Today, we chatted with outgoing board chair, GMCF’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors Chair, Kim McAtee. We talked about her getting the philanthropy bug from her parents, getting her children involved in Youth Impacting Community (YIC), and championing the Flint Hills Community Accelerator. Her strategic insights and expertise contributed greatly to GMCF's success.
Today, we chatted with outgoing board chair, GMCF’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors Chair, Kim McAtee. We talked about her getting the philanthropy bug from her parents, getting her children involved in Youth Impacting Community (YIC), and championing the Flint Hills Community Accelerator. Her strategic insights and expertise contributed greatly to GMCF's success.
Welcome to Philanthropy Today. Our goal is to inspire giving by educating listeners on ways to give and how to connect with charitable causes. My name is Dave Lewis. I'm your host of Philanthropy Today. Thank you for joining the show. Welcome to our continuing series of the 25th anniversary of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. We get to utilize this time to visit with the past chairs and sometimes past presidents at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation's board of directors, and we have the most recent one joining us in the studio today Vern.
Speaker 2:Kim McAtee is with us as our 23-24 board chair and she is just finalizing her year as we speak today and we're excited to have her with us and it's been an active year. So the older we get as the foundation, the more these board chairs have to do. So, Kim, it's been great to have you.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Did you know you were going to have more to do when you took this gig?
Speaker 3:This was not the information shared with me when I agreed to share.
Speaker 1:It never works that way, does it?
Speaker 3:But honestly, having been on the board, I knew that that was definitely a possibility.
Speaker 1:So not shocked. Well, tell us a little bit about Kim McAtee.
Speaker 3:My husband and I moved back here in 1998. We have three children. My husband moved back here for his work with Orthopedic Sports Medicine Center and at that time I had one child pregnant with another. We ended up having a third. So my involvement has been, since we moved back here, With my husband's work schedule. I was staying home with my children. That was a goal of ours once we got back here and one that I enjoyed tremendously, I will say.
Speaker 3:The child care issue that has kind of gone on this year. I understand it from a perspective when we move back here. I did have child care for my first and so anyway, I was able to move back here and we were from Kansas. We're from Ellsworth, Kansas. Both of our parents were very involved with that community and doing as much as they could to volunteer within it. So Jamie and I both grew up with that as a background and we really appreciated that, and so when we moved here we talked a lot about how that would be my role in our family as he was working, that I would kind of be the one to go out and volunteer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so how'd you get tied into the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation?
Speaker 3:That's a good question. You know, after being the chair and then being on nominating, I understand that a little bit more. I didn't understand it back then in 2010. So I'm not really sure who nominated me at that time, but I'm sure from being on various boards with Boys and Girls Club and First Tea and being active in our church, somebody recognized that and I was nominated in 2010. And then became a lot more active around 2016 when I started with YIC, youth Impacting the Community, and it made sense. Elaine had been doing that for years and she was kind of ready to pass that on. I happened to have a couple kids up at the high school who it was important to me for them to understand about giving back and all of that, and so it was a good way for me to kind of get them involved also and then help with the foundation as a whole and just getting all the teenagers involved and giving.
Speaker 2:Well, kim is exactly right. You know, we're always looking for trustees that are engaged in the community, love the community and have a passion for what's going on, and she was very involved and, matter of fact, she was one of our maybe the first Community Foundation Awards event.
Speaker 3:Rising Star.
Speaker 2:Award, yes, and so the star rose, and so now she's our board chair and so, yeah, there's a lot going on there and our trustees are obviously heavily involved in things in all of our committees and community activities. But Kim has certainly demonstrated a lot of that in her activities and very appreciative.
Speaker 1:What do you mean to you when you were in that succession line to lead up to to being chair?
Speaker 3:Well, it was humbling, I will say, just to think that that would be something that would be in my future, because I certainly didn't think about that getting involved. But as you work on the board and you understand it better, it was exciting. I very much appreciate the opportunity. It allowed me to learn a lot more, to meet a lot more people, to understand the needs of the community More. So I was more in line with kids and children and women kind of needs and now just to see the city and the area, that just the broad scope of all the things that are going on here. It was quite exciting and I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So it's like back at your now concluded year as chair of the Community Foundation and some of the things that you're proud of having been a part of.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know it's been interesting with having these podcasts. I've been listening back to them and one of the things that those that have come in before me and been able to speak to is they've been able to see fruits of their labor. I'm sure they felt a lot of what we have been feeling this year, back when they were the chair, and now they get to sit back and go. Ah, you know, it worked out.
