Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Remembering a Founder

The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation lost a dear friend - and a little piece of history - when Charles Curran passed away recently at the age of 84.

If you've been around Kansas City for a while, you have no doubt heard of an organization called the Kansas City Association of Trusts and Foundations. The Association was formed in 1949 under the leadership of attorney Arthur Mag (Stinson Mag and now Stinson Morrison Hecker). The Association's board was charged with making grant recommendations to the trustees of several local charitable foundations.

Here's the most interesting part. The first president of the Association was Homer Wadsworth, and Chuck Curran was Homer's top staff person. When Homer left the Association to become the president of the Cleveland Foundation (founded in 1914 as the first community foundation in the country), Chuck was his successor, serving as president of the Kansas City Association of Trusts and Foundations until 1986. Meanwhile, at the Cleveland Foundation, Homer Wadsworth experienced the advantages and benefits of a local community foundation, and it was both Homer and Chuck who played key roles to encourage the creation of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation in 1978, which merged with the Kansas City Association of Trusts and Foundations in 1986. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Read more about Chuck Curran

Coupons with heart

Everyone adores coupons, right? That's what I figured as I rummaged through the junk closet today to find enough artsy material to create a craft for Lindy's preschool Valentine's Day party. (It is so easy to sign up for these things at Back to School Night in August when the parties are months away--good sales tactic!) So I cut a few dozen rectangles out of pink and red construction paper, wrote "1 hug," "3 kisses," "2 hugs," and so forth on each rectangle, grabbed some heart stickers, and called it a craft. I figured the kids could decorate the coupons by sticking on as many hearts as each coupon was worth in hugs or kisses and then present them to their families as a Valentine's Day gift. Turns out four-year-olds are savvier negotiators than I had anticipated. "This isn't good," one sweet little boy told me. "I always give my mom a MILLION kisses." Alas, the Coupon Bank of Laura was not flush with quite that many stickers.

Meanwhile, back at the Community Foundation, my colleagues were busy handing out a different sort of coupon. This coupon is good for $50 off the regular price of a DonorEdge 360 Report. Our Nonprofit Specialists will offer this coupon to the first 25 organizations to earn a 2008 "Check Marked" DonorEdge profile in the first quarter. The 360 is regularly priced at $199, which defrays a small fraction of our Nonprofit Specialists' time but more importantly ensures that both the Foundation and the organization take the process seriously. The 360 is such a vital part of kicking off an organization's successful year . . . . organizations and their boards love to take advantage of the 360 in the first quarter. Smitten? If you think a 360 might be a perfect match for an organization you love, click here to contact our Nonprofit Outreach Team to get the ball rolling. And receive your coupon, of course!   

Wrestling (!) with a personal mission

A couple of years ago, David Westbrook, a good friend and mentor, asked me a question I could not answer. "What's your personal mission?" he inquired. I was at a loss. I'd never even thought about it. "You've got to have a personal mission," David said. "Otherwise, how do you ever really know what you're doing or how to do it?"

It was an excellent point. Over the next few months, I spent some time thinking about it and discovered that "helping others be the best that they can be" is how I would describe my primary goal. And David was right. A clear sense of purpose has made all the difference. After all, this is what's at the heart of the Community Foundation's mission to empower the lives of Kansas Citians through philanthropy. And it applies equally well to bring order to the chaos of my home!

Or does it? Last weekend I encouraged Eva to build her motor skills during a friendly tussle with her sisters in a pile of pillows on the basement floor. "Get back up, Eva!" I said, as she kicked her chubby little toddler legs in a wild frenzy to get back on top of the heap. "You can do it!" My seven-year-old, Ann, never to be outdone by anyone, chimed in "Go, Eva! You're going to be the world's greatest women's wrestler!" Note to self: Save the cheering for the science fair!