Mid‐Prairie Foundation
Thank You!
Thank you to the following donors who make our Gold Scholarships possible! Your support is greatly appreciated.
The Appliance Barn
Beatty & Peterseim Funeral Homes
BT Farms Inc. / Brent & Tara Yoder
Cindy Malichky
CIVCO
CS Auto Body, LLC
Doug & Janice Yotty
Duwas Auction Service / Dwight Duwa (endowed)
Foundations Unliminted, Inc. / Ben &
Sonja Hawbaker (endowed)
Edward & Sally Whetstine (endowed)
Gary Gostynski
Gent Ag, Inc. / Greg, Georgia, Joseph & Hannah Gent
Gingerich Well & Pump Service, LLC
Iowa Collision & Paint, LLC
Iowa Pond Guy
Junell Duwa / Edge Realty Group (endowed)
Kalona Realty, Inc.
Kalona Sales Barn (endowed)
Kalonial Lawn Care Inc.
KCTC
Kevin & Linda Gent
Mark & Phyllis Casper
Mid-Prairie Class of 1965 (endowed)
Prairie Pork, Inc. / John & Cathy Gent
PremiStar
Sharon Telephone Co.
Statler Construction
The Foundation Charitable Foundation
United Animal Health Inc.
Wellman Coop. Telephone Association
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."
The 2024 Dollars for Scholars Scholarships & recipients were:
Advancing Agriculture Scholarship
$1,000 Greta Sieren
Bette Moore Scholarships
$500 Daniel Rodgers, $500 Libby Peiffer & $500 Jackson Miller
Bob & Doris Stout Scholarship
$1,200 Henry Yoder
Chabel-Miksch Scholarship
$385 Jackson Miller
Charles & Colleen Sojka Family Fund Scholarship
$1,000 Elliot Debler
Claude & Mary Greiner Scholarship
$5,234 Phoebe Shetler & $5,234 Abigail Fleming
Cuddeback Family
BE A TEACHER Scholarship
$2,000 Gabrielle Robertson
Deanna Statler Stoutner & Clifford D. Stoutner Scholarship
$1,000 Jacob Carrillo
Doug Goschke Citizenship Award
$1,500 Behla Schmidt
Edwin & Phyllis Peiffer Memorial Scholarship
$1,000 Jacob Carrillo
Boyd & Wilma EMDE Ag Scholarships
$8,000 Gabrielle Robertson, $8,000 Greta Sieren, $8,000 Blake Peck & $8,000 each to past recipient renewals: Payton Peck, Koby Karnes, Alexa Huber, Braydon Younge, Anna Nafziger & Carmen Sieren
F.E. Skola Scholarship
$700 Joe Hall
Federation Bank Scholarship
$500 Noah Freeman
Gene & June Goschke Scholarship
$1,000 Joe Hall
Gold Scholarships
$500 each to Clarissa Luerkens, Jackie Greiner, Eva Marner, Carson Pence, Kurt Schneider & Shelby Stacey
Goodwin-Kirkwood Scholarships
$1,400 Lukin Rediger, $700 Jarron Thomas & $500 Paige Safly
Leo & Martha Hall Scholarship
$500 Avery Slaubaugh
Leslie Arieux Memorial Scholarship
$500 Avery Slaubaugh
Mid-Prairie Class of 1972 Legacy Scholarship
$500 Emma Lueck
Mid-Prairie Class of 1977 Scholarship
$350 Avery Slaubaugh
Mid-Prairie Class of 1982 Scholarship Fund
$500 Madison Davidson
Nathaniel Hawbaker Memorial Scholarship
$1,000 Paige Safly
Robert & Irene Schneider Scholarship
$1,000 Haydon Bailey
Rogers/Troyer Charitable Fund
$1,000 Gabrielle Robertson
Scholarship Fund of Alvin R. & Beverly A. Mast, in memory of Haley Coppes
$850 Daniel Rodgers
Sons of Amvets Squad 107 Scholarships
$500 Brock Harland & $500 Laurelin Geno
Stricker Nursing Scholarship
$2,000 Reese Good & $2,000 Kailey Warnstaff
Warren & Nadine Schaefer Scholarship
$500 Parker Ehrenfelt
Washington Township Optimist Club Scholarship
$500 Phoebe Shetler
Wayne Johnson Trust Scholarships
$3,500 Laurelin Geno, $3,000 Sawyer Hough, $3,000 Nora Pennington, $2,000 Hannah Sellers, $2,000 Ava Pence, $750 Beau Flynn & $750 Olivia Utzinger
Wellman & Kalona Rotary Club Scholarship
$500 Emma Lueck
West Chester Lions Club/Chuck Freeman Memorial Scholarship
$1,740 Noah Freeman
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.