A Lifetime of Community Support

Richard and Dorothy Burkhardt arrived in Muncie in 1952 with their three children, Jon, Chip, and Claire. Richard had been named Dean of Faculty at Ball State Teachers College. The family quickly made Muncie their home.

Richard and Dorothy both spent most of their careers at Ball State University. In addition to his role as Dean of the Ball State Teachers College, Richard served in various roles before retiring as provost in the mid-1980s. Dorothy earned a Master’s Degree from Ball State and taught for twenty-seven years in the Ball State Foreign Languages Department.

Beyond their professional commitment to higher education, the Burkhardts were active in the Muncie community. Richard was a member of the Rotary Club and Grace Episcopal Church.

Dorothy was a member of the Conversation Club and the Art Alliance. Dorothy also served on the Board of Directors and Grants Committee of The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. Meals on Wheels of Muncie recognized her with an Outstanding Service Award.

Richard and Dorothy were dedicated lifelong champions for many charitable causes. They supported the efforts of Ball State University and Knox College in art, languages, history, and general education. Locally, they were both contributors to and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Motivate Our Minds, and The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. The Door County Community Foundation in Wisconsin was another recipient of their philanthropy.

Because of their community involvement, Richard and Dorothy knew that nonprofit organizations rely on the annual support of their donors to continue important programming. The Burkhardts made a plan to continue their giving even after they were gone. In 2005, Richard and Dorothy joined The Community Foundation’s Legacy Society. Joining was simple. They only needed to share their plan to include the Foundation in their estate plan. Richard and Dorothy established a “future fund” at The Community Foundation a few years later. A future fund is a fund that will be established upon the donor’s death with an estate gift to carry out their charitable wishes. Donors work with The Community Foundation to identify a name and purpose for a fund and sign a fund agreement that will be used to establish the fund once their estate gift is realized.

The Richard W. and Dorothy J. Burkhardt Fund would be a nonpermanent fund at The Community Foundation that provided annual support to identified organizations until the fund was exhausted.

Richard and Dorothy both passed away in 2014 at ages 95 and 96, respectively. Upon their death, with a gift from their estate, The Richard W. and Dorothy J. Burkhardt Fund provided 17 organizations with

annual grant distributions for the fund’s life. In 2015, The Community Foundation hosted a “birthday party” to announce and celebrate the fund’s establishment with the benefiting organizations.

“The Burkhardts were a couple who did things together in a very quiet way,” said Foundation president Kelly K. Shrock at the celebration. “They were like a canoe that moved forward because they always paddled in the same direction, totally in concert with each other, calmly making an impact.”

At the party, organizations received their first distribution from the fund, and they learned of the fund’s provisions. Each organization was awarded a unique amount, and that amount would continue annually for the next seven to eight years.

This January, recipients received their final distribution from the Richard W. and Dorothy J. Burkhardt Fund. Just over $234,000 was awarded between 2015 and 2022.

“We would typically use this distribution each year to offset the need for rent and utility assistance and help families move into permanent housing with deposits,” said Andrea Smith, executive director of Christian Ministries of Delaware County. “That is typically one of the biggest needs we have for the community.”

The Community Foundation worked closely with the Burkhardts to ensure their charitable wishes were understood and met. Richard and Dorothy knew that the organizations they supported relied on their annual gifts. Their gift to The Community Foundation provided these organizations with continued support.

We are here to serve as a partner in realizing your philanthropic goals. To start the conversation and learn more, contact Kelly K. Shrock, president, at 765-747-7181 or kshrock@cfmdin.org.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie is appreciative of the support that we have received from the Richard W. and Dorothy J. Burkhardt Fund. Without the funds that we have received over the years, many of the programs that we offer to our youth would not be possible.

BENEFITING ORGANIZATIONS

Alpha Center, Inc.

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital

Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie

Christian Ministries of Delaware County, Inc.

Community Enhancement Projects, Inc.

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County

Heart of Indiana United Way

Grace Episcopal Church

Greater Muncie, IN Habitat for Humanity, Inc.

Huffer Memorial Children’s Center, Inc.

Meals on Wheels of Muncie Inc.

Minnetrista

Muncie Mission

Motivate Our Minds, Inc.

New Harmony School Foundation

Youth Opportunity Center, Inc.

Muncie Mission has used the annual distributions from the Richard W. and Dorothy J. Burkhardt Fund to provide direct, compassionate care to struggling individuals and families in the community, translating the Burkhardt’s support into food, blankets, coats, and warm beds.