A Summer of Sharing

Summer is a great time for visiting friends, near and far. In July, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation convened representatives from sixteen foundations to share the positive impact of DonorEdge®. DonorEdge® has made a difference not only in Kansas City, but also in Columbus, Nashville, Denver, Houston, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Our guests enjoyed learning from each other...and they sure enjoyed the Plaza! Highlights from our road trips outside of Kansas City included visits with our colleagues at community foundations in Des Moines, Silicon Valley, Seattle and Florida.

But it is hard to top the visit last week by 16 staff and board members from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. That foundation, along with the donors, nonprofits and community leaders it represents, has experienced two years like none other. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the entire South Louisiana region is in the midst of a challenging transformation. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is a great example of a community foundation that has taken the lead on a critical community issue--developing land plans for the cities in the region, creating toolkits for rebuilding, and initiating the first comprehensive plan for all of South Louisiana.

To be as inspired as we were, you can access the plan at LouisianaSpeaks.org and learn more about the Baton Rouge Area Foundation at www.braf.org. You will see what a community foundation can do--whether the challenge is hurricane relief, ensuring that each child has the opportunity for quality education, or providing access to health care for all citizens. What is important to you is important to us. Thanks for being part of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation--your foundation--as we fulfill your dreams for Kansas City through the power of giving.