COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Goppert Foundation of Kansas City has made a $50,000 gift to the Missouri 4-H Foundation to grow the Goppert Foundation Endowed 4-H Scholarship Fund, which provides perpetual support for 4-H youth from 10 Missouri counties to attend college.
Since its establishment in 2012, the Goppert Foundation 4-H Scholarship Fund has provided nearly $22,000 in college scholarships to 4-H youth from Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Ray and Saline counties.
With this new gift, the fund has grown to more than $150,000, increasing the educational opportunities available to generations of future leaders, said Rachel Augustine, Missouri 4-H Foundation director.
“Increasing the Goppert Foundation’s 4-H scholarship endowment fund will further grow the number of young people receiving scholarships for continuing their formal education,” said Billy Campbell, executive vice president of Goppert Financial Bank and director of the Goppert Foundation. “The young men and women coming from Missouri’s rural areas are the future leaders of our local, state and federal governments and many private and civic organizations. It is our obligation as a nation to educate these young people.”
Through the Goppert Foundation 4-H Scholarship Fund, Missouri 4-H youth, who learn the importance of giving back to their communities very early in their 4-H involvement, continue to benefit from a family that also believes giving back is important, Augustine said.
“At a time when the cost of higher education prevents many young people from pursuing a college degree, this gift will help many 4-H members bridge that financial gap and succeed in college and their careers,” she said. “We are very grateful to the Goppert Foundation for their generous support.”
The Goppert Foundation was established in 1959 by Clarence H. Goppert, a banker and philanthropist who believed in investing in the communities that supported his family’s banking business. The foundation has assisted civic groups, health care facilities and educational institutions, and has generously supported Missouri 4-H at the local and state levels.
About the Missouri 4-H Foundation
The Missouri 4-H Foundation (4h.missouri.edu/foundation) is the private resource partner of the University of Missouri Extension 4-H Center for Youth Development. For nearly 70 years, the foundation has secured and managed funds for Missouri 4-H, providing higher education scholarships, recognizing 4-H volunteers and supporting the Missouri 4-H program. MU Extension 4-H is a community of youth from across Missouri learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.
— University of Missouri Extension
For more news from Missouri, click here.