FINANCIAL BLESSING — A rainbow over New Richland’s water tower symbolizes a recent $25,000 anonymous donation to the New Richland Area Fund. (Photo by Corrine Schuller)
The New Richland Area Foundation recently added a $25,000 gift by an anonymous donor.
The donor advised fund, titled “By the Grace of God,” will distribute grants approved by the donor’s benefactor.
The New Richland Area Foundation was formed by the New Richland City Council after the city was approached by the Waseca Area Foundation, which had received an anonymous donation of $13,918. Since then the Lions Club added more than $700 and other small donations have been made.
In 2010, the NRAF was able to award a combination of $1,500 which went to the Girl Scouts for a City Park project and to the New Richland Care Center to help pay for flood damage expenses.
Because of these grants, Gail Schmidt, NRAF representative, said, “This Foundation has the potential to make an impact on the schools, churches and non-profit organizations in the area. It is a great benefit and opportunity for New Richland, but we can’t do it without growing the fund.”
She pointed out the Waseca Area Foundation made a collaborative grant, with participation from the EFJ Foundation, the Waseca Area Foundation, the New Richland Area Foundation Fund, Southern Minnesota Initiative fund and the Rosenaus’ Legacy of Angels Fund, for a total of $42,000 for the NR Care Center for flood damages in 2010. The Waseca Area Foundation also recently granted $2,000 to the NR Care Center for a resident whirlpool tub.
“It is truly humbling to know that another community has taken such interest in our community, and I hope that we can build our fund to the size that we too can reach out to others like the Waseca Area Foundation has,” said Schmidt.
The New Richland Area Foundation Fund Committee, made up of Schmidt, Matt Harrington, Scott Routh and Pam Goehring, will be holding a meeting to set up formal guidelines for the foundation. The committee thinks awarding grants during the Farm & City Days pancake breakfast each year would be an opportune time to make the presentation in front of a crowd with the best interest of New Richland in mind.
The New Richland Area Foundation Fund encourages donations of any kind, including outright donations, deferred gifts or special purpose gifts. To discuss the options, contact any of the committee members or Waseca Area Foundation Executive Director Karen Buum at (507)-835-5990. All funds are administered through the Waseca Area Foundation, which is an affiliate community fund of the Minnesota Community Foundation.
The committee will be accepting applications from any New Richland area 501C-3 organization, school or church, from now until June 15, 2011. Applications can be requested from Gail Schmidt at (507)-383-1147.
