“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” (Greek Proverb)
That is the proverb that sticks with us with the establishment of betterment funds for the City of Mount Vernon created by Dr. Les and Katrina Garner.
These community funds are a legacy that will contribute to non-profits in the Mount Vernon community for generations to come, to tackle projects of different sizes.
In other communities, growing these funds helps the community by distributing on an annual basis an amount to non-profits. And that is the intent here as well, with the non-endowed fund making distributions on an annual basis.
More information will come out on who is serving on the committee, as those positions are currently being explored, and when distribution day for non-profits might be held, as well as the limits for community grants.
For others that want to help or think about their own legacy, contributing to funds like these helps numerous groups in the community.
The editor of the newspaper resided in Kossuth County, and the Kossuth County Community Foundation’s distribution day became a celebration as numerous organizations received checks that would help them expand offerings or kickstart new and different programs throughout their communities.
This is not a small undertaking to start a community betterment fund, let alone two, but it is something that as mayor Tom Wieseler notes, “will bolster our non-profits and help attract new citizens to our communities.”