The history of the Kearney Area Community Foundation began in 1995 in a duck blind. Glimpses of birds were fleeting, but not so the conversation when Dan Lindstrom, Jeff Anderson and Roger Jasnoch – friends and community leaders – gathered on the river. As the story is told, good-natured banter soon turned to serious discussion about how to sustain the Leadership Kearney initiative then just under way in our community. One idea lead to another and soon the men had hatched the notion that a community foundation was needed to support Leadership Kearney and other worthy projects.

Getting encouragement from the boards of both the Leadership Kearney and the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce, the trio’s idea took flight when it was presented at the Kearney Tomorrow public forum. A task force adopted the project and, before long, what started as a duck-blind brainstorm became reality.

In the years since, the Kearney Area Community Foundation has become an essential asset for our area. Today, it partners with numerous organizations and individuals to support more than 100 funds providing scholarships, enhancing parks, encouraging community leadership, promoting education and helping those in need.