photo by: Contributed

Tensie Oldfather, founder of the Douglas County Community Foundation.

The Watkins Museum of History will open a new exhibition this week that explores the origins and continuing influence of the Douglas County Community Foundation as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The exhibition will be on display from Saturday until Dec. 31. It will feature Tensie Oldfather, a community leader whose philanthropy established the foundation in 2000. It will also feature text panels and photographs highlighting the foundation’s mission, community impact, staff and donors, according to a press release from the Watkins Museum.

Visitors will learn about the four audiences served by the foundation and how Oldfather’s gift continues to impact the community. A bench created by artists at Van Go, a local arts-based nonprofit, will also be on display.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Watkins Museum to showcase generosity at work in our community, and the positive impact made by so many over the past 25 years,” Chip Blaser, executive director of the Douglas County Community Foundation, said in the release.

This exhibition also completes a series of anniversary exhibitions held at the Watkins in 2025: “Century of Experience: Stevens & Brand Celebrates 100 Years”; “The Watkins at 50: Making History with our Community”; and “The Bert Nash Center Legacy: Responding to Needs, Restoring Lives, and Building a Healthy Community.”

“There is no better organization to spotlight during this holiday season of giving than the Douglas County Community Foundation,” Andrew Stockmann, the museum’s curator of exhibitions, said in the release. “DCCF and its donors impact every member of our Douglas County community through their incredible generosity, and it is a privilege to partner with them to celebrate a quarter century of impact.”