Residents can leave a legacy for future
Residents of Hillsboro may be wondering where all those ‘Leave a Legacy’ signs came from, and what do they mean?
Those of us who represent local nonprofit organizations and serve on the Leave a Legacy steering committee each year believe we know what it means on a personal level. Our organizations, by providing housing for the poor, helping the mentally disadvantaged, serving the elderly, protecting children, beautifying our community, and providing medical care, positively impact the quality of life in our communities.
But in order to continue these programs, we depend on generous people who recognize that their contributions are vital to our continuing success. The Leave a Legacy program is designed to motivate those same individuals to make a gift that makes an impact both today and tomorrow. By supporting the charitable causes that have been important to your family through a bequest or a planned gift you can make a difference.
The recent transfer of wealth study indicated that in Marion County alone more than three hundred million dollars will transfer from one generation to the next by the year 2020. If each of us designated a mere 5 percent of our estate for charity we could build a community endowment of more than $15 million over the next 11 years. Think what that would mean to all of us. Imagine if more than $500,000 was available every year to fund special projects and meet emerging needs locally.
In essence, you would be building an independent source of wealth and prosperity for Marion County, guaranteeing that your quality of life will be maintained and enhanced for generations to come.
You don’t have to be wealthy to make an impact. People often shy away from “estate planning” and all the emotional and financial considerations it can involve. Think of it as “legacy planning.” How do you want to be remembered? What is your legacy to your children, your community, and the world? By involving your children in philanthropy, you can provide a wonderful opportunity to reinforce your family’s values.
You can contact your favorite charity, the Hillsboro Community Foundation, the Greater Newton Community Foundation or the Central Kansas Community Foundation to learn more about Leaving a Legacy. Visit with your attorney, accountant or financial planner. They can tell you about the tax benefits of planned gifts and help you determine what will work best for your family.
Together we can make a difference.
Jared Jost, chair
Hillsboro Com. Foundation
Sandra Fruit, exec. director
Greater Newton Com. Foundation
Since 2012, Hillsboro Community Foundation scholarship funds have awarded a total of $114,000 in scholarships to 80 deserving high school graduating seniors. Donors have established 10 scholarship funds to date, amounting to over $420,000 in endowed assets.
The scholarship funds reward general scholarship and citizenship, as well as support students interested in specific areas of further study, such as math, journalism, and vocational studies.
Student applications are evaluated in the spring of each year by a review group for each scholarship. The group typically consists of the donor or sponsor, a school official, and other community members.
HCF BoardFifty-nine individuals from the community have served as Hillsboro Community Foundation Board Members or Director over the past 20 years. Representatives from local government, education, faith groups, business, and other backgrounds have all participated on the Board. Each volunteer may serve up to a six-year term.
The Board is responsible for overseeing and promoting the foundation in the community, and acting as Fund Advisor for certain funds such as the Impact Fund. A part-time Director position was established in 2010 to handle operating activities and provide a single point of contact for the public. Five individuals have held this role and been instrumental in the growth of the foundation.
Community Response FundIn 2018, the Hillsboro Community Foundation established the Hillsboro Community Response Fund to support both emergency preparedness and disaster recovery efforts. In 2020, the fund was used to provide Covid relief, with grants made to local charities and city emergency services during the shutdown period.
Through our affiliation with Central Kansas Community Foundation, HCF participates with other community foundations in the Philanthropic Preparedness Resiliency and Emergency Partnership sponsored by The Funders’ Network. More information, including disaster support resources, may be found at the CKCF website under the Events heading.
Project FundsIn addition to longer-term endowments, Hillsboro Community Foundation provides donors a way to support community projects. Specific Funds for major projects are set up to collect public donations that are then spent during the project development and construction. Once the project is complete, any remaining dollars are typically used for the maintenance of the project. Major community projects that have been supported by HCF and donors include:
- Bartel House Museum
- Bluejay Lanes Renovations
- H4C Childcare Center
- Hillsboro Outdoor Basketball Courts
- Hillsboro Community Plaza Splash Park
A number of qualified not-for-profit organizations have established their own endowments and restricted funds as part of the Hillsboro Community Foundation. This allows them to participate in the investment management and compliance services provided by CKCF, as well as accept community donations. The organizations include:
- Families and Communities Together (FACT)
- Hillsboro Kiwanis Club
- Hillsboro Senior Center Marion County 4-H
- Parkside Homes
- Salem Home
In 2017, the Hillsboro Community Foundation established the Give360 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.
Give360 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 available at the website.
The Hillsboro Community Foundation received a big boost to the growth of the foundation in 2010 when it applied for and received a matching-fund grant of $363,000 from the Kansas Health Foundation’s GROW Il program. As a result, HCF was able to increase the amount of annual grants early in the life of the foundation and expand our operating capability.
Grants from outside agencies and organizations, matching or otherwise, typically require local financial commitment before a grant will be considered. HCF has played a role in helping to meet this requirement for grants related to the Hillsboro Elementary School Playground Project in 2014 and the H4C Childcare Project in 2023.
In 2010, the Marga Ebel Estate donated a planned gift in excess of $350,000 for the establishment of the Marga Ebel Health Fund. In her later years, Marga expressed a desire to help children with the remainder of her estate. Her last teaching position at the Institute of Logopedics helped her to understand the need for resources to help children in need.
Investment earnings from the endowment fund are used to support children’s health. A portion of the annual distribution goes to the Marga Ebel Children’s Dental Care Program. The program provides dental care financial assistance for qualifying families of children attending USD 410 schools.
Since the program began in 2013, over $74,000 has been distributed by the Fund for dental care, along with $106,000 for a variety of other children’s health programs and projects.
The Hillsboro Community Foundation’s motto of “Building Our Community by Connecting Donors Who Care with Causes that Matter” was coined in 2009. The motto built upon the four original objectives outlined at the founding in 2004:
- to advise and assist donors who could benefit by using the HCF to achieve their charitable objectives;
- to receive grants or bequests for the benefit of both specific and broad community charitable interests;
- to make grants from unrestricted community endowment funds to benefit worthy Hillsboro-area charitable, benevolent, cultural, religious, civic, health, scientific and educational purposes;
- to encourage and assist qualified not-for-profit organizations in establishing their own endowments and restricted funds as part of the HCF.