FREEMAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: THE GIVING TREE

Emily Hofer has taken on numerous endeavors since returning to her home community in 2005. In addition to her primary motivation for moving back — to become the CFO and third-generation executive at Merchants State Bank — she quickly became involved in other areas of service.

Hofer has taken on leadership roles in both the state and national Independent Community Bankers organizations, has been the treasurer of the Freeman Baseball Association for more than 15 years, was a local EMT for a decade, and has also served on the board of directors for the Freeman Public Library.

But none of those rise to the top in terms of personal satisfaction.

For Hofer, that comes through the role she takes on as president of the Freeman Community Foundation, a local organization that functions in association with the South Dakota Community Foundation and whose sole purpose is to give back to the community through grants to local non-profits and service scholarships to graduating seniors.

“Of all the hats I wear, this is my favorite,” says Hofer, who after graduating from Freeman High School in 1998 earned finance and accounting degrees and a minor in Spanish from Tulane University and then a master’s in accounting from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane. “It’s my favorite thing I do — it’s the best thing I do, because we help so many people.”

The Freeman Community Foundation has been doing just that since it awarded its first grant — $500 to the Salem Mennonite Home — in 2000. The philanthropy began after local leadership successfully completed a challenge from the South Dakota Community Foundation to raise $100,000 through a local fundraising effort, half of which was then matched by the state organization.

With its most recent round of distribution of funds, which was announced in The Courier last week, the Freeman Community Foundation has now awarded $401,000 in grants and $30,000 in service scholarships. All of that comes through an endowment that has swelled to $1.2 million thanks to the largest gift since that initial fundraising effort — a $360,000 gift from Dr. Dennis Epp in October.

“It’s amazing,” said Hofer, who notes that the FCF may award 5% of the endowment balance annually. “The power of an endowment is amazing.”

Hofer says the FCF holds a special place in her heart because of its reach.

“We have a deep presence,” she said. “There is not a demographic that has not been touched.”

Hofer says that in the last five years, $47,000 has been awarded to local daycare providers, and the list of recipients going back 23 years includes all walks of life, from the young to the old, to parks and service organizations, to a growing Hispanic population. It’s largest gift, $10,000, went to Freeman Summer Rec for new bleachers at the youth ball field.

“When I get to call somebody and say, ‘Hey, we approved your grant application at our meeting last night,’ I know that nine times out of 10 it’s for a project that never would have come to fruition if they hadn’t partnered with the community foundation, and that’s awesome,” she said. “I didn’t nail any boards together to make that project happen, but I know I was involved in some small way, and I think that’s how all our board members feel. We take our job of being a steward of the community’s money — this community’s savings account — seriously.”

Hofer says that, in the next five years, the money that will be allocated for distribution annually will surpass the 676,000 that has been gifted to the FCF since the fundraising effort began in 1998.

“The sky is the limit for the foundation,” she said. “We’ve had such timely gifts over the years that we haven’t pursued a real hard fundraising goal, which is good, because there are a lot of other projects and fundraisers in town …

“It’s a good example that all these different groups in the community can exist and work well together.”

Still, Hofer says, the FCF appreciates any and all gifts because it has a direct impact on the community.

“We’ll always take a donation,” she says. “If it comes to the end of the year and you have some funds and you feel charitable, or you don’t know what to do with, think of us, and know that what you’re giving will be here forever.

“It will always be a legacy because it will always be reinvested in the community.”