It’s time for the Russell County Free Fair and also a wonderful time to support the George and Cooper Gier 4-H Memorial Fund at the Russell County Area Community Foundation (RCACF). Marcia Steckel is raffling freshly baked cookies to support the cause.

The fund was established in memory of George and Cooper to help local youth participate in 4-H camps, 4-H state-wide classes and special events. Since inception, the fund has helped many youth grow as 4-Hers.

Past fundraisers to support this permanent endowment have included t-shirt sales for the annual Gier Memorial Ranch Rodeo, but this year includes a little something special – cowboy themed cookies. A raffle winner will be drawn at the ranch rodeo on Friday, July 25.

If you’d like to enter the cookie raffle, please donate $10 to the George and Cooper 4-H Memorial Fund. Venmo @a-sweet-tooth-ks noting Gier Cookie Raffle or deliver a donation to Marcia at 28 Copeland Street, Russell.

Alternatively, donations to support the fund can made to RCACF-Gier Fund, PO Box 172, 507 N. Main Street, Russell, KS 67665. Credit card donations may be made to the fund at www.rcacf.org.

The Russell County Area Community Foundation was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all residents in the Russell County area by encouraging philanthropy and providing a vehicle for donors to support their charitable interests. The George and Cooper Gier 4-H Memorial Fund is continuing the legacy of this father and son to do good in Russell County.

If you would like to create a fund to support your favorite charitable cause, please contact Angie Muller, RCACF Director, at 785-445-3611 or visit www.rcacf.org.

Russell County Area Community Foundation Announces Establishment of the John and Heather Fletcher Foundation Fund

The Russell County Area Community Foundation (RCACF), an affiliate of the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation, is pleased to announce the establishment of the John and Heather Fletcher Foundation Fund.

The fund was created to further the philanthropic legacy of Heather and her husband John, who unexpectedly passed away in June. John served as Russell County Administrator since 2013 and Russell County Sheriff from 1999 to 2015. In 1984, he was hired by the Russell County Sheriff’s Office as an EMT and Jailer and worked for the City of Russell Fire Department. He was a graduate of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and the FBI National Academy Program in Quantico, Virginia. John received two Bronze Wreath of Meritorious Service Awards while employed by the Russell Police Department.

“The community foundation’s mission is to help donors like Heather and John leave charitable legacies in Russell County and beyond. We do that through the creation of permanent endowments that allow donors to give grants to the causes that matter most to them, such as first-responders and historical preservation. We are honored to help Heather and her family further John’s legacy of public service and his love of community and country,” said Angie Muller, RCACF Director.

When you leave a gift to the community foundation, your life’s work and what you care about most live on forever, creating your legacy. The Russell County Area Community Foundation was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all residents in the Russell County area by encouraging philanthropy and providing a vehicle for donors to support their charitable interests.

We help donors create funds of all sizes directed at your favorite charitable purposes. Gifts to the foundation are tax-deductible. If you would like to contribute to the John and Heather Fletcher Foundation Fund or create a fund of your own, please contact Angie Muller, RCACF Director, at 785-445-3611 or visit www.rcacf.org.