Woodbine Community Foundation Fund Established to Promote Community Philanthropy

(Nov. 17, 2009) – Due to current deficit and budgetary limits being set by the State of Kansas, coupled with declining populations and empty storefronts, small rural communities may quickly deplete their resources due to a lack of funding and state support.

A group of community-minded philanthropists from Woodbine decided to take matters into their own hands and established the Woodbine Community Foundation, an affiliated fund with the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Wamego.

“The Woodbine Community Foundation Fund is dedicated to the improvement and sustainability of our community,” said Woodbine Mayor Bart Hettenbach, who—along with City Councilperson Mary Sue Roller—was instrumental in establishing the foundation. “We formed the fund to help facilitate the support and generosity of people who are receptive to the vital needs of our community.”

The Woodbine Community Foundation Fund is aimed at ensuring a prosperous future for this rural community, which has a population of approximately 207 people.

“To ensure our legacy and our community survive for future generations,” said Roller, “many of us are choosing the option of charitable giving to support our heritage and community. Our goal is to provide for the future sustainability of Woodbine, our youth, and our school district.

“Individuals and businesses interested in supporting their communities through a community foundation such as the Woodbine Community Foundation have numerous charitable giving options,” continued Roller. “Gifts of cash, livestock and grain, wills and bequests, life insurance policies, trusts, and real estate are just a few ways to give back to your communities.”

For more information about the Woodbine Community Foundation Fund, contact Roller at triple_r_carriage@yahoo.com, Hettenbach at Bannerfence@yahoo.com, or visit the KRCF website at 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 families who have 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, and Wheaton.

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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