Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Walk the talk

If ever there were a good example of how a lot of little things can add up to a few really big things, the Community Foundation is it! In 2007 alone, Community Foundation donors collectively granted nearly $200 million from more than 2,000 funds, each fund supporting the charitable passions of the individual, family, or business who established it. Grants ranged from a few dollars to several million dollars and everything in between. All that grant making adds up to a better quality of life for everyone in our community.

As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. If all of us pitched in to make Kansas City a better place, couldn't we inspire other communities to do the same, and pretty soon, wouldn't those big challenges like education, health, poverty, and the environment seem less daunting? That's the spirit behind "global impact, local action" and "charity starts at home," buzzwords we hear quite a bit these days.

I was explaining this concept to Ann the other night on our walk to the neighborhood Price Chopper. "See, Ann? If we do our part to help the environment in Kansas City by walking instead of driving, the whole world can get better." "Okay, mom," she said, a pragmatist even at age seven. "But next time let's just walk to Target. It's closer."

Got the memo!

Okay so how many bright orange jackets are there on the planet, really, and what are the odds of two people in the same office wearing them on the same day? Add to that the likelihood of yet a third person in that same office wearing a bright orange shirt, on the same day, all unplanned?

Well, that's exactly what happened Wednesday at the Community Foundation, where the future is bright and the unexpected is expected.

The future looks bright all over Kansas City, where everywhere you look you can see evidence of your charitable dollars at work. Giving across America has never been higher, with a total of $306.39 billion dollars flowing to charitable causes in 2007, according to the just-released GivngUSA study.

Stay tuned for a 2009 release of the GivingKC study, when we'll learn how well how Kansas City measures up. Will the numbers in our region present a shining example of generosity? We think the odds are pretty good that they will do just that!

A Family Affair

Clay's brother came for a visit over the Fourth of July weekend. This was a big thrill for the kids, who adore my husband's only sibling. Doesn't hurt that he always arrives with an armful of toys, either! We all headed up to Lawrence for the traditional hot dogs, watermelon, and harmless variety of fireworks on Gran and Granddad's driveway. Ann, always leading the pack, burst into my parents' house when we arrived. "Be kind to Uncle Kevin," was the way she greeted my folks. "He's not used to being around crazy people." Yep. That's my girl.

As they say, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your relatives. But wait! That's not the case at the Community Foundation, where all donors--who've collectively established more than 2,200 individual, corporate, and family funds--is part of a big family of giving. Each donor pursues his or her own favorite charitable causes, which means that the nearly $200 million in annual grant making from these funds supports hundreds of nonprofit causes of all shapes and sizes. Variety notwithstanding, everyone involved in the Community Foundation has one important value in common, giving back, which is the reason they come together. Even better, at the Community Foundation, donors who care about similar causes can find each other, starting their own giving circles and interest area initiatives, creating families within the family. Relatives by choice!

Of course, Uncle Kevin did just fine with the in-laws, as he always does. Truth be told, I wouldn't trade a single member of my family, crazy or not, for anything in the world. They are also my best friends.

Big plans

Summertime sure is hard to beat. Swimming lessons, fireworks on the Fourth of July, working together as a staff and board to target the Community Foundation's success measures for the upcoming year, cherry limeades at Sonic, lots of light in the evenings tempting us to keep the kids up later than we should. Yesterday was a milestone for Ann, who finally jumped off the diving board and swam all the way across the pool. A real achievement!

Say, hit rewind! Did strategic planning really slip into that list? You bet! At the Community Foundation, we're always looking ahead, striving to help Kansas City hit new levels of giving, fulfilling dreams for our city's quality of life. Last year, grants to donors' charitable priorities hit nearly $200 million . . . and we want to help you do even more! Every single one of the 2,200 personal, family, and corporate funds under the Community Foundation's umbrella is part of a family of giving. Each pursues its own priorities, together turning visions into reality for people of all ages and races across our region, north, south, east and west.

Whether your charitable goals are big, small, or somewhere in between, you are making a difference. After all, they say it's all relative. "My goal for next year," Ann just proclaimed, "is to get through second grade." Onward and upward!

Better in small bites (?)

“Not nice. Not nice.” That’s what Eva says when we have our little conversations about biting. We’ve had a lot of those lately, prompted first by the dreaded note sent home from school reporting that Eva bit a fellow toddler. Fortunately, she hasn’t repeated the offense, but she has experienced it on the receiving end twice since then. I look her in the eyes and tell her that biting is not model behavior!

Some things are, however, perfect in small bites. Such is the case with charitable giving, where a little can go a long way. If you haven’t yet had a taste of a giving circle, you are missing out! The staff at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation started its own giving circle (check out the party pics), each of us tossing in our $5, $50, $100, or whatever amount we chose to contribute. We raised $2,500 toward a scholarship at UMKC’s Institute for Urban Education. And, even better, our talented team recruited matching funds to bring our total to nearly $10,000, including donations from several members of our terrific board of directors. Some of us give in small bites, some of us give in big bites. The Community Foundation’s got something on its menu for everyone, whether it is a Charity Giving Card, a giving circle, or a personal or family fund. Now that is nice!