17 Feb Fund receives $10,000 donation
In December 2013, McPherson native James Johnson donated $10,000 to the Mac Child Advocacy Endowment Fund developed by the 2013 Leadership McPherson class and is administered by the McPherson County Community Foundation.
Each year the Leadership McPherson Class is tasked with forming a project that will benefit the youth of McPherson. The 2013 class earmarked programs that care for the safety, physical and emotional well-being of children. Their goal is to enhance two existing child advocacy programs, Heart 2 Heart Child Advocacy Center and the McPherson County Child Identification Program, to be more efficient and effective through upgrades to their technology and by committing to the future success of these programs.
The 2013 class has submitted and received a grant from the Community Foundation to upgrade the CHIPS (Child Identification Program) used by the Masons to provide child identification packets to parents. The packets are vital tools for parents to give to law enforcement if the child goes missing. To assist Heart 2 Heart in providing a welcoming environment for the children, the class has elected to use project funds to help the center purchase several pieces of technology including an iPad and SmartBoard, as well as purchase decorations and toys for the waiting area.
The class anticipates ongoing expenses for safety programs to range from $1000-1500 each year. Earnings from an endowment of $20 – 30,000 can provide that annual distribution. Johnson’s gift helped the class reach one-third of the initial goal.
Donations to the fund may be sent to the McPherson County Community Foundation. The Foundation accepts multiple types of payments for donations. A complete list may be found in the Donor section of the website, www.mcphersonfoundation.org/donors.