| Northfield Area Foundation celebrates 15 years |
By: SUZANNE ROOK, Managing Editor
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Posted: Friday, November 6, 2009 10:48 pm
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Tangible gifts like repairs to the popcorn wagon and intangible donations such as scholarship assistance have been the hallmark of the 15-year-old Northfield Area Foundation.
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NORTHFIELD —For a decade and a half, the Northfield Area Foundation has built a sizable nest egg, annually giving a portion of its funds to improve life in this town of cows, colleges and contentment.
Now well into its teen years, the foundation board isn’t content to stay under the radar. Next week they host an open house designed to let the community know what they’ve been up to and encourage Northfielders to consider sharing their good fortune with their neighbors.
The foundation, an idea of former schools Superintendent Charlie Kyte and businessman Greg Carlson, was meant to act as a bridge between those with needs and those with resources, Carlson said.
The problem, he said, is that those with resources don’t often know how or where to respond. The foundation, a group unencumbered by the parameters of many national organizations, is locally focused and flexible in where and how it offers assistance.
Though money goes to registered nonprofits to ensure grants are used appropriately, it helps support programs and projects.
In Northfield, an estimated $200,000 has helped install the “Harvest” sculpture along the Water Street Riverwalk, and the fountain at the city’s soccer fields, funded scholarships, musical performances and aided the Rice County Steam & Gas Engine Club.
Welcome to town
The first grants, in 2001, came from interest from two large donations. About $900,000 came from former Northfielder Ruth Nutting. One third of that is for city beautification projects, another third goes to the Northfield Historical Society with the final third being unrestricted. A $500,000 donation came from the estate of Dorothy and Marston Headley.
Other monies come from what Carlson called “donor advised funds” in which donors have a say in how their money is spent. Both Carlson and foundation board chair Karna Halvorson call the NAF the “community’s savings account.”
They see the contributions as a way to support the community over time. It doesn’t compete with other organizations’ fundraisers, focusing on donations made through estate and financial planning.
Halvorson and foundation treasurer Bill Bleckwehl say the group is intent on being more visible, a plan they expect will encourage grant applications and giving.
Carlson says statistics show that 70 percent of Americans make charitable donations, yet only 10 percent give through estate or financial planning. That type of giving is easy, he said, and allows donors to leave a lasting legacy.
Without the foundation, say grant recipients like the Community Action Center’s Jim Blaha, community needs would go unmet.
The CAC has used grant money to pay for programs, youth scholarships and for its Thursday’s Table, a weekly dinner and social gathering targeted to the less fortunate.
But it isn’t just grantees who benefit from NAF dollars, it’s the community, said Blaha, adding that when one is helped, the whole is improved.
Take the Northfield Senior Center’s popcorn wagon: in 2004, the antique wagon located at Bridge Square needed painting and waterproofing, said Orrin DeLong, who oversees popcorn sales.
A $2,000 price tag made repairs prohibitive. But with money from the foundation, the wagon again greeted downtown visitors.
The money was a “very definite benefit” to the entire community, said DeLong. “The popcorn wagon is a welcome to Northfield.”
Learn more about the Northfield Area Foundation, donating to NAF or including it in your estate planning, visit at northfieldareafoundation.org.
Northfield Area Foundation hosts an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at The Grand Event Center at 316 Washington St. for community members to learn more about the foundation, its mission, goals and the organization’s grant recipients. A short program begins at 5:45 p.m.
— Suzanne Rook is the managing editor. She can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113. |
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