Dear Editor:

Upon my retirement from leading the Asia Foundation last year I was pleased to be asked to join the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF). I have long admired the mission and way the Foundation innovatively and expertly helped so many of the state’s communities marshal their resources to build a better future for their citizens through local philanthropy.

Through a leadership role I had on a national board representing America’s various types of foundations, I was able to hear invited presentations by NCF’s President & CEO, Jeff Yost.

Those presentations, along with the high regard in which NCF was so obviously held, only further confirmed my view that the “Nebraska approach” was a uniquely successful effort because it focused on community development through local leadership and philanthropy under a statewide nonprofit “umbrella” foundation.

Early in June, the NCF Board held its quarterly meeting in Burwell and Ord. I had the opportunity to witness firsthand how two small communities have harnessed the power of philanthropy and the expertise of the Nebraska Community Foundation to transform their hometowns.

Both of these communities have leveraged local charitable dollars with public and private funding to revitalize their economies and enhance their quality of life.

Before I was elected to serve in the U.S. Congress from Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District (1979-2004), I used my professional training in community planning to earn a living, in part, by helping communities and counties of all sizes in Nebraska and surrounding states with their planning and development activities.

I saw that many communities, like the one in which I grew up, were small and usually lacked the organizational structure and financial and legal knowledge to form successful community foundations or launch ongoing development programs.

Even those that had the necessary elements of progressive leadership often lacked the know-how and the igniting spark for promoting philanthropic investment in their own community or county.

Therefore, in many cases, when the older residents passed away, even a modest but important generational transfer of wealth all went elsewhere by default–out of the community, out of the state, and in some cases even out of the country, instead of back into the community where lives were lived and resources were earned over a lifetime. I saw it happening again and again because there was no ready, organized way to keep some of that wealth acquired over a lifetime in the hometown area.

So, it seems to me that the Nebraska Community Foundation model certainly is an excellent way to provide the professional expertise and organizational home for our state’s generous communities and rural areas. NCF is there to serve as a partner, a mentor and the legal entity for people who are enthusiastic about putting philanthropy to work in their hometowns. This work is being done in 235 communities in 79 of Nebraska’s counties.

That is why I think the Nebraska Community Foundation is so important to the state’s communities and our future.

Doug Bereuter

Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska

Dear Editor,

Once again our gazebo area is being targeted as a play area and source of entertainment. The main attraction this time is the big beautiful tree in the far west end.

The tree is now taller than the two buildings it sits between. Not only does the tree provide wonderful shade, but when it is in bloom, the fragrance carries throughout the garden area. The tree is now at risk of losing many branches if not the life of the whole tree.

We suspect kids have taken to stripping the bark from the branches and carving “W” into the tree. Several months ago it was noticed that kids were marring up the tree, so some of the lower branches were removed to keep the kids from climbing up in the tree.

Over the past weekend and again today (Tuesday, June 12), kids have stripped a pile of bark from several more branches.

It is not known if one group of kids or several are to blame. Kids from the age of five to 13 years have been told to stay out of the tree as well as not to destroy the flowers by several business owners.

The many peony bushes as well, had all the buds pulled off so the kids could enjoy a game of tag.

Parents would you let your kids do this at home in your own yards as well? Don’t you care what your own plants and trees look like? We do care and we do want to keep downtown Wauneta looking nice.

The gazebo is owned by the city for the enjoyment of the town.

It did not get there by itself. It does not water itself or weed itself. It took a lot of people with a lot of hard work to get it to where it is today and to continue to keep it up.

Trees do not grow overnight. Flowers do not continually bloom. Once you damage a tree or a flower you have to start all over again.

It is not a bike path or playground, but a beautification to our town to be walked through or to sit a while.

Many have used the area as a backdrop for family pictures and senior pictures. We would hate to lose this because parents are unmindful of their children’s activities and their lack of respect for other people’s property.

Parents be advised–We have now placed a barbed wire fence around the tree to hopefully give the tree a chance to heal. There is yellow fire tape to warn children not to get near the tree.

Thank you,

Concerned citizens