A message from Donors Ken and Alix Stoppenbrink
Alix and I are both products of the Community College System. Community Colleges provide an affordable option for anyone who desires to continue their educational opportunities after high school or for continuing ongoing training for advancement.
We discussed and decided to leave the West Hills Community College Foundation with an endowment about 20 years ago in the amount of $500,000. This decision fits nicely into our continued charitable giving over the past 40 years.
Additionally, we have committed to an on-going monthly contribution that is deposited into the endowment account and will serve to provide opportunities for those students who may not be able to obtain funding in other areas.
We believe it is important to give back to the community in which you are involved and to organizations that provide local employment opportunities. There is so much need in our small rural community. We hope our gift will provide a pathway for those who may not have the means to move forward with their educational desires.
We were both the first in our families to go to college and additional funding opportunities, like the one we are providing through our gift, were not available to us. Additionally, as retirees from the educational field we know there is great need in this area. Our hope is that this legacy will live on and provide meaningful contribution for students in need.
A Message from the Foundation
The nice thing about giving to the West Hills Community College Foundation is you can blend different types of gifts together to give in a way that is easy for you and will have the greatest impact on our colleges.
An endowed gift takes the amount donated and invests it into the market. The return on that investment is what is used to fund the program or scholarship that is endowed.
In this case, Ken & Alix’s gift will first be invested, and the profits will go into scholarships. The number of scholarships may fluctuate annually, but it will grow year after year into the future. This creates a one-time gift that continues to help students and the colleges far into the future.
Ken & Alix’s gift is also an estate gift. They have added West Hills as one of the beneficiaries in their will. This gift will not be realized for a long time, hopefully many, many years from now. The benefit of notifying West Hills of the gift now is that we can work with them to set up how their scholarship will work. West Hills gets to celebrate Ken & Alix’s gift right now and thank them for their donation. We can work with them if things change, or if we need to update them on anything as the colleges change and grow.
Ken & Alix’s gift is both gifts at the same time: an endowment gift and an estate gift. We are very grateful to have them as supporters. I look forward to keeping them informed about what we are doing and including them in the West Hills family for a long time.