2010 has been a good year for the Oregon Trail Community Foundation even though our investments are down at this writing. Luckily, we are well diversified so our losses are mitigated. Our assets are now about $2.8 million which is double our size since 2000.  Unrestricted funds have reached $1.2 million and our restricted funds’ balances are now $1,719,771.  Grants given by the Foundation so far in 2010 total $1.2 million. This includes grants given from our twenty various funds.  Scholarships awarded are $43,476.

 

We now manage twenty-nine restricted funds.  Nine of these are scholarship funds which you can find under “Scholarship” on this website.  One of our notable funds is the "Riverside Soccer Fund" which has raised over $1.5 million for the new soccer fields in north Scottsbluff.  This public/private endeavor has resulted in a first-class soccer facility that is used by over 800 players.  All of the area high schools and grade schools plus the Western Nebraska Community College, can and do use the fields.  Improvements to the project are continuing.

 

Another substantial fund  is the “Scottsbluff Public Library Fund" which was established to accept donations for the remodeling and addition to the existing  library building.  The library group has worked hard to raise $2.5 million to make this project a reality.  If you wish to support this endeavor, your donations can be made to OTCF-Library Fund.

 

Another - fund is the "Wildcat Hills Paleontology Fund".  When building the Heartland Express through the Wildcat Hills, a twenty-three million year old river bed was uncovered with a large number of fossils from that era.  Several paintings and a mural of these animals have been made.  Also, the fund has had a cast is a life-sized replication of a saber tooth tiger.  Once finished, all of these paintings and the model will be given to the Wildcat Hills Nature Center.  Ray Boice is working tirelessly to promote the Fossil Freeway which will encompass all of the wonderful Paleontology sites in the Panhandle.  For more information on this project you may visit http://classrooms.esu13.org/fossilfreeway.

 

OTCF serves the entire Panhandle and we welcome philanthropic-minded citizens to join our exciting and progressive organization.  We believe that we are an important part of the future of the Panhandle and we work to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.  If you are interested in joining the Oregon Trail Community Foundation, there is an application form on this website.

Membership 

Our voting members include:

Adams, Dr. Terry	Scottsbluff Vision Clinic	Conestoga	Voting
Bartlett, Dave	First National Bank	Platte River	Voting
Doll, Steve	Johnson-Cashway	Conestoga	Voting
Failing, Dr. Robert & Nancy		Conestoga	Voting
Fancher, Julie		Monument	Voting
Fillingham, John	Magnolia Homes	Monument	Voting
Foote, Ryan DDS	Foote Family Dentistry	Conestoga	Voting
Gillam, Mark	Floyd's Sales & Service	Conestoga	Voting
Hetzel, Steve	Regional Care, Inc.	Platte River	Voting
Johnson, Ken & Bobbie		Conestoga	Voting
Jolliffe, Jeff & Tom Parks	Jolliffe Funeral Home	Conestoga	Voting
Kelley, Gary & Patty		Conestoga	Voting
Kjosen, Todd	WalMart	Monument	Voting
Landercasper, Lane & Betty	Subway	Conestoga	Voting
Martin, Jud & Sue		Platte River	Voting
McKerrigan, Jeanne	US Bank	Monument	Voting
Miller, Christian	McDonald's	Monument	Voting
Palm, Owen & Karen	21st Century Equipment	Monument	Voting
Pierce, Rawnda	TCD	Conestoga	Voting
Rohrick, Dr. Thomas T.	C.A.R.E. Chiropractic	Platte River	Voting
Sandberg, Kelly & Crystal	Sandberg Implement	Conestoga	Voting
Scheinost, Jeff & Cynthia	High Plains Budweiser	Platte River	Voting
Schlaepfer, Bill	Gering Valley Plumbing	Conestoga	Voting
Schon, Joe & Sandy		Conestoga	Voting
Selzer, John		Conestoga	Voting
Stinner, John	Valley Bank	Monument	Voting
Van Newkirk, Mert & Jan		Conestoga	Voting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Membership is a tax deductible donation. Many memberships are paid for by the business. Membership renewals are billed the same month each year and run for 12 months.  To become a member, visit our membership page on this website.

December 2009

OREGON TRAIL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Unaudited Comparative Balance Sheets December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007

(	BALANCE SHEETS
	2009	2008	2007
ASSETS
Current Assets
Cash	$1,251,759	$459,335	$484,362
Total Current Assets	$1,251,759	$459,335	$484,362
Investments
Investments- undesignated	$1,265,771	$1,017,620	$1,127,307
Investments-restricted	$785,284	$710,727	$886,194
L T Donations receivable	$163,298	$152,784	$142,946
Total Investments:	$2,214,353	$1,881,131	$2,156,447
Fixed Assets (Net of Depreciation)
Gering Land Gift	$0	$0	$0
Midwest Theater	$224,795	$224,795	$224,795
Other	$128,820	$129,059	$121,965
Total Fixed Assets:	$353,615	$353,854	$346,760
TOTAL ASSETS:	$3,819,727	$2,694,320	$2,987,569

