Information for Donors
How You Can Participate in the Derby Community Foundation:
Establish a charitable fund bearing your name to provide for your favorite charitable organization or cause, both today and beyond your lifetime.
Establish a memorial or scholarship fund in honor or memory of a loved-one to provide support for a particular area of interest.
Contribute to the Derby Community Foundation Operating Endowment allowing the Foundation to serve the community into the future.
Encourage your favorite charity to establish an organization fund to provide ongoing support for their work.
Tell your friends about the Derby Community Foundation and the services we provide.
Contribute to any existing fund. The funds are listed below.
Donate
Contributions to the Derby Community Foundation make a significant difference in the lives of Derby community members. Please consider donating today to help make Derby, KS a better place to live, work, and play.
Arlo and Charlotte Lindsey "Kidneys for Life" and Cancer Support Memorial Fund
The children of Arlo and Charlotte Lindsey established this memorial fund to honor their parents and to benefit patients who are battling kidney disease and/or cancer. Previous recipients of this fund include St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Harry Hynes Hospice, John Hopkin’s Research Hospital, Via Christi Foundation, Derby Renal Care Treatment Facility, to name a few.
Bronze Sculpture Fund
Bronze sculptures are synonymous with the Derby Community Foundation. Derby’s 20 bronze sculptures were inspired by efforts of the DCF to bring public art to this community. This fund assists with purchases of new bronzes for public display as well as for professional maintenance of the city’s bronze sculpture collection.
Braxton Kooser Memorial Scholarship Fund
This Memorial Scholarship has been established to honor an outstanding young man, Braxton Wells Kooser. Braxton was a Derby Panther, only in his second semester of his freshman year, when he was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 14. Along with being a Derby Panther (football player), Braxton was a beloved son, adored brother, faithful Christian, Derby Tiger (baseball), trusted friend and a Kansas State Wildcat through and through. Braxton’s loyalty to his family, his friends, his faith, his school and his teammates were unmatched. We want to honor this young man by choosing a recipient that displays some of the same character traits and attributes that Braxton displayed; faith, integrity, dedication, teamwork, commitment and perseverance.
Decarsky Foundation Fund
Awards annual scholarships to Derby High School students who meet specific criteria. The scholarships are awarded annually, and the recipients have the opportunity to apply to for annual renewals for three additional years. For attendance at a four year university, the annual scholarship amount will be $4,000 (with renewals, total scholarship value would be $16,000). For attendance at a community college the annual scholarship amount will be $2,500.
Derby Giving Circle Fund
The Derby Giving Circle Fund is collective philanthropy. With the mission of “Find a Need: Fund a Need,” the Derby Giving Circle explores ways to collectively benefit the Derby area. The first initiative of the Derby Giving Circle included raising funds to provide all second-grade students in Derby (USD 260, Faith Lutheran & St. Marys) with a take-home book every month of the school year. Recently, the Giving Circle awarded funds to Derby North Middle School to assist with providing books to students with special needs.
Derby Rotary Club Fund
The Rotary Club of Derby has a long history of supporting education in the Derby community. With the motto of “Service Above Self,” the scholarship is awarded to students who will be graduating from Derby High School and/or who live in Derby, who will be enrolling as full-time students at a college/university/community college/trade school, and who have a proven record of involvement in school, church, and community activities.
Derby Veterans Memorial Fund
The Derby Area Veterans Memorial Walk of Freedom was created in 2011 to honor the brave men and women who have served or are serving in a branch of the United States military. Each branch of the military is represented with a station which includes bricks honoring Derby area veterans. The memorial walk also includes a tribute to Col. Hans Dethlefsen who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his brave service in the U.S. Air Force. The bronze sculpture, Patriotic Boy, pays tribute to the spouses and families of military veterans who “kept the home fires burning” while their loved ones were serving the country. Bricks are added each fall to the memorial to honor area veterans. This fund supports the ongoing maintenance and additions to the Veterans Memorial in Garrett Park.
Derby Wrestling Club Tom and Iris Faust Scholarship Fund
The vision of starting a wrestling club in Derby, Kansas was fulfilled in 1967 when Tom and Iris Faust laid down six pieces of carpet in their garage on South Kokomo Street and began practicing with three team members, one of whom was their son, Lew. The DWC has provided character building and wrestling instruction to thousands of young athletes and continues to do so as one of the most talented and respected wrestling clubs in the state of Kansas. This scholarship is awarded to a Derby High School student wishing to further his/her education, who has participated in wrestling and who exhibits the positive qualities and character that wrestling provides.
