Mid‐Prairie Foundation
Thank You!
Thank you to the following donors who make our Gold Scholarships possible! Your support is greatly appreciated.
Doug & Janice Yotty
Mark & Phyllis Casper
BT Farms
Gent Ag, Inc.
Kalona Realty, Inc.
Beatty & Peterseim Funeral Homes
Pro Grower Solutions
Wellman Coop Telephone Association
Prairie Pork, Inc.
Cindy Malichky
Kevin & Linda Gent
Precision Structures Inc.
Gingerich Well & Pump Service, LLC
PremiStar
Sharon Telephone Co.
CS Auto Body, LLC
Powell Funeral Home, Inc.
The Fountain Charitable Foundation
Iowa Collision & Paint
JB Repair
Iowa Pond Guy, LLC
United Animal Health, Inc.
Errthum Health Care Services Inc.
CBI Bank & Trust
Hills Bank
KCTC
Duwa’s Auction Service / Dwight Duwa *Endowed*
Junell Duwa / Edge Realty Group Broker Associate, Realtor *Endowed*
Foundations Unlimited Inc. / Ben & Sonja Hawbaker *Endowed*
Edward & Sally Whetstine *Endowed*
Kalona Sales Barn *Endowed*
Foundation History
School districts in rural Iowa were undergoing significant financial stress in the mid-1980's due to the Midwest farm crisis and shifts in population to urban areas. Traditional sources of school funding (property tax and state school funds) were shrinking. School closings and consolidation became a fact of life. The Mid-Prairie Foundation was formed in late 1987 by a group of concerned citizens as an Iowa non-profit corporation with the purpose of supporting the Mid-Prairie School District.
The Foundation qualifies with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, meaning all gifts to and through the Foundation are tax deductible.
PROJECTS OF THE FOUNDATION INCLUDE
- Awarding Endowed Scholarships to Graduating Seniors. $375,000+ has been awarded to 275+ Seniors in the last five years.
- Feed the Kids Program
- MP Indoor Facility
- Fund for Academic Excellence Endowment (Started by the Class of 1966)
- WCRF Grants. Awarded to Mid-Prairie
- Establishing a Mid-Prairie Alumni Association
- Teacher Annual Recognition
- School Assemblies
- Auditorium
WHAT METHODS DO I USE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDATION?
- Cash, Securities, Real or Personal Property
- Bequests, Estates
- Life Insurance Agreements
- Donations of Educational Supplies and Equipment
- Memorials
- Living Trusts
- Life Income Contracts
- Testamentary Trusts
- Gifts from Class Reunions, Service Organizations and Businesses
- Employer-Sponsored Matching Gifts
- Grants/Awards from Corporations, Foundations, and Government Agencies
Fund for Academic Excellence: Providing Innovative Educational Opportunities for MP Students
"An investment in our school is an investment in the future of our students and our local community."
We are proud of our involvement in awarding educational scholarships. This year 61 scholarships were distributed through our local Dollars for Scholars Chapter totaling $190,328.50. Thank you to the generous supporters who run their scholarships through the Mid-Prairie Foundation’s Dollars for Scholars program each year.
The 2025 Dollars for Scholars Scholarships & recipients were:
Bette Moore Scholarships
$500 Jacob Flynn, $500 Xandree Campbell & $500 Thomas Flynn
Bob & Doris Stout Scholarship
$1,200 Annette Witthoft
Chabel-Miksch Scholarship
$377 Caitlyn Yoder
Charles & Colleen Sojka Family Fund Scholarship
$1,000 Emmett Swartzentruber
Claude & Mary Greiner Scholarship
$5,325.75 Brylee Gearhart & $5,325.75 Aliza Parks
Cuddeback Family
BE A TEACHER Scholarship
$2,000 Isabelle Duvall
Deanna Statler Stoutner & Clifford D. Stoutner Scholarship
$1,000 Aliza Parks
Doug Goschke Citizenship Award
$1,500 Adrian Sanchez Reyes
Edwin & Phyllis Peiffer Memorial Scholarship
$1,000 Grace Puttmann
Boyd & Wilma EMDE Ag Scholarships
$10,000 Charlotte Sieren, $10,000 Callie Huber, $10,000 Brynn Younge, $10,000 Peighton Ford, $10,000 Quinn Callahan, $10,000 Lanee Duwa, $10,000 Burke Berry, $10,000 Carly Nickell & $10,000 each to past recipient renewals: Alexa Huber, Anna Nafziger, Carmen Sieren, Gabi Robertson, Greta Sieren & Koby Karnes
F.E. Skola Scholarship
$700 Xandree Campbell
Federation Bank Scholarship
$500 Ace Peck
Gene & June Goschke Scholarship
$1,000 Jacob Flynn
Gold Scholarships
