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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Forest City, Iowa) – Guided by the vision of their parents and committed to the community banking pillar of giving, MBT Bank owners Mary Jo Boman’s and John V. Hanson’s family foundation has reached the significant milestone of more than $52 million in gifts since its creation in 1970. The vast majority of the Hanson Family Foundation funds have gone to non-profit organizations in north central Iowa where the family founded Winnebago Industries and MBT Bank. Of that total, more than $31 million has been awarded to 93 organizations in its home community of Forest City; $5 million to 118 organizations in the Mason City/Clear Lake area; and $1 million to 26 organizations in Lake Mills. The remainder of the funds have supported initiatives of non-profit organizations in hundreds of other Iowa communities.
The organization surpassed the $50 million mark this summer, a milestone that attests to its standing as one of the top philanthropic foundations in the state of Iowa. The community-minded Hanson Family Foundation, established as the John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation, is administered by the second generation of the Hanson family: Mary Jo (Hanson) Boman, John V. Hanson, and Paul D. Hanson.
“My parents understood that by setting up a foundation, we would have a structure with parameters for giving,” said Boman, “one that could make a positive impact in the communities that Winnebago employees called home and the surrounding areas.”
Boman pointed to the foundation’s capacity to serve as a philanthropic partner as did her brother, John V. Hanson. They share pride in the organization’s ability to establish effective, long-term local partnerships.
“We [the Hanson Foundation] are typically a partner in a project and not the sole funding source,” said Hanson. “We make projects possible that result in a shared sense of ownership. People come to us knowing that our assistance helps ensure success while strengthening the outcome.”
Foundation recipients represent diverse interests and their supported projects reach a wide number of families. As a result, the Hanson Foundation has a broad impact within communities. Grants typically align inside three primary areas: arts and culture, family recreation, and youth development and education. From its earliest days, the foundation has been particularly supportive of projects with the capacity of making a positive and broad impact.
“In the beginning, there was the family with me who they asked to assist–sitting around the bank’s board room table with a stack of grant requests,” said Linda Kay, the foundation’s key administrative officer. “The foundation steadily grew, from responding to requests once a year to the quarterly cycle we do now.”
Kay saw the amount of grants grow substantially in the mid-90s as the family’s second generation became the primary guiding benefactors and the foundation’s assets reached a level able to sustain gifts in larger amounts.
“The family–each one of them–has a heart for giving and has set an example for me. I contribute more to places because I’ve seen them do it,” said Kay, who values her foundation role. “I’ve never felt this was a job. Not in a traditional sense. Each quarter as requests come in, I am amazed by what has been accomplished,” she said.
Hanson family members continue to model leadership in giving and share Kay’s sense of awe at the scope of the foundation’s long-term impact. From individual Eagle Scout projects executed by volunteers to multi-million dollar construction projects, the foundation excels at collaborative partnerships. Recent examples are the athletic complexes in Forest City–two shared facilities that benefit the school district and Waldorf University while serving as pre-season training locations for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps of Lacrosse, Wisconsin. However the YMCA, the foundation’s first collaborative endeavor, remains a stand-out endeavor.
“Looking back, I think one of the projects that shines as having a large community impact is the YMCA in Forest City–how it’s tied to the Waldorf facilities,” said Boman. “Without it, there wouldn’t be a place for people of all ages to come together for a variety of activities for health and wellness. And it’s been filling that role now for generations.”
The foundation, with total assets in excess of $60 million, is poised for a philanthropic future as strong as its past. Its healthy financial standing ensures grants will remain ongoing for generations to come. In addition, the third generation has become actively involved in the foundation’s decision-making processes.
“As the next generation becomes involved in guiding the foundation, my hope is that it remains centered and focused on the communities of north central Iowa, to serve them first,” said Boman, reflecting on her parents’ commitment to the families of the employees who made Winnebago Industries an industry leader. “My parents–our family–acknowledged they didn’t do it alone. The Hanson Foundation wouldn’t exist had it not been for Winnebago. Giving from the foundation is our way of giving back.”
Boman and Hanson acknowledge the foundation’s historical ties to Winnebago Industries. Today, connections established through MBT Bank also help the foundation maintain strong ties to north Iowa communities and Rochester, Minnesota.
“The next generation seems to have a good feel for the foundation’s role as a philanthropic partner,” said Hanson. “My hope is they continue the path we’ve been on."