The mission of the Kearney County Community Foundation is to inspire and magnify the gifts we receive--- to create a better life for the community in which we live.
The Kearney County Community Foundation was founded in 1992. A local widower named Vane Nied wanted to leave his estate to Minden, which he envisioned being used for a multi-purpose community building. Looking to fulfill his wishes, the Foundation began the renovation of the Opera House building in 1996. Within the next four years, the Vane Nied funds, along with many other generous donations, allowed the Foundation to complete a $2.6 million renovation, and the Minden Opera House as we know it today, opened in May 2000.
The Foundation continues working to keep Vane Nied's vision alive, and to honor the wishes of the many other donors that also helped to complete the Opera House renovation, by owning and maintaining the Opera House building, keeping an MOH Operations endowment, AND putting over $400,000 into a total HVAC replacement, new carpet, new LED lighting, a new roof, and new concrete behind the building--- along with other building repairs and upkeep for the Opera House just in the past few years, such as a new $20,000 projector for the theatre. However, the Foundation has also grown to serve the area in other ways as well.... by working with various other causes to provide for such things as scholarships, youth baseball (MASC), the Minden Pageant, Jensen Memorial Library, our Courthouse Carolonic Bells system, Minden beautification, Nathan Raun Children's Theatre, Historical Society (Kearney County Museum), Paws Up (Animal Welfare), the new Gun Club building... and more!
So, we hope our story exemplifies our mission.... inspiring and magnifying the gifts we receive to create a better life in the community we serve... AND inspires you to consider a gift through our Foundation…. Whether through your beneficiary and estate plans as Vane Nied did…. Or by giving to one of our various causes today!