Speaker 2:It was great.
Speaker 3:That's what's different about today is that we're looking at things and there are some challenges.
Speaker 3:A couple of the things that we've done this year with the Parks and Rec fund here has been something that's been successful, very much needed. I know when we first moved here, our children were part of those programs and you didn't think anything of it. It was just part of what was happening and you enjoyed it and you took it for granted really. And so when that became an issue, we stepped up and said you know, this is something that's really important to this community. We need to have all those programs available and enough people cared. That said absolutely, we'll help with that. So that was one of the things that happened this year very successfully. And then the other thing that we're involved with this year is the Flint Hills Community Accelerator, which is kind of a tongue twister that initially started with a child care initiative and kind of evolved into more than that with health, with the free clinic and Heartland Works, so for the workforce, and then MATC we'll have a classroom and that building as well. So we're very excited about it, but it is very new.
Speaker 1:You had talked about seeing that need when you're a mom staying home with three kids and bringing them up to the point where you can start doing a lot more things in the community. How did your experience impact some of the processes that were involved in creating that center?
Speaker 3:Well, I will say I certainly could understand the problem when we first moved here. Like I said, we had one child and then I was pregnant with a second and we were in a position that I didn't need to look for child care because we had made a decision as a family that I would stay home at that point. But honestly, if I did need to, it was a problem at those days as well, and it's only gotten worse. You know, we have a lot more young professional women who they have gone to school, they have the training, they're ready to go out and make a difference in the workforce, but they also want to be moms.
Speaker 3:I have two girls. I understand they're getting professional degrees and I know that at some point that's going to tug on their heart strings as well how to do both. And it's important that they are able to both. And it's not just the women. Obviously, there are a lot of men that also can stay home and help with the kids as well. But it is something that we need here and so and it's ongoing. It's not like this just crept up a couple years ago. It's been going on for years and so it was just time to step up and try something.
Speaker 1:Is it safe to say that youth is one of your key factors in being involved in the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, not just with your children, but you mentioned that you helped out with Boys and Girls Club and YIC. There's that consistency.
Speaker 3:Yes, it definitely started in that area, and I think it's a natural progression. When you have kids, you just start doing things that they're involved in, you want to help develop them as individuals, and so you want to give them the most experiences that you can in those areas. So, for sure, that is what started my passion for this sort of thing, and now it's evolved, now that they're grown, they've flown the coop, so to speak, and so now I want to look at other things in the community that need attention as well.
Speaker 2:So one of the reasons we got into the child care discussions this year is actually the Chamber of Commerce was the first that came and talked to us. They saw a need through several surveys and conversations, that young professionals, men and women, were using those concerns for moving here, staying here, Businesses, the conversations with them of bringing new business to town. The child care was one of those things that always cropped up. So when the conversation got hot at a leader's retreat after that, they came to us and said, hey, what can we do to partner with them? Could the Community Foundation be the center force? Because we knew we were going to have to try to achieve some federal and state grants and there would be a 501C3 need there and it just made sense for the Community Foundation to at least consider it. And so him and the board gave that some consideration and agreed to move forward in that side of things, Something different than what we would typically do around here.
Speaker 2:But knowing that it was for the community and it was a need of the community and the community wanted it, we felt like it was time to go ahead and do that. And so what we've referred to is a Flint Hills Community Accelerator that will have a child care business accelerated in it as well. The pleasing part is, like Kim mentioned Hartland Works, the technical college, the free clinic, what wasn't once talked about at the beginning. The integral part of that partnership that they play has been very warming and welcoming in the process. We feel like it's almost been a godsend to us so that we can create a Flint Hills Community Clinic that will be very well serving for the community.
Speaker 1:You could almost say, Kim, that this is kind of a crowning achievement for the foundation, isn't it?
Speaker 2:We'll see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ok See, we haven't worked in ground yet right.
