News

New Funds

July 20, 2018

Leave a Legacy Foundation Endowment Fund Permanent fund to benefit the Leave a Legacy Foundation in furthering its mission as directed by the board of directors. D&L Hewes Scholarship Fund Permanent fund to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from Gray County High Schools in Cimarron, Ingalls and Montezuma, KS. Horace Good Middle School Alumni Scholarship Fund Non-permanent fund to provide scholarships to graduating seniors who attended Horace J. Good Middle School in Garden City, KS for a minimum of 2 semesters. If you would like to learn more about setting up a fund of...

From the Desk of the Executive Director

July 20, 2018

By Conny Bogaard, Executive Director The summer is always a good time for reflection and review the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Are we following through on what we said we would do? One of the goals we set for 2018 is to explore ways to better serve the 15 counties in our area. Historically, our primary focus has been on Garden City and Finney County. This is no surprise since Garden City is the regional hub for work and business including many nonprofit organizations that apply for grants each year. These nonprofits may serve larger geographical areas such as High Plains...

Chairman's Perspective

July 20, 2018

By Kathy Diehl, Board Chair On June 22, I had the pleasure of meeting with donors, award recipients and their families at the Western Kansas Community Foundation Scholarship Reception. This annual event is held to honor our scholarship recipients and to thank many of our generous donors for their continued support. The reception allows the recipients the opportunity to meet and thank their donors in person, and for donors to meet those students who are benefiting from their generosity. Our recipients come from all walks of life, but have the same hopes and dreams. I am positive that each...

From the Desk of the Executive Director

February 8, 2018

By Conny Bogaard, Executive Director I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many donors, organizations, legal and financial advisors, grant and scholarship recipients and community leaders who worked with WKCF in the past year. We were able to grow because of the commitments of many people to building stronger communities. On December 31, 2017, we closed our books with $29M+ in assets; we paid out $855K+ in grants and fund distributions whereas two significant trusts were bequeathed to us. Assets from the Wilmer “Bill” and Dorothea Kline Trust and the Elizabeth May Rosel Trust are...

Board Chair's Perspective

February 8, 2018

By Kathy Diehl, Chair of the Board It is hard to believe that 2017 is behind us, but it is a great time to highlight the accomplishments of the past year. With the support of the citizens of Southwest Kansas, and the vision of our staff and board members, Western Kansas Community Foundation had an exciting year. Between new funds created, additions made to existing funds and the enormous success of our first Match Day event, we were truly blessed. As I reflect back it is amazing the progress the WKCF has made not only in this last year but since the inception of this wonderful...

Wichita County Community Foundation Reaches Endowment Goal

February 8, 2018

By Laura Berning, WCCF President 2017 marked the 15-year anniversary of the Wichita County Community Foundation (WCCF), an affiliate of WKCF. It was also the last year to raise money for matching GROW II funds from the Kansas Health Foundation. With these major milestones in mind, the WCCF board launched a capital campaign to reach one million dollars in endowed funds before the end of 2017. More than $260,000 in gifts were received throughout the year, making our ending endowed balance just over $1,000,000. To help meet this million-dollar goal, the Foundation board members reached out...

New Board Members

February 8, 2018

Josh Biera received his Bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University, KS in 1992. He was also a student athlete during his collegiate years. Josh is a Lieutenant with the Kansas Highway Patrol in Garden City. He has served on the St. Dominic school board, Fort Hays State University Alumni Association, Department of Public Safety with Garden City Community College, Real Men Real Leaders, and several other organizations. Josh is married to Jeanine, who is a native of Sublette, KS and they have two children, Lincoln and Tylee. Josh and his family have been residents of Garden...

New Funds

February 8, 2018

Dr. Stephen Meyers Endowed Fund Established by St. Catherine’s Hospital Development Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to support advancements in education to nurses and respiratory therapists working in the Maternal and Child Service Department. Law Enforcement Explorer Program (LEEP) Fund Established by the City of Garden City. The purpose of the fund for the Garden City Police Department is to provide support to young adults interested in a career in law enforcement and raise a personal awareness of the criminal justice system through training, practical experiences and other...

Match Day Success

February 8, 2018

The Western Kansas Community Foundation is grateful to the sponsors who generously provided the $50,000 matching dollars for our inaugural Match Day on November 28, 2017: Gold Sponsors: Brookover Land Enterprises, Luther and Ardis Fry, Eric and Jena Fry, Lee and Brenda Reeve Silver Sponsors: High Plains Orthodontics, The Commerce Bank, Western State Bank Bronze Sponsors: American Implement, American State BAnk, Dr. William and Jean Clifford, Dairy Farmers of America, Friends of Match Day, Donald and Kathy Diehl, Kirk Olomon, Midwest Energy, Scheopner's Water Conditioning, The Garden City...

What if Christmas Means a Little Bit More?

February 8, 2018

By Stacie Hahn, Program OfficerSomeone once said “Christmas isn’t a season, it’s a feeling.” Well, it certainly felt a lot like Christmas in the WKCF office in December. Providing grants to deserving non-profits is the heart and soul of the Foundation’s work, but once a year, our Board does something special. When the last grant cycle of the year comes around, currently in November, the Grant Committee meets to determine the recipients. For all intents and purposes, this meeting is much like the previous meetings and ones that have yet to pass, except for one...