Improving the community — Blue Earth Community Foundation wants to make things happen

What started years ago as the seed of an idea by a former mayor of Blue Earth has now blossomed into full reality.

And, it will soon be ready to bear fruit in the form of funding special projects in the city of Blue Earth.

The newly formed Blue Earth Community Foundation is off and running.

"Our vision is to better our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter," says the new foundation's president, John Huisman. "This is a way to give people meaningful gift-giving opportunities."

Huisman says just the way the Blue Earth Area Schools Foundation has raised thousands of dollars to fund items at the BEA schools, so will the community foundation work to fund special projects in the city of Blue Earth.

"We have partnered with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund (SMIF) for our foundation," Huisman says. "There are several benefits to doing this."

Those include having SMIF handle all the financial arrangements and they will train the new Blue Earth Community Foundation Board members.

"They also will be giving us $2,000 seed money and another $5,000 matching grant once we raise $10,000 ourselves," Huisman says. "I think we will be able to do that rather quickly."

In fact, the group will be holding a fundraising activity at the Ag Center in Blue Earth on June 14. SMIF president and CEO Tim Penny will be the guest speaker at the event.

SMIF is partners with 23 other communities in Southern Minnesota, helping them form community foundations. At the June 14 event, Penny will explain just how the foundation will work.

"We just signed the documents with SMIF on April 8," Huisman says. "We also just received our 501-3c tax status from the IRS. So we are now in full operation."

The idea to form a community foundation in Blue Earth was first expressed years ago by former mayor Rob Hammond.

"During my tenure as mayor we had two very generous donations to the city," Hammond recalls. "The money went to the city for a new park Steinberg) and also to the new pool fund (Bell)."

But, Hammond says when donations are made to the city, issues can arise.

"And people can be nervous about donations to the city itself, because they fear the money could go towards operating expenses," Hammond says. "It is a lot easier and better if there can be a community fund ­– not connected to the city government."

Hammond worked with then city administrator Ben Martig and then chamber executive Shelly Greimann on trying to form a community foundation, but says "we stumbled along and failed to get the ball rolling."

In the year before he quit being mayor, Hammond says he made one more big push for the idea, and this time it took hold.

In fact, at the farewell "roast" of Mayor Hammond held in December of 2012, he insisted it be turned into the initial fundraiser for the as yet to be formed foundation.

"I have seen the success of other communities with their foundations, cities like Fairmont," Hammond says. "It can be of tremendous benefit to the town to raise funds to help the community. It is a way to look towards the future, and not just react to what is happening now." Foundation president Huisman agrees.

"We modeled our foundation after the one in Spring Valley," he says. "They have really done a terrific job there. We had a person from there come to one of our organizational meetings."

Huisman adds that it really was a 'no-brainer' to partner with SMIF due to that organization's expertise.

"They will form two funds for us," Huisman explains. "One is an endowment fund which we will try to continue to grow. The other is a general fund for specific projects."

Huisman says the gifts made to the city from Vera Steinberg and all the people who donated to the pool project are good examples of why the community foundation is needed.

"Some people are uncomfortable making a gift to a city, but want to give it to the community itself," he says. "And some people want to remain anonymous with their gifts – hard to do with city government."

He hopes people will want to give to the foundation either for the endowment fund or for the general fund.

"They can also designate the gift for a specific project, if they so desire," he says. Hammond agrees, saying the benefits of a foundation include its flexibility.

"This is a way we can reach out to those who love this community, whether they live here or not. Maybe they would love to have stayed here but change came and they had to leave. But, they still want to see it thrive and be better and continue to improve."

Huisman says the foundation is a perfect place for someone to leave a gift in their will or estate planning.

The new foundation has a 12 member board of directors.

Besides Huisman, Hammond is the vice president. Tom Juba is the treasurer and David Frundt is the secretary. Board members are Lill Robinson, Neil Eckles, Jack Heinitz, Deb McDonald, Chuck Frundt, Marty Sawyer, Skip Schimek and Lori Nauman.

"The board members will make the decisions about the foundation," Huisman says. "These will all be local decisions on what things to fund. But, anyone making a donation will be able to specify where the money should go ­– much like Vera Steinberg with starting the nature park."

Huisman says the hope is to raise the $10,000 in donations at the fundraiser on June 14.

"That will kick in the $5,000 gift from SMIF," he says. "And that will certainly get us off and running."

- Courtesy of the Faribault County Register Community Focus Magazine, April 2014