The Fort Atkinson Parks and Rec. Dept. staff, working with a number of members from the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club, were able to get this playground installed in one day, with the season's first snow fall occurring that night.  Wood chips will be going in as soon as the weather allows.

Our thanks to the Rotary Club, and to Parks and Rec. Director Scott Lastusky and his staff, for making this neighborhood park playground a reality.  Thanks also to the late Bertha and Marilyn Kuhl whose generous gift created the Foundation's Kuhl Fund, which provides an ongoing source of funding to pay for 'cool' projects such as this one.

If only we had a lovely sunny day when we snapped this photo, you'd see the amazing reflection in the water so much better, but the Beautification Council's mural is just about finished.  Artist Larry Schultz just needs to add a few faces to those enjoying a ride on the Uncle Sam steamer and tidy up a few things.

Congratulations to the Fort Beautification Council for having such an impact on our community, first through their ongoing five-year tree replacement campaign to help the city replace our urban canopy in the wake of the emerald ash borer infestation, and now with this unique landmark.  Now, every time we drive over the Main Street bridge, my grandson cries out, "There's the mooral and the cows and pigs!" 

The new digital sign going in to Jones Park along Janesville Avenue is not in hand yet but the Parks Department is getting ready for it.  They removed the old sign already and are waiting for a bit warmer weather to install the pole that will hold the sign in place.  We still expect the new sign will be installed sometime before the end of the year.  And then no more frigid fingers trying to build a message in person, one letter at a time!

We love seeing our kids outdoors, having fun, making friends, learning how to negotiate playground rules, and experiencing nature with all their senses.  Our thanks to the Purdy PTO and Luther staff for bringing these projects to us for support.   

Fort Scholarships, the online scholarship application website sponsored by the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, is now open and accepting applications for the 2020 scholarship season.
 
Local students will find Fort Scholarships to be a very convenient one-stop shop where they can review the eligibility requirements for a whole host of local scholarships and then apply for those for which they qualify.  Housed on the site are all 40 of the competitive scholarships offered by the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, plus many of those offered through Fort Atkinson High School. 
 
To access the Fort Scholarships website, students should start their scholarship search at www.fortfoundation.org, the website of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, where they will find a comprehensive listing of all the scholarships offered by the Foundation, along with their eligibility requirements. 
 
Once potential applicants have determined the scholarships for which they are eligible, they can then click on the link directing them to the Fort Scholarships application website.
 
There are two deadlines for submitting applications – February 1, 2020 for most scholarships to which high school seniors may apply, and April 1, 2020 for all undergraduate and graduate scholarships as well as voc tech scholarships.

What a great photo of Orrin and Midge Bull!  Midge passed away this past March and a few months later, we received a generous gift of $20,000 from her estate to augment the Orrin and Margaret Bull Family Scholarship Fund here at the Foundation.

Midge had established the fund with us back in 2011 in order to provide financial assistance to a former graduate of Fort Atkinson High School who was currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in either education or environmental science.

Since the family would like this scholarship to make a real difference, the amount to be awarded in 2020 is $5,000!

So if you know a Fort grad who is currently studying education or environmental science at UW-Whitewater, please alert them to this wonderful opportunity.

On September 12th, the Foundation honored Fort Atkinson attorney Jim Vance and Fort Atkinson Parks and Rec. Director Scott Lastusky with our 2019 Making Fort Special awards.  The reception was hosted by the Hoard Museum and our Chairman, Kristin Wallace, handled the emcee duties.  Among other gifts, the men were presented with framed prints of Jim Baird's Camelot, an illustrative imagining of downtown Fort Atkinson.  We had a great crowd of over 80 community members who attended to warmly congratulate Jim and Scott and thank them for all they have done to make Fort Atkinson better.

With the recent changes in the tax code, you might be wondering what the most tax-effective ways are to continue to give to your favorite charities.  Well, if you are over 70½ and you have an IRA, you have a nice option available to you.  It allows you to do well by doing good!
 
When IRA holders reach the age of 70½, they must start taking a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from their IRA.  When they take that distribution, they have to add it to their adjusted gross income (AGI) and pay federal taxes on it. 
 
However, they have another, more tax-efficient, option.  They can instead direct their IRA custodian to make a tax-free gift directly from their IRA to a qualified public charity, such as a local 501(c)3 organization.  This Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD, will not count as income for the donor, so no additional taxes are incurred and no higher tax bracket looms, but the QCD can count toward satisfying the donor’s RMD.

And, of course, always be sure to consult your tax adviser or IRA custodian to learn what would be best for you.