Designated Fund

A Designated Fund is a restricted, endowed fund held by the Foundation in which the donor specifies fund beneficiaries at the time the fund is established. The designated fund is invested for long-term growth and distributes annual grants to those charities named by the donor. Designated funds offer a simple way to support your favorite charities in perpetuity. Grants can be made in your name, or in anonymity.

The Dean C. Banker Fund for the Russell County Historical Society
The Friends of the Deines Cultural Center Emma M. Gaines Memorial
The David Goddard Fund for the Russell Boy Scouts
The Ethel A. John Fund for the Natoma Community Center
The Ethel A. John Fund for Peace Lutheran Church, Natoma
Hazel A. Olson Trinity United Methodist Church Fund
Helen Polcyn St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Gorham Cemetery Fund
The Russell Backpack Fund

Kansas Health Foundation Operating Fund for Russell County  (This fund was established with matching dollars from the Kansas Health Foundation’s GROW II program. It will provide an annual gift to the Russell Administrative Fund to allow the Foundation to continue its charitable efforts in the Russell County area.)

Keep the Dream Alive (to be used for the upkeep, renovation and improvement of the Russell Arts Council’s Dream Theater)

Natoma Heritage Seekers Pohlman Building Fund
Natoma Presbyterian Church Preservation Fund
V. Frankie & Reba M. New Fund
Pay it Forward Scholarship Fund
Russell City Cemetery Fund
David M. Shumaker Memorial Geology Fund
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Gorham, KS, Building & Grounds Fund

Preserving History of the Plains… The Dean C. Banker Legacy

Dean loved Russell and history.

He took joy in operating L. Banker Mercantile, Inc., a family business spanning three generations from 1881-1999 and served on numerous boards including as the president of the Russell County Historical Society. He also conceived and developed the Russell Oil Patch Museum, as he believed it was important that history not be lost.

His legacy lives on in the Dean C. Banker Fund for the Russell County Historical Society. This permanently endowed gift helps preserve the rural way of life that Dean so loved, leaving it to be enjoyed by future generations.