Diana Unkel Memorial Scholarship Fund
The family of Diana Unkel established a scholarship fund in her memory with the Derby Community Foundation. Diana Unkel was a lifelong resident of Derby, taught music at Swaney Elementary School, Derby Sixth Grade Center, and was the accompanist for the Derby High School vocal music program. She also taught piano lessons and served as organist at Madison Avenue United Methodist Church and Woodlawn United Methodist Church. Diana touched the lives of many Derby residents through her passion for music. This scholarship supports Derby High School students who plan to continue to be involved in music.
Friends of the Library Fund
The Friends of the Derby Public Library is a group of citizens who assist in promoting library services and programs. Friends of the Derby Public Library supports Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week, National Readathon Day, Santa’s Village, library participation in the Big Read, and the StoryWalk at High Park.
Garinger Agency Fund
This donor advised fund was established by Jean Garinger, American Family Agency, to provide charitable contributions to area non-profits. Jean Garinger is a dedicated community activist who supports a wide variety of non-profit programs.
Founders Circle - Plaque Upgrade
In order to upgrade all 12 plaques at our Founders Circle during our 30th Anniversary, we would like to raise $25,000 by the end of this year. Donors who help us with this achievement will be invited to a special 30th Anniversary rededication ceremony at the Founders Circle! Will you help us honor Derby history?
Grant Program Fund
Community Enrichment Grants are awards of up to $2,500 made to grassroots non-profits and government entities doing innovative and meaningful work that fits within the Derby Community Foundation's mission and that enriches or responds to immediate needs within the community. Community Enrichment Grants expand the Foundation's support to a broad range of organizations throughout the Derby area. The Foundation awards up to $10,000 in two cycles each year using a competitive application process.
Mike Burr Memorial Scholarship Fund
Mike was a member of the Derby High School graduating class of 2010. He loved both music and the arts. He was a member of the Marching Band, the Jazz Band, and his own band named All Falls Short. The Mike Burr Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a USD 260 graduating senior who participated in the Derby High School music program. Every parent hopes that their child grows to fill their potential. This scholarship doesn't require a specific field of study, but instead is to help the recipient reach that potential.
Pat Paske Memorial Scholarship Fund
The family of Pat Paske established a scholarship fund in his memory with the Derby Community Foundation. He taught, coached and served as an administrator at several Kansas high schools and middle schools over 51 years. Since 2004, he was a science teacher at Derby High School and spent several earlier years in Augusta and Eureka schools. Patrick coached basketball, football, golf and track during his career.
Patty Anthony Memorial Fund
The family of Patty Anthony established this memorial fund to honor her life and to benefit people with disabilities as they participate in recreational activities like Special Olympics. Patty was a member of the Special Olympics team at Starkey, Inc. in Wichita for many years and truly enjoyed the games. She also enjoyed participating in other recreational activities with her peers, including bowling, skating, dancing and swimming. A grant is awarded annually to the Derby Free Spirits, a recreational group for people with development disabilities coordinated by the Derby Recreation Commission.
Richard W. Dennis Memorial Fund
The family of Richard W. Dennis established this fund to honor a “life well lived.” Dick Dennis was owner of Dennis Insulation, a member of Rotary Club of Derby, and “larger than life” longtime resident of Derby. Grants from this fund will support local efforts that were of interest to Dick, including green spaces, trees, and feeding children.
Re’Ana Mekaeil Memorial Scholarship Fund
Re’Ana Mekaeil was a 9-year-old girl from Derby who lost her battle with cancer on August 25, 2017 - just one week into her 4th grade year. She attended Pleasantview Elementary from Kindergarten through 2nd grade, and then Park Hill for 3rd and the beginning of 4th grade. When she grew up, she wanted to be a missionary or an art teacher. Although she will never get the opportunity to achieve her grown-up dreams, her family would like to honor her memory through this scholarship by supporting that opportunity for another Derby student as they pursue their dreams.
Ross Hearn Vocal Music Excellence Scholarship Fund
“Oh, Balderdash!” “I’m from Missouri, SHOW me!” If these terms are familiar to you, then you can count yourself lucky to have spent time in the vocal music classroom of Ross Hearn (and I know many of you did!). During Ross’s 38-year teaching career, he had a positive impact on thousands of students. The Ross Hearn Vocal Music Excellence Scholarship supports Derby High School graduates who wish to continue to be involved in music after graduation from DHS. Ross taught vocal music at DHS for 32 years, sharing his passion for music and his high expectations. He also taught for 2 years at Valley Center High School, Knoxville High School (Iowa) and Wichita High School North, respectively. The lessons learned in Ross’s class were more than musical, they were life lessons.