Friends of USD 329 Fund Established to Encourage Charitable Giving

(December 22, 2009) Alma KS – With massive state budget cuts already eating away at school district funding in Kansas, and even more budget cuts looming, friends and supporters of Mill Creek Valley school district can support USD 329 through charitable giving via the Friends of USD 329 Fund with the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation (KRCF).

“We established this fund to raise money to support and enhance quality education for students, faculty, and staff of USD 329,” said Dr. Philip Mahan, superintendent of schools. “Charitable donations to the fund can be used for numerous educational purposes, including scholarships, teacher grants, classroom materials and supplies, facility maintenance and improvement, athletics, academic programming, extracurricular activities, technology, professional development, and other educational needs.”

The school district serves more than 470 students from Alma, McFarland, Paxico and Maple Hill, with grade schools located in Maple Hill and Alma, the middle and junior high schools located in Paxico, and Wabaunsee High School located in Alma.

“We are hopeful that alumni, friends and supporters of USD 329 will consider supporting our schools by giving to the Friends of USD 329 fund,” said Mahan. “We can no longer depend upon the state for funding, and our schools, students and teachers are the ones who suffer because of dwindling educational resources.”

According to René Eichem, KRCF executive director, contributions donated to the Friends of USD 329 fund will be managed by the KRCF. “All donations to the USD 329 fund are tax deductible as a charitable contribution,” Eichem said, “and by giving through the KRCF, donors can contribute gifts of cash, stock, real estate, and more. The Mill Creek Valley School district is always looking for ways to improve the quality of life of its patrons."

For more information about the Friends of USD 329 Fund, please contact the USD 329 office at (785) 765-3394 or visit www.thekrcf.org.

The formation of the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation in 2006 as 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created an efficient mechanism through which individuals, families, communities, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations have been able to create funds and make gifts to benefit their communities.

Donated dollars have established scholarships, built new community playgrounds, assisted children with disabilities, and aided historical preservation, just to name a few. Some of the communities that have benefited from the services provided by the KRCF include Admire, Alma, Belvue, Havensville, Norton, Olsburg, Onaga, St. George, St. Marys, Wamego, Westmoreland, Wheaton, and Woodbine.

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For more information, please contact:
René Eichem, executive director
Kansas Rural Communities Foundation
1004 Lincoln Ave. |P.O. Box 25
Wamego, KS 66547
P: 785-456-8444 | F: 785-456-8443
E-mail | http://www.thekrcf.org