Speaker 2:That'll be in the next 25-year pot yet. Ok, so there we are.
Speaker 1:Yes exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So let's take a look at the community foundation from an overreaching perspective and how you feel that the foundation best serves the community.
Speaker 3:Well, I just think it provides a space for folks to come. They want to make sure their money is used wisely. They want to make sure that they know where their passions are, what the needs are, and sometimes it's hard to meld together. You know what you want to help with, but you don't necessarily know what's out there that needs it. Or there might be a need out there that you had no idea about, and, I'll be honest, almost every year at the CFA's I would learn about something out there that I had no idea was going on or was a need, and so I just think it's the perfect place for people to trust where their funds are going, and that those who need funds can come and say, hey, we need some help, is there a way that you can help us? It's a two-way street.
Speaker 1:Well, it's very forward thinking and talk about the accelerator and that's one of the things that we're excited to see that develop. But let's take a look at the community foundation, looking down the roadways for the next 25 years maybe. What do you see in our future?
Speaker 3:Well, it's interesting that you asked that, because it's definitely something that our board is asking ourselves right now. It's an interesting question because you can't see the future, obviously, but you do know that something's coming, and typically in our history we've done a phenomenal job of connecting donors to community needs, but it's primarily been done through nonprofits, and they're doing the work. They have the passion, they have the programming and we just meld those together. Now our foundation has grown tremendously and with that we are being asked to be more part of the problem solving as opposed to just finding the funding, and so I think that's our greatest challenge right now is how much to get involved with, when to get involved. You know what makes sense. We have an amazing staff, but they do have limits. They can't do everything, and so that's kind of where we're challenged right now is to do some strategic planning and figuring out how we work best and where we want to put our energies in the future.
Speaker 1:If you can encapsulate in a sentence or two your experience as chair of the Community Foundation and let's also include all those other years that you have been serving with either YIC or all the other nonprofit things what would you say?
Speaker 3:It's been very fulfilling as far as just feeling like you're in the know and you're doing something. It's been very educational, which I've appreciated as well, but mainly it just felt a great appreciation for what this Foundation does and for the needs in the community, and I think a lot of what the Foundation is going through right now is that future discussion.
Speaker 2:What are we going to be when we grow up? We asked ourselves that 20 years ago, now 25, and now what are we going to be when we grow up? We're 300 million plus, so what are we going to be when we're 500 million? How are we going to serve the role and what's the appropriate part of a role to serve? We kind of react to the needs. Now, kim mentioned should we be proactive? Who should our partners be? The Chamber and us have discussed a lot of things this last year and a lot of things that are cropping up on their eyes or in our strategic initiatives committee too, and so these are some checkpoints that I think our current board and our new board members, when they come on board here next month, will certainly have a lot to discuss and figure out where we want to go, because we know that we are an answer to a lot of problems or we have the connection to a lot of answers, and what's our responsibility as a board to make those things happen is still being discussed.
Speaker 1:Kim, it's a delight to have you in. Thanks for your leadership and your vision and all those hours that you put in to help out everybody that you've worked with, not just with the Foundation, but also the nonprofit sector as well. We've worked on a number of projects together and it's a delight to always get together with you, and it's a delight to have you here on our podcast today.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you. I have, like I said, enjoyed it immensely and just have really appreciated the board and the staff here at Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. It's just great people to work with, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Well, it's been great, kim. You've had a great year and your time's not over. You'll have another year and the beauty about our trustees is they may serve on the board, but they're still trustees when they get off, and so we value our trustees and our committees, and Kim's leadership this last year has been terrific. She's a team builder. She's a get everybody together like a great mom would and make everybody feel good. But it's been a good process to go through to try to find the niche that we want to play in the future. We've had tremendous growth here, there's no question, and all of our trustees deserve that credit for that process. Kim, thank you, appreciate it. It's been a great year, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us for philanthropy today and inside look at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. You can always learn more about the GMCF at our website, mcfksorg. We also invite you to subscribe to philanthropy today on Apple, spotify, amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dave Lewis. I'm proud to host philanthropy today. It's hosted and produced in the Ad Astra Calf Studios in downtown Manhattan, kansas.