Power of community

After Jim Buchheister earned his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University in 1977, he and his wife established their home in Manhattan, Kansas, K-State's hometown. The Buchheisters raised their family and cultivated community on and off campus by actively engaging university students as friends and mentees. In 1984, Jim earned his MBA and began working with the KSU Foundation. Even though the family has since moved to Lawrence, Jim and Carol are still building the K-State community through the James and Carol Buchheister Scholarship to support students in the College of Business Administration.

"K-State offered so many important experiences beyond education, which allowed us to make a life and raise our kids in a great community. Our connection to K-State encouraged our commitment to support students," Carol says. "We had students coming over to our coffee house from all of the colleges. I remember the architecture students especially who would load up on coffee and snacks to study all night."

Each of the Buchheister's children earned scholarships to support their education. Their experiences growing up in Manhattan and with scholarship-supported university educations have launched them into fields that build community. Mendy graduated from K-State and teaches special education in Olathe, Kansas. Theresa writes and directs avant-garde theater in New York City, and she also directs voice-over animation. Dale is a food entrepreneur returning to the Midwest this fall with his wife, with the intention to open a restaurant. Jim credits having earned his MBA from K-State with the family's ability to create the scholarship.

"Things have changed quite a bit since I paid $178 for a semester's tuition," Jim says. "Education is expensive, and students need scholarships to afford college. We created the scholarship because my education gave me a lot to work with in my career, especially after the MBA program when I got into consulting and management roles. To top it off, my career with Blackbaud, as a financial systems consultant, gave us the means to make this gift!"

Jim's experience with the KSU Foundation included helping other donors establish hundreds of gifts to KSU, which allowed donors to receive income for their lifetimes. He and Carol recognized the considerable advantages of creating a charitable remainder trust (CRT). Funding a CRT with appreciated stock allowed them to avoid capital gains tax, obtain charitable deductions, receive lifetime income, diversify their portfolio and endow a scholarship to support K-State future students.

Find out how you can make the most of your estate through charitable planning. Contact your Gift Planning team at 785-775-2000 or giftoptions@ksufoundation.org.