With a gift of $5 million, a Lawrence philanthropist has created an umbrella for donors and charitable organizations across the county.
Although she waited until Tuesday to announce it, Hortense Oldfather said she decided nearly two years ago to build an organization that would lure donors from around Douglas County to fund charitable programs for youths, education and health services.
"I knew such things existed, and I'm not going to be around always," she said. "This is my community, even though it's grown so much I barely recognize it anymore."
Known as the Douglas County Community Foundation, the not-for-profit corporation was modeled after successful community foundations in Kansas City and Topeka.
By the end of this year, Oldfather's creation plans to give about $200,000 to area programs.
Web Golden, Oldfather's attorney and executive secretary to the foundation's board, said such community foundations are increasingly common across the nation and in Kansas.
"What they allow individuals to do is to kind of set up individual trust endowments," he said. "Most people don't have the wherewithal to set up foundations like that."
Foundation board president and Kansas University law professor Michael Davis said applications for this year's grants must be completed by Sept. 29. The board, which also includes Douglas County Bank President Bob Georgeson and former United Way executive director Barb Reavis, will choose the grant recipients in November and dispense funds before Christmas.
Davis said donors could specify the sorts of programs they wanted to support.
"It could be to an area such as youth programs or health programs, giving the board leeway within those areas," he said.
Although Oldfather is the only donor to the foundation so far, several others in Lawrence and Douglas County have expressed interest in helping.
"Mrs. Oldfather decided that this was really something she could do that was more than just supporting one organization," Golden said. "It would make a difference for the community, and we are looking for interesting, imaginative charitable activities."
Oldfather, the widow of former KU general counsel and law professor Charles Oldfather, said she hoped the foundation would help launch programs rather than feed the budgets of existing ones.
Organizations interested in applying for funds can write to the Douglas County Community Foundation at P.O. Box 189, Lawrence, 66044, or phone Web Golden at 843-0811. Any legitimate charitable or educational project will be considered. The initial round of grants is expected to emphasize health care or educational needs of the community's youth.
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