	LIABILITIES & EQUITY
	2009	2008	2007
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts Payable	$70,100	$76,230	$68,500
Prepaid Memorials	$2,085	$1,840	$1,795
Other	$0
Current Liabilities:	$72,185	$78,070	$70,295
EQUITY:
Restricted Funds	$2,793,715	$1,906,404	$1,743,775
General Fund Balance	$953,827	$709,846	$1,173,499
Total Equity:	$3,747,542	$2,616,250	$2,917,274
TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY	$3,819,727	$2,694,320	$2,987,569

Income Statement

                                                                               

 

		INVESTMENT RETURN
		2009	2008	2007
Realized & Unrealized Gain (loss)		$299,568	($631,545)	$38,849
Investment income		$57,559	$75,163	$69,274
Net gain (loss) on investments	(A)	$357,127	($556,382)	$108,123
Total Investments (prior year)	(B)	$2,340,466	$2,640,809	$2,307,450
(Net gain(loss)/Total Invest.)	(AIB)	15% Gain	(-21.1)% Loss	4.69% Gain

Summary of 2009 Grants & Scholarships

 

 

TOTAL GRANTS FROM ALL FUNDS:                                                $594,169

Grants are made from various funds based on instructions from the original donor(s). Jim Reinhardt chairs the Foundation’s Grant Committee. His committee reviews all grants submitted and then recommends those eligible to be taken to the Board of Directors for final approval.  Grants given in 2007 were as follows:

2007 GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $    9,150.00 From Riverside Soccer Association

PLATTE RIVER BASIN ENVIR.                    $    4,378.60 From Hi-Plains Science Adventures

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $  15,938.50 From Iraq-Afghanistan Memorial

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $  82,950.00 From Martin Family Fund

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $    1,037.90 From Downtown Scottsbluff Assoc.

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $  34,346.10 From Melbeta Park Fund

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $    2.285.00 From Saddle Club

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $333,317.48 From Scotts Bluff Public Library

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                 $     5,425.24 From Wounded Warrior Run

WESTERN NE VETERANS HOME              $     5,000.00 From Home Depot

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPIENTS                $    20,000.00 From Peter Kiewit Foundation

FRIENDS OF THE MIDWEST THEATER   $      4,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

SCOTTS BLUFF PUBLIC LIBRARY            $   10,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

RIVERSIDE ZOOLOGICAL/Splash Pad       $     4,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

NPV HISTORICAL ASSOC.                           $    3,500.00 OTCF 2009 grant

FOSSIL FREEWAY/PALEONTOLOGY       $    3,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

FIELD OF DREAMS                                       $    2,500.00 OTCF 2009 grant

OREGON TRAIL SOAP BOX DERBY         $    2,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

KIWANIS/TRAILS OF FUN                           $    2,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

GERING ZION/JOYFUL NOISE                   $    3,500.00 OTCF 2009 grant

REVERSE CHIMNEY ROCK GRANT            $   -1,000.00 OTCF 2007 grant

HEARTLAND EXPRESSWAY                      $   1,000.00 OTCF 2009 grant

CAPstone                                                         $    4,500.00 OTCF 2009 grant

SCHOLARSHIPS                                            $  41,350.55 Scholarship Funds

TOTAL 2009 GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS                 $594,169.37

We assist local organizations by letting them use the Foundation to raise tax-deductible donations. These are “pass through” funds which accept the donations and then grant those funds to the project or organization. All grants that the Foundation makes must meet IRS rules.

The Foundation also has “donor advised” funds. Family funds fall under this heading. The Family can have an advisory board who can decide on how they want their fund’s money invested and who the fund’s grants should go to. These funds can go on forever and the advisory board can continue and change over the years.  The Foundation board, however, has final say over all actions.

If you need further information about the different types of funds that the Foundation can have, call Bev Overman, Executive Secretary.

The foundation works with accountants, Trust Officers, Brokers, Financial Planners and lawyers to help them create a plan for their clients.

 Types of Donations

 

One of the best tax strategies is donation of appreciated property. Property can be appreciated securities, real estate or other personal property.

 

When you donate appreciated property, you first get to deduct the market value of that property on your income taxes. Second, you do not have to pay capital gains on the appreciation of the property. Capital gains tax is 15% on the Federal level and an additional 7% in Nebraska for a total of 22%.

 

Real estate does have to be appraised in order to qualify, so if you have land and/or buildings to donate, it is time to get started with the appraisal.

 

Appreciated stock is easier. You can electronically transfer stock from your stock account directly into the Foundation's stock account. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested, please call for particulars.

 

Prepaid Memorial Program

 

The Foundation has developed a memorial plan as a service to business, but individuals may use it also. A memorial may be made for a loved one, friend or customer. Their name will then be entered into the Foundation’s “Book of Memory.” Currently, the “Book of Memory” is displayed in the First State Bank lobby.

 

In order to make it easier for business or individuals to use this, the Foundation has developed a “Prepaid Memorial” plan. Instead of writing a check for each memorial, the business can prepay $100 or more. Then the business simply fills out the "memorial form" under the "Book of Memories" section of this website and then it goes directly  to the Foundation office. When the business’ account is depleted, the Foundation will send a printout of the account showing all deposits and all memorials deducted.

 

The minimum memorial is $20, but this is much cheaper than flowers and the time it takes an employee to handle the arrangements.

 

For this memorial donation, the Foundation sends the deceased’s family a note informing them that a memorial donation (the amount is not mentioned) has been made by the named donor and the loved one’s name has been forever entered into the Oregon Trail Foundation “Book of Memory”.