Leave a Legacy Foundation to build Endowment

Garden City, KS(westernkansasnews.com) – After 10 years of being in existence the Leave a Legacy Foundation has established an endowment fund at the Western Kansas Community Foundation (WKCF). The endowment will help the organization to generate income as it continues to fulfill its important mission of strengthening the cancer fighting resources in southwest Kansas.

Typically, an endowment fund is set up to produce income for charitable purposes, explains Conny Bogaard, Executive Director of the WKCF. It is a big step in an organization’s life cycle. It means that the agency is able to transfer a portion of its assets to a community foundation so that it can be invested. The agency then benefits from the expertise of the community foundation in long-term management of its assets. Another benefit is that the community foundation can accept many types of gifts including non-cash contributions not accepted by the agency.

The Leave a Legacy Foundation was created by a group of friends in memory of Laura Kleysteuber, who died of brain cancer at the age of 30. As Paige Kraus, who is one of 12 founding members explains it, “After creating the foundation in Laura’s memory, we soon realized that everyone has a ‘Laura’ in their life. A mother, brother, father, grandmother or friend who is battling cancer and unfortunately the needs to support cancer patients continue to grow. As we all get older, we realize the importance of creating a fund that can continue our mission for generations to come.”

The Leave a Legacy Foundation is probably best known for the popular Legacy 5K/10K Run held the first Saturday of October that draws over 600 of people each year. The proceeds from the run allowed the Leave a Legacy Foundation to pay for the membership of St. Catherine Hospital into the Midwest Cancer Alliance, which gives Heartland Cancer patients the opportunity to participate in Phase III clinical trials right here at home. In addition to creating the endowment fund, The Leave a Legacy Foundation also contributed $10,000 toward the purchase of the 3D mammography machine because the women of southwest Kansas deserve the best breast care close to home.

The Leave a Legacy Foundation has raised more than $300,000 during the past 10 years. With this money they provide two FREE Cancer Screenings each year; they Fill the Fridge at the Cancer Center with bottled water and snacks for patients, families and staff; once a month they give “Laura’s Touches” (gifts such as gas cards, movie tickets, gift cards) to patients taking chemo or radiation at Heartland Cancer Center and most recently they started Coffee with Caregivers, a group that meets once a month at Patrick Dugan’s Coffee House to support those caring for loved ones fighting cancer.

Staff of WKCF always welcomes visiting with donors or those interested in contributing to the Leave a Legacy Foundation fund. Call 620-271-9484 or stop by the WKCF office at 402 N. Main Street in downtown Garden City.