Community Voices
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Happy Holiday and Philanthropy Season by Phil Hanson, President and CEO Truman Heartland Community Foundation
We hope you had a Merry Christmas and a holiday season full of family and friends. This is very busy time of year for your Community Foundation and all of us in the philanthropy business. As I write this column, the final days of the year approach and daily we are hearing from people who want to do more with their charitable giving and establish a charitable fund. We are seeing a great deal of interest in the “charitable bunching concept” that I mentioned in earlier columns. Under the new tax laws with the higher standard deduction, more donors are utilizing a Donor Advised Fund and bunching as a tax wise charitable giving tool as the year comes to a close. It’s too early to get statistics on total charitable giving in 2018, however, I still stand by the prediction I made in my January column entitled “An Alternative Outlook on Charitable Giving Under the New Tax Law.” We won’t have official numbers from Giving USA until July of
2019, but contrary to the predications of others in the philanthropy world, I anticipate that compared to 2017, charitable giving will be up. To refresh your memory, the study commissioned by the Independent Sector predicted a decrease in charitable giving as a result of the higher standard deduction and many fewer households being able to itemize their charitable deductions. However, according to one recent survey, at the end of the third quarter of this year, charitable giving was up year to date. Although giving was down slightly in the first two quarters of the year, strong contributions in the third quarter now have charitable giving up compared to the first three quarters of 2017. Here at your Community Foundation, we are also seeing very strong contributions and we are on pace to have a record year. I will report back with official results in July, but I think my faith in people and their motivations for giving will be proven correct. Speaking of motivations, I want to encourage high school and college students in our area to take advantage
of this holiday break and go check out the scholarships available from Truman Heartland at https://www.thcf.org/ Grant-Scholarship-Seekers/ Scholarships. We have a new general scholarship application that will be a time saver for students (and parents). For example, graduating high school seniors complete one general scholarship application and then receive information on the scholarships they are eligible for and what additional information is needed for each scholarship. Scholarships are available for students pursuing undergraduate, graduate and technical degrees. The deadline for the general scholarship application is February 1 and students have until February 11 to submit additional items. This past year, we awarded scholarships totaling over $287,000 to 218 students in our region so it’s worth taking a few minutes to check it out. As we prepare for 2019, I would also remind all the Baby Boomers in our area who are looking for volunteer opportunities in the new year to utilize our Boomers Get Connected resources
at https://www.thcf.org/Boomers-GetConnected. We continue our work with area nonprofits and governments looking for volunteers and help them connect with Baby Boomers in our communities to better utilize their time and talents. Volunteering more in 2019 would be a great New Year’s resolution and the resources on the Boomers Get Connected site are available for everyone regardless of age. Happy New Year to all!
Phil Hanson is the President and CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation. Truman Heartland Community Foundation (THCF) is a 501 (c)(3) public charity committed to improving the communities in and around Eastern Jackson County through cooperation with community members and donors. THCF serves the region with assets of more than $47 million and annual grants surpassing $3 million. For more information on charitable giving, visit www.thcf.org of call Truman Heartland at 816.836.8189.
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Looking Back: To “E” or Not to “E”, That is the Question by Marcia Napier Grain Valley Historical Society
In 1878 Joseph Peters employed James Lucas to survey the 10 acres that made up the town of Grain Valley. Only two blocks long, Capelle Street stretched from Yennie on the north to Front Street on the south . In the first part of the twentieth century only two houses faced Capelle, but several important structures lined the street. These buildings included the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the first Grain Valley School, the telephone office, and the Hard Shell Baptist Church at the top of the hill on Yennie. According to the 1920 History of Jackson County compiled and written by W. Z. Hickman, Britton M. Capell (no “e”) was born October 2, 1815 in North Carolina, but his family soon moved to Simpson County, Kentucky. There he
was educated and apprenticed as a cabinetmaker for two years and worked the trade for five years. December 16, 1834, he married Sarah A Clayton, a native of Logan County Kentucky. The Capell family immigrated to Jackson County in 1839 settling on a 460-acre farm on land that would become the northwest edge of Grain Valley. The 1840 and 1850 US Census shows his residence as Sni-A-Bar Township. The 1860 US Census shows his residence as Stony Point. Britton Capell was one of the finest farmers in the county. He and his family were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in the early days prior to the Church at Pink Hill, their home answered the purpose of a church. He and his wife donated
land for the Capelle School, built near the present day East Kansas City Airport. In later years a portion of the farm was sold to E. E. Kirby. According to Capell’s great-great granddaughter Barbara Overall, Mrs. John R. Washburn, most of the land was to the north, so it was intersected by US Highway 40 and later by Interstate 70. Britton and Sarah had eight children, seven living to adulthood: Bernetta A (Mrs. Dyer), Susan Rose (Mrs. Wm. Kirby), Mary M., David C., Martha J. (Mrs. J. T. Wright) John O., and Trusten P. Sarah died in 1871, and Britton died in 1889. They are buried in Lobb Cemetery. In another section of the book, Trusten Capelle (with an “e”) is mentioned.
The next meeting of the Grain Valley Historical Society will be held January 24th beginning at 6:00pm with a potluck dinner. 10am— The Grain Valley Historical Society Museum, located at 510 Main Street, is open Wednesdays from 10am —3pm Society’’s website, www.grainvalleyhistory.com, and follow the Society and by appointment. Visit the Historical Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@grainvalleyhistory).
Capelle Street was named for Britton Capell, a farmer who settled with his family in Jackson County in 1839. He and his wife donated land for the Capelle School, built near the present day East Kansas City airport. Photo credit: Marcia Napier
