Donor Stories

When Jean Gitz Bassett passed away in 2018, she left part of her estate to La Crosse Community Foundation with directions to support her Jean Gitz Bassett Fund and create […]

Gabe and Annie Berendes are passionate, inspiring young philanthropists who are actively engaged in the local community. Gabe grew up in La Crosse and Annie in Dubuque, Iowa, and both […]

Maureen and Robert Freedland established their funds that support Holocaust education in our region to honor the memory of their families and all others who perished in the Holocaust, and […]

Robert (Bob) and Eleanor Franke are known to many in La Crosse because of the philanthropic gift bestowed to the community at the time of Bob’s passing. La Crosse Community […]

The Kaitlin Elizabeth Mahr Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in May of 2008, just one year after Katie’s death from suicide. Katie’s parents Todd and Deb, and brother Sam, started […]

Agency funds are established by community philanthropists to ensure their favorite nonprofit organizations will have ongoing financial support, forever. The Coulee Council On Addictions (CCA) Agency Fund was created for […]

Over the past century, the La Crosse Concert Band has become a beloved entity of the Seven Rivers Region. Each summer it treats the community to lively and diverse music […]

As a child, Tom Kennedy learned the impact an adequate meal can have on a child. One of 11 children, Tom lost his parents at a young age and had […]

Throughout her life, Valerie Burman was an avid supporter of the arts. As a beloved teacher at the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Western Wisconsin Technical College, […]