These districts get a passing grade in giving
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, June 08, 2008
IDA GROVE, Iowa -- The grandest Siouxland education foundation I know of recently presented $173,363 to 60 graduating seniors at Battle Creek-Ida Grove High School.
Since the BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation was founded 14 years ago, graduates have been given nearly $1.24 million to continue their educational pursuits.
The first awards went out in 1995, as 46 graduates earned $15,540 in foundation dollars. The gifts have steadily increased since that time.
"We've never had to reduce our scholarship amount from one year to the next," said Evelyn Lawhead, an accounting manager at Gomaco Corp. in Ida Grove and the treasurer of this recession-proof BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation.
Oh, Lawhead is also the mother of four children, all of whom benefited in years past from the foundation.
The effort received quite a boost four years ago when the Edward H. and Berniece Pruehs Estate gave $1.3 million in land and cash to the foundation. I reported then that the couple, who wed and moved to Ida Grove in 1986, gave their home, a time-share condominium in Arizona, other property and 270 acres of farmland to the foundation. Everything but the farmland was sold. The land was to be cash-rented by the BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation.
Beyond the Pruehs gift and other donations, the foundation was built on the backs of numerous fundraising events. The largest is the annual Whitey Thompson Hike/Bike-A-Thon, named in memory of the man who started the foundation.
"The hike/bike-a-thon grossed over $48,000 this year (May 7)," Lawhead said. "We had a total of 490 participants."
Of that group, 44 hikers/riders were from Odebolt-Arthur High School. BC-IG begins whole-grade sharing with Odebolt-Arthur in the fall of 2009 and the O-A students will begin qualifying for scholarship aid at that time, if they wish.
The most a BC-IG senior earned from the foundation this year was $3,300; the least was $2,550. Again, those awards are generally spread over a two- or four-year period. And, again, a total of 60 graduates applied for and will be on the receiving end of this generosity.
Speaking of generosity
Roger and Rosemary Clausen of the famed VT Industries in nearby Holstein, Iowa, have given $500,000 to the Galva-Holstein Community School District Foundation. The gift has helped the group reach a $2.13 million goal it set before construction begins on a new performing arts facility at G-H High School in Holstein.
Community leaders, school officials, community theater backers and donors will join the Clausens in a groundbreaking ceremony at 5 p.m. one week from today. A burger feed at Holstein Country Club follows.
The groundbreaking at the school will take place shortly after the community theater showing of "Sound of Music" concludes.
The school district committed $600,000 for the 400-seat auditorium, which will allow concerts, plays and other events to move from the old gym. One hundred sixty-five of those new seats have been sponsored permanently for $1,200.
The groundbreaking, according to Kathy Breyfogle, will occur exactly a year from the date when this group accepted its first donation for the performing arts center.
"Last year on June 15, we had our Kinderfest celebration in Holstein and we set up a table just to accept donations," said Breyfogle, a play director and business owner in town.
Minutes later, retiree Alan Kuchel stopped by with a check for $10.
Three hundred sixty-five days later, the show will go on.
Reach the Journal's Tim Gallagher at (712) 293-4229 or via e-mail at timgallagher@siouxcityjournal.com
Since the BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation was founded 14 years ago, graduates have been given nearly $1.24 million to continue their educational pursuits.
The first awards went out in 1995, as 46 graduates earned $15,540 in foundation dollars. The gifts have steadily increased since that time.
"We've never had to reduce our scholarship amount from one year to the next," said Evelyn Lawhead, an accounting manager at Gomaco Corp. in Ida Grove and the treasurer of this recession-proof BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation.
Oh, Lawhead is also the mother of four children, all of whom benefited in years past from the foundation.
The effort received quite a boost four years ago when the Edward H. and Berniece Pruehs Estate gave $1.3 million in land and cash to the foundation. I reported then that the couple, who wed and moved to Ida Grove in 1986, gave their home, a time-share condominium in Arizona, other property and 270 acres of farmland to the foundation. Everything but the farmland was sold. The land was to be cash-rented by the BC-IG Citizens Scholarship Foundation.
Beyond the Pruehs gift and other donations, the foundation was built on the backs of numerous fundraising events. The largest is the annual Whitey Thompson Hike/Bike-A-Thon, named in memory of the man who started the foundation.
"The hike/bike-a-thon grossed over $48,000 this year (May 7)," Lawhead said. "We had a total of 490 participants."
Of that group, 44 hikers/riders were from Odebolt-Arthur High School. BC-IG begins whole-grade sharing with Odebolt-Arthur in the fall of 2009 and the O-A students will begin qualifying for scholarship aid at that time, if they wish.
The most a BC-IG senior earned from the foundation this year was $3,300; the least was $2,550. Again, those awards are generally spread over a two- or four-year period. And, again, a total of 60 graduates applied for and will be on the receiving end of this generosity.
Speaking of generosity
Roger and Rosemary Clausen of the famed VT Industries in nearby Holstein, Iowa, have given $500,000 to the Galva-Holstein Community School District Foundation. The gift has helped the group reach a $2.13 million goal it set before construction begins on a new performing arts facility at G-H High School in Holstein.
Community leaders, school officials, community theater backers and donors will join the Clausens in a groundbreaking ceremony at 5 p.m. one week from today. A burger feed at Holstein Country Club follows.
The groundbreaking at the school will take place shortly after the community theater showing of "Sound of Music" concludes.
The school district committed $600,000 for the 400-seat auditorium, which will allow concerts, plays and other events to move from the old gym. One hundred sixty-five of those new seats have been sponsored permanently for $1,200.
The groundbreaking, according to Kathy Breyfogle, will occur exactly a year from the date when this group accepted its first donation for the performing arts center.
"Last year on June 15, we had our Kinderfest celebration in Holstein and we set up a table just to accept donations," said Breyfogle, a play director and business owner in town.
Minutes later, retiree Alan Kuchel stopped by with a check for $10.
Three hundred sixty-five days later, the show will go on.
Reach the Journal's Tim Gallagher at (712) 293-4229 or via e-mail at timgallagher@siouxcityjournal.com
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