Our Mission
To improve the quality of life in the Wapakoneta Area through organized philanthropy.
To fulfill this mission, the Foundation:
Providing leadership and acting as a catalyst in identifying and addressing evolving community needs.
Distributing grants for charitable purposes in the areas of health, economic development, basic human needs, education, cultural activities, environment, and community services.
Assist donors in creating funds to meet emerging community needs and distribute proceeds in accordance with the donor’s intent.
Prudently manages the Foundation’s resources to achieve the maximum benefit for the Wapakoneta area in perpetuity.
What We Do
The Foundation is a partnership of donors, nonprofit organizations, and the community working together to find solutions to pressing community needs. Today, it manages many individual funds, started by people from all walks of life.
Since its founding, the Wapakoneta Area Community Foundation has worked to build a permanent endowment which will support a variety of charitable programs. The Foundation is a conduit through which donors can make individual gifts to benefit the community in a collective way. A sizable endowment is critical to ensuring that community needs will be met for years to some. Only the earnings are expended from the endowed account, assuring that dollars will always be available to improve the quality of life and work in the grant distribution region, which includes the Wapakoneta school district.
How to Donate
All donations should be mailed to:
Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Why Give?
The Wapakoneta Area Community Foundation is similar to the well-funded community foundations in many of our neighboring communities. These foundations provide scholarships, seed money for new art and cultural groups, athletic sponsorships, and health services, the kinds of things that are needed but not covered by tax monies. A community foundation provides an efficient and effective structure or linking individuals’ charitable interests with important programs and services.
Since its founding, the Wapakoneta Area Community Foundation has worked to build a permanent endowment which will support a variety of charitable programs. The Foundation is a conduit through which donors can make individual gifts to benefit the community in a collective way. A sizable endowment is critical to ensuring that community needs will be met for years to some. Only the earnings are expended from the endowed account, assuring that dollars will always be available to improve the quality of life and work in the grant distribution region, which includes the Wapakoneta school district.
Making History in Wapakoneta
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
In 1988, Doug Jauert and Paul E. “Bud” Fisher were approached about a potential gift to Wapakoneta High School. Because of the complications involving a tax deduction for the donor and gifts to the school, they were not able to accept the donation. They began to investigate various charitable entities that could make such a gift possible. A community foundation was determined to be the best option.
In researching how to establish a new community foundation, Doug Jauert discovered an article that explained how finding a local attorney willing to run the foundation for ten years without payment and then later hire an Executive Director was essential for success. He agreed to be that attorney. His longtime legal assistant, Libby Webb, handled the details of establishing the Foundation.
President of the Board, a job he held for 25 years—1989 through 2014.
The new Board introduced the Foundation to the community at a dinner meeting at Dodge City Restaurant. The facility and meal were donated by Board Member Robert Miller. Fundraising began by inviting community members to become Life Members with a $500 donation. The Board held frequent breakfast meetings to share the Foundation’s goals with the community and solicit more Life Members. The Finance Report for April 1990 listed a balance of $32,802 and 38 Life Members.
One of Paul “Bud” Fisher’s goals for the Foundation was to hire an Executive Director. That was accomplished in 2002 when Larry Tester was hired to manage the Foundation operations. Larry had recently retired from Chase Bank after a long career. He was well respected and trusted in the community. In 2017, after 15 years of service Larry decided to retire. During his tenure the Foundation saw significant growth. Its assets grew from $1.13 million to $6.78 million. Annual scholarships and grants increased from $49,884 to $273,108.
A major event for the Foundation occurred in 2014. Opal Miller had established the Merle & Opal Miller Scholarship in 2001. The Millers were strong advocates for charitable giving. When Opal died in 2014, she left a $3.2 million contribution to the Foundation in her estate plan. It was intended for nursing and agri-business scholarships with the balance of the fund income going toward other charitable purpos-es in Auglaize County at the discretion of the Foundation. To date, this is the largest single contribution made to the Foundation.
Bob Askins was selected to be the Foundation’s Executive Director in 2017. Bob retired as Wapakoneta High School principal and brought great organizational and problem-solving skills to the Foundation’s leadership team. He worked to create an effective website explaining the value and programs of the Foundation. He also saw the need to develop an online scholarship application. He did research and found a vendor who replaced the former paper application process and developed an effective applicant scoring system. When Bob retired in 2022, the Foundation’s fund assets had grown by more than $3 million and annual scholar-ships and grants by nearly $100,000. His trajectory for success continues. At the end of this fiscal year fund assets were at $12.2 million and scholarships and grants to-taled more than $461,000.