The Superior Express -

Match Month 2021 in Jewell County is entering it’s final stage. As of the second week of March, donations are hovering right around $10,000. The goal is to raise $50,000. This year we have made Match Month interactive, by putting all of the past grant recipients on a Google Map of Jewell County and putting up signs notating each site that has received grant funding because of the donations through past Match Months. Go to the Jewell County Community Foundation Facebook page to find the link to the map, or walk or drive around communities to see if you can spot all of the signs! You will see why donations to the Jewell County Community Foundation before March 31 is so important.

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. Your donation is appreciated and donations are tax deductible.

Last year, community members came together to raise $47,305 for the benefit of Jewell County communities and 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 your 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.

Is there something in your community that you’re passionate about and would like to see supported forever? If there was one thing you would miss if it went away and it could be saved, what would it 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 will be made available every year to be spent on charitable grant requests for projects throughout the county. All Jewell County communities have benefited from the Dane G. Hansen local monies in the last couple of years. A percentage of the money that raised through Match Month will do similar work in the communities, allowing Jewell County to eventually be self-reliant.

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

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 funding mechanism for charitable projects.

The foundation will also provide a place to capture a portion of the $79 million transfer of wealth (source Kansas Association 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.

At JCCF, it is aimed to have board members and support projects from all over Jewell County. 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, a percentage of donations from match month and the respective match money went to fund projects that benefit Jewell County 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.

Donation can be sent to the JCCF post office box. Contact or send checks payable to Jewell County Community Foundation, PO Box 154, Mankato, Kansas 66956 by March 31. Pledge a multi-year gift to the foundation, instead of being asked yearly or include the foundation in estate planning, call 785-378-7036 or message jccda@nck ncn.com.