$500 each to Grace Skelton, Jayse Yoder, Cobin Thompson, Logan McClellen, Anna Flynn, Jesse Ceniceros, Landon Kos, Conner Wiles, Emma Lyle, Elden Kahler & Chloe Bouse
Goodwin-Kirkwood Scholarships
$1,250 Ace Peck, $800 Brenna Jehle & $500 Hannah Jamieson
Leo & Martha Hall Scholarship
$500 River Gehling
Leslie Arieux Memorial Scholarship
$500 Jeremiah Rempel
Mid-Prairie Class of 1965 Robert Karr Memorial Scholarship
$500 Grace Puttmann
Mid-Prairie Class of 1972 Legacy Scholarship
$500 Jeremiah Rempel
Mid-Prairie Class of 1982 Scholarship Fund
$500 Thomas Flynn
Nathaniel Hawbaker Memorial Scholarship
$1,000 Blake Swart
Robert & Irene Schneider Scholarship
$1,000 Lilly Miller
Rogers/Troyer Charitable Fund
$1,000 Hannah Jamieson
Scholarship Fund of Alvin R. & Beverly A. Mast, in memory of Haley Coppes
$850 River Gehling
Sons of Amvets Squad 107 Scholarships
$500 Jacob Flynn & $500 Caitlyn Yoder
Stricker Nursing Scholarship
$1,750 Adrian Sanchez Reyes, $1,750 Addison English & $1,000 Diego Sanchez
Warren & Nadine Schaefer Scholarship
$500 Lilly Miller
Washington Township Optimist Club Scholarship
$1,000 Ava Gingerich
Wayne Johnson Trust Scholarships
$3,000 Rita Du, $3,000 Ashlee Farrier, $3,000 Kenzington Miller, $3,000 Kyla Karnes & $3,000 Sydney Knebel
Wellman & Kalona Rotary Club Scholarship
$500 Brady Weber
West Chester Lions Club/Chuck Freeman Memorial Scholarship
$500 Brylee Gearhart & $500 Isabelle Duvall
OUR PLEDGE TO YOU
The Foundation will manage and insure that your contribution will be used as intended. You may designate a specific area for an endowment gift out or you may give for an undesignated purpose. Endowment gifts, which allow the principal to grow, while using only the interest, are encouraged.
For more information contact Hayley Hershberger, Mid-Prairie Foundation President.
Are you interested in making a donation to the Mid-Prairie Foundation? We appreciate your support!
Please mail checks to:
Mid-Prairie Foundation
PO Box 389
Kalona, IA 52247
Visit the MP Dollars for Scholars site to donate and support the students of Mid-Prairie Community School District.
Foundation Board of Trustees
- Hayley Hershberger, president
- Gerry Beeler, vice president
- Junell Duwa, treasurer
- Christian Swartzentruber, secretary
- Kari Statler, Scholarship Secretary
- Elisa Lyons, member
- Katie Miller, member
- Nicole Naraine, member
- Greg Gent, member
- Bri Clarahan, member
- Courtney Gent, member
- Chris Kern, member
- Luann Miller, member
- Janelle Brophy, member
WHY DO WE NEED A SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUNDATION?
Your interest in, and willingness to contribute to the Mid-Prairie Community Schools can enrich our schools and our community. Private contributions are needed to maintain and improve the level of educational excellence Mid-Prairie students experience. Residents, alumni and other interested individuals of the Mid-Prairie Community School District can ensure that our school remains a place where every student is served in the highest capacity possible.
WHAT WILL MY GIFT PROVIDE?
- Enhancement of academic programs
- Funding for faculty development
- Improved school facilities and projects
- Special community educational programs
- Scholarships
WHO WILL DECIDE HOW FOUNDATION FUNDS ARE SPENT?
All decisions to be made by and on behalf of the Mid-Prairie Community School District Foundation will be made by its Board of Trustees. Advice on spending decisions will be solicited from the Board of Education and the School District Administration, as well as from the various support groups and the general public. Donors wishes will be honored whenever possible.
HOW WILL THE FOUNDATION AFFECT EXISTING SUPPORT GROUPS?
The Mid-Prairie Community School District Foundation is not a substitute for or an alternative to the various existing support groups. The Foundation is envisioned and designed as a working partner with all other support groups, such as Athletic, Music or Student Boosters.
The Foundation may provide a convenient avenue for channeling support group donations or the Foundation may provide direct financial assistance to any project established by the various support groups. The Foundation will not control, direct or supervise any existing support group.