This month’s update shines a spotlight on two meaningful gifts for the Village Green that have a lot in common: The $1 million gift from Seattle Foundation’s C. Keith Birkenfeld Memorial Trust, and the $1 million grant awarded by Kitsap Community Foundation from the donor-advised A. Y. Petter Family Fund.
Keith Birkenfeld was a Seattle school teacher and Bainbridge Island resident with strong family ties to Kitsap who put money aside that he could have spent on himself, but preferred to leave for posterity — more specifically, money that could do great things in nearby communities. In fact, he strongly preferred that the funds he was leaving be used in Kitsap County. These were to be naming opportunities — not necessarily a name on a building, but a signal to others able to give that their money could also make a difference in meeting their neighbors’ needs.
Further, the terms of the trust encouraged Seattle Foundation to consider giving to projects on other than a “capstone” (last gift in) basis; anyone who’s sought foundation grants knows the frustration of finding that so many funders do want to be the last gift in. Combining these preferences, we hoped the Birkenfeld grant, awarded last June to Village Green Foundation, held immense potential to serve as a catalyst for other donors; the very next day, we received a $50,000 pledge from a local couple.
After Jan. 26, when the Kitsap Community Foundation award was announced at the Gather for the Green event, Village Green Foundation board members learned that the gift was being awarded because one of Anne Petter’s surviving family members had in fact been inspired by the Birkenfeld gift! The family member, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a Kitsap resident and library lover who stated that she hoped her gift would in turn serve to inspire the community to finish the job of funding the new Kingston library at the Village Green. So Keith Birkenfeld’s example, based on his lifelong habit of living frugally, was paid forward.
What this means to the rest of us: Regular Community News readers know that Village Green Foundation is in full fundraising mode. There’s about $1 million left to raise. That’s where the rest of us come in.
Not many people can imagine having saved enough money to be able to make a gift of $1 million — before or after we die! But at this point in the Village Green project’s history, we can state confidently that the cumulative effect of many gifts will take us to our goal.
We’ve come a long way toward raising $6.2 million. The promise of spaces and activities for every need has drawn more than these two exceptional gifts — for instance, commitments from the state Building Communities Fund for another $1 million, and an astonishing $594,000 from local individuals and community groups, including every member of the Village Green Foundation board and the committees supporting the project.
If there’s sufficient momentum by July 4, the new community center can break ground in the fall of this year. Delaying the start of construction increases overall costs. To donate or pledge, go to www.kingstonvillagegreen.org, e-mail info@kingstonvillagegreen.org, or call Bobbie Moore at (360) 297-2845.
We are launching a paving stones program at the Village Green on May 5, 2-5 p.m., for a Pinata Paver Party. There will be food, and an opportunity to sign up for an engraved paving stone that will memorialize your wishes for our new Community Center.
