Reprint of article in the Nebraska Community Foundation Summer 2014 Connections

Why are young adults moving back to Byron, NE, pop. 83? According to Jaye Moeller, two words: “Better life!”

A brand new million-dollar community center will be part of that better life.

Laura Tuma, who left Lincoln to become a finance director for Reinke Manufacturing said, “Some people, like me, started coming back to take advantage of good career opportunities and small town living simultaneously, a situation that doesn’t arrive often.”

“Everyone takes care of one another. You can stay close to your family and friends,” added Melissa Kuhlmann.

The strong ag economy over the past several years attracted younger farmers. It also helped “turn up the dream switch” for people of all ages in Byron. In 2011, Byron established an affiliated fund with Nebraska Community Foundation and formed a volunteer Fund Advisory Committee.

Their mission statement is to bring community dreams to reality by stimulating investment in:

• Developing community leaders

• Providing opportunities to give back through time, talent and financial resources

• Partnering with organizations to maximize wealth and human capital

During its first year of operation the Byron Community Foundation Fund received generous gifts of grain. Confidence grew. And the dream of replacing three dilapidated old buildings on Main Street with a new community center seemed within reach.

“During our action planning sessions, Nebraska Community Foundation encouraged us to push ourselves further,” said Jeremy Heitmann, the Fund’s chair. “The support, help and a secure place to put our funds added structure to our dream. The dividend we got from action planning is that things get measured and get done. We won’t stop after the center is built, because a community endowment will actually have more impact than a building. Nebraska Community Foundation pushed us to set our goals higher and reach farther than we were initially comfortable with. Our 20-year goal is to have a $7.5 million endowment,” said Heitmann.

Dreaming big paid off for the Byron Community Foundation Fund. A bequest of 160 acres of farmland was established by an anonymous donor through Nebraska Community Foundation. The gift will enable the new community center to be completed this fall.

Things are changing in Byron, inside and out. “People are thinking about the future,” said Heitmann.

Architect's Rendering — Architect's rendering of the Byron Community Center rapidly nearing completion on North Kansas Avenue

Byron Fund Advisory Committee members pose with architectural drawings on the site of their new community center. (L-R) Laura Tuma, Jaye Moeller, Melissa Kuhlmann, Eldon Kirchhoff, Jeremy Heitmann. (Not pictured: Tobe Duensing and Layne Hoops)

The Byron Community Foundation Fund: Gifts of Grain

The fund was established in July 2011. During its first year the Fund received 18 gifts of grain worth more than $100,000. With additional cash gifts and pledges, the Fund raised over $450,000 in less than a year.

Chair Jeremy Heitmann has some ideas about why the gifts of grain have come pouring in. “You can say we had the wind at our backs with the farm economy. People are capable of giving now, much more than in the past. And it's a win-win situation when you can get a full tax deduction and still write off all of your expenses. A lot of people were surprised they could do this,” Heitmann said.

He points to another reason for the recent success. “For many years we've needed a new community center. It's important to our town. The question was how we were going to do it,” said Heitmann. “We found out that starting up our own foundation would take more than 18 months.”

People knew they needed to act quickly. So they turned to the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF) for help. “There is no way we could have accomplished what we have without the support and expertise of the Nebraska Community Foundation,” Heitmann said.