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Donor Stories
Helping Needy Children in the Northland
In the mid-1930s, NeVada Linscomb, born to a German immigrant family, met Irven Linscomb. Irven, himself born into poverty in Texas, was working for the Chase Bag Company in Kansas City's River Market. Soon Irven and NeVada started their own company, building a successful business that thrived for many years.
It was in 1957 when Irven met Bill Zimmer and joined Zimmer Companies. "Irven was a man of integrity who took only calculated risks and yet was great fun to be with," Bill said.
After Irven died, NeVada opened the Irven E. and NeVada P. Linscomb Foundation Fund in 1988 at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. A year later, Bill persuaded NeVada to set up a charitable trust to ensure that her charitable passions could be realized.
NeVada passed away eight years later, and through the Community Foundation the couple's legacy lives on. The Irven E. and NeVada P. Linscomb Foundation Fund supports services for children in the Northland, including "Miles of Smiles," a mobile dental program.
The Generosity of Many Does the Most Good
ImpactKC. That's the name of a group of professionals who are dedicated to encouraging young people in Kansas City to join together and make a difference in the community.
The team is made up of individuals who pool their money to make an impact. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation is the behind-the-scenes support system for the ImpactKC Fund, established in 2004. This allows the group to focus on learning about the needs of our region and putting its dollars where they really count.
Each year ImpactKC reviews grant applications from nonprofit organizations and hosts meetings dedicated to expanding the membership's community knowledge and access to volunteer opportunities.
Setting aggressive annual goals to raise a significant amount of money for charitable causes enables ImpactKC to leverage the strength and power of a team, well beyond the sum of its individual parts, through fundraising, education and volunteering.
A Century of Serving Poor and Needy Children
In the early years of the 20th century, Jacob Loose and his brother, Joseph, built the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, marketed as Sunshine Biscuits, into one of the nation's largest producers of cookies and crackers.
Following the deaths of their two infant children, Jacob and his wife, Ella, became passionate about supporting poor and needy children and families in Kansas City.
When Jacob passed away in 1923, his estate established the Jacob Loose Million Dollar Charity Fund Association. It was Kansas City's first $1 million foundation, and it was housed at the First National Bank. Then, the Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose Foundation Fund was established in 1989 at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to carry out the work of the charitable trust.
From 1920 to 1940, this foundation provided thousands of children with pasteurized milk and ice. As children's needs evolve, the Loose Foundation, with assistance from the Community Foundation, adapts the foundation's grant making strategies to best meet the intent of the original donors.
Providing a Social Education
When Darcy Howe's children were 12 and 10, she and her husband, John Black, planted a seed of giving. Hoping to give the kids perspective on the world outside of their comfortable upbringing, they set up the Katie and Andrew Fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation in 2000. "The idea was to put structure around our parenting on financial issues and the kids' social education," Darcy said.
Each year Katie and Andrew review the fund's returns and get involved by going on site visits to their favorite charities. Darcy says making a financial donation is only part of the fund's benefit. "It's not just about the money. The fund has had a ripple effect in getting the kids more involved in volunteer efforts. They're discovering which causes mean the most to them, like their support of Ronald McDonald House. This philanthropic self discovery is important for their future and the future of our community."
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