Match Month for the Jewell County Foundation is during March 2021. Contributions must be received by March 31 to be eligible for the match from Dane G. Hansen of a $1.50 for every dollar. As an example, this means that a $100 gift will be matched by $150 from Dane G. Hansen Foundation for a total of $250. The donation is appreciated, and donations are tax deductible.

Last year, community members raised $47,305 for the benefit of Jewell County projects. The Dane G. Hansen Foundation matched those gifts for a total of $118,263 added to the Jewell County Community Foundation unrestricted fund. This year, a gift will again be more than doubled as Dane G. Hansen will match every $1 with $1.50 up to the $50,000 per pooled money. What could be raised this time?

This year there will be a virtual and auto tour of the different projects the Jewell County Community Foundation has funded throughout the county. There will be a virtual map to check out projects and signs posted throughout the county on project locations so that donors can visibly see the impact they are making.

Is there something in the community that you’re passionate about and would like to see supported? If there was one thing you would miss if it went away and you could save it, what would that be? The money raised in March 2021 Match Month will go into an unrestricted fund. This money is then invested, and a percentage of the money made available every year to be spent on charitable grant requests for projects. All the Jewell County communities have benefited from the Dane G. Hansen local monies throughout the last couple of years.

All gifts will be placed in an endowed fund, allowing the Jewell County Community Foundation to sustain itself and continue to give grants. Think outside the box as well as beyond cash donations. The Foundation can also accept donations of land, cattle, or grain. Just tell the elevator or the sale barn to donate that load or animal to the foundation.

The goal of the Jewell County Foundation is to strengthen and sustain Jewell County and its communities, strengthen Jewell County non-profits through the ability to grant money to charitable projects, and improve the quality of life in Jewell County by providing a funding mechanism for charitable projects. The foundation will also provide a place to capture a portion of the $79 million transfer of wealth (source KS Assoc. of Community Foundations) for Jewell County residents who want to leave their legacy in Jewell County with living gifts or their estates after they are gone. If each estate leaves just 5 percent in Jewell County, this would mean almost $4 million to help support Jewell County communities in the future. The foundation also provides another outlet for those interested parties to donate for the benefit of Jewell County with tax deductible donations.

Current Jewell County Community Foundation board members include Trevor Elkins, president, Jim Dooley, Lisa Goodheart, Steve Spiegel, Brian Shulda, Kenny Mizner, Susan Flinn, Caleb Mahin, Ryan Cates, Kristin Mizner, Neil Bouray, Sara Reiter and Jenny Russell. In 2020,the foundation helped fund projects including the Community Center upgrades in Esbon, custom banners for the City of Jewell, new equipment for the Jewell County Burn Association, a new mural for Burr Oak, and the Christmas lighting in Mankato.

Send checks payable to Jewell County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 154, Mankato, Kan. 66956 by March 31. If you would like to pledge a multi-year gift to the foundation, instead of being asked yearly, or you would like to include the Foundation in your estate planning, contact 785-378-7036 or [email protected]