute to the labor and vision of its pioneers through the decades.

For current residents, it’s a community with so much to offer:

• a strategic location as an agricultural center;
• an array of businesses and industries;
• cutting-edge health care, senior living, police, fire, and emergency services;
• vibrant church ministries and civic organizations;
• schools of all levels dedicated to developing the whole individual;
• recreational settings including parks, sports facilities, aquatic center, and the nearby Marion Reservoir.

As impressive as this list is, it is far from finished.  In any community, needs must be recognized, good programs and services must be pursued and possibilities for growth must be explored.  And everyone plays a part in envisioning the future.

Is there something you want to see happen to ensure Hillsboro grows and flourishes for years to come?

We can help.

Return to Our History Page

The David F. Wiebe Memorial Fund for Hillsboro Pioneer Adobe House and Museum was established in 2012 by David’s brother, Raymond Wiebe.  Earnings from the fund are used for museum exhibits, operating costs, and other projects recommended by the Hillsboro Museums Board.

Although David taught high school in several towns around Kansas throughout his life, he came back to Hillsboro each summer to work in the museum.  From 1984 to 2002, he served as the Director of Museums for the City of Hillsboro.

The purpose of the endowed fund is to help ensure the future of the Adobe House Museum and preserve the history of the Mennonite culture.  As an open fund, additional contributions may be made by anyone with an interest in reminding us of our heritage.

Scholarships totaling $16,200 were recently awarded to ten graduating seniors for the 2023-24 school year from donor funds held by the Hillsboro Community Foundation.

The scholarships were awarded from the following funds:

• C. M. Sextro Memorial Math Scholarship Fund  – $ 2,000
• Demarius Lives Scholarship Fund – $ 1,500
• Earl and Mary Lee Wineinger Memorial Scholarship Fund – $ 1,200
• Free Press/Joel Klaassen Journalism Scholarship Fund – $ 500
• Glenn and Janice Goertz Scholarship Fund – $ 1,000
• Hillsboro High School Citizenship Award Fund  – $ 500
• John A. and Harriet Kizler Wiebe Fund for Hillsboro High School – $ 7,000
• Rod’s Tire and Service Scholarship Fund – $ 2,500

A scholarship is an investment in the future. HCF congratulates each of the scholarship recipients as they take the next step in their journey and wish them continued success.

The early success in getting the Hillsboro Community Foundation off the ground was made possible through the dedicated efforts of a small group of people serving as volunteer Advisory Board members.

Members of the original planning group formed the initial Board in 2004 with Mike Kleiber as Chair, Brad Bartel as Vice Chair, Steven Garrett as Secretary/Treasurer, and Delores Dalke and Kirby Fadenrecht as members.  Within months, Marcella Bruce and Wilmer Thiessen joined them on the Board.

In the fall of 2005, the board was expanded in advance of the Hillsboro Impact Fund campaign with the addition of Jim Brennan, Jayson Hanschu, Kim Kaufman, and Gordon Mohn.  The success of that campaign firmly established the foundation and helped HCF grow into what it is today.