Please view the Statement of Financial Positions and Statement of Activities for the past two years.

GCF Stmts 2009-2010

As part of our legacy stories collection, we are featuring a story on Bart Burris. Submitted by his mother and father, Susan and James Burris, this tribute tells about who Bart was. His spirit and his passion of football lives on through the continuing Bart Burris Eastern Greene Football Scholarship. Bart is continuing to impact lives and his legacy will last forever.

Bart Burris’ football dreams began as a third-grader.  He was crazy about the Miami Dolphins, and their quarterback Dan Marino, and wanted to play football.  He played that year for the WRV community league.  The following year, he convinced a few more of his friends to join him at WRV.  Then by his fifth-grade year, the Mark Doman family and Bart’s family created the Eastern community football league.  With much diligence and patience, his friends and family continued to pursue the dream, started by Bart, which was to play football at Eastern Greene High School.

In 2001, Bart enjoyed playing Eastern’s first year of high school football.  He was a freshman, playing side-by-side with his brother, Buck.  He continued to love the program and worked hard to become a leader on the team.  At the beginning of his senior year, however, he was sidelined with a broken ankle.  It was during this time that most people saw what was inside of Bart–his heart of gold and his can-do spirit.

Bart graduated Eastern Greene and went on to excel at Vincennes University.  He was inducted into the Alpha Beta Gamma International Business Honor Society his freshman year.  In the summer of 2006, he was selected to participate in an international program as a business student with opportunity to study in Egypt, Australia, or China.  Unfortunately, he never got a chance to participate in this program as he passed away as a result of a car accident.

Bart’s desire to play football and his acknowledgement of how important higher education was to succeed, are two of the reasons his family decided to honor his memory by setting up a scholarship for an Eastern Greene senior football player or manager. Candidates selected for his scholarship have displayed Bart’s same qualities of heart and spirit, and continue his legacy as a player, student, and friend.

Suzanne Kalar has been hired as the Administrative Secretary for the Foundation, responsible for accounts payable, fund reports, and general front office administrative duties.   Suzanne has previous experience at the City of Jasonville Utilities Department,  and the Indiana State University Foundation,  in addition to coursework in accounting.  Suzanne lives in Jasonville with her two children and will be working  afternoons at the Foundation.  Please stop by and say hello.

The Foundation is supported by many donors and organizations throughout Greene County. We are taking the time to recognize some of those donors specifically. Our current series, Legacy Stories, focuses on those donors who have established scholarships in the name of family members and friends. This story is about Dale and Tillie Jessup who established the Dale and Tillie Jessup Memorial Scholarship. Please read and learn more about donors Dale and Tillie Jessup!

The Dale and Tillie Jessup Scholarship was established in 2006 and is unique to the Foundation in several ways.   As one of the larger scholarships, the Jessup Scholarship is also renewable if those receiving it reapply the following year.  The  agriculturally focused scholarship is funded through the proceeds of a working farm operation. Dale and Tillie Jessup donated 100 acres of land to the Foundation, who in turn leases that property for crop production.  The lease payments determine the scholarship for the upcoming year.  The Jessup scholarship is open to students in all five school districts of Greene County and is focused on agriculturally related studies.  When asked about his background and interest in supporting young people and the Foundation, Dale has this to say .

“My dad was big on helping other people.  He was very generous and helped many people throughout his life.  He helped people because he felt that was the right thing to do.”  Tillie and I have helped people throughout the years, and we  thought it would be nice to help students. We felt that offering the scholarship through the Foundation would be better, because it is difficult for an individual to evaluate kids.”

Dale got his start on the family farm and then  built a large and successful trucking business.    As a boy,  Dale bought a cow from his neighbor to add to the family’s herd, and  Dale’s dad let him keep the money from the milk which gave Dale spending money.  Dale did so well purchasing cows that at fourteen his dad asked him to buy cows for him.  This exercise in responsibility and entrepreneurship set Dale on his life long business path with his wife Tillie at his side.   Dale and Tilllie met at the lunch counter where Dale spent every lunch hour once he noticed Tillie as the waitress.  Dale credits much of his success to Tillie who has always kept the books for the businesses, and whom he views as the best business partner he’s every had and a primary reason for their success.   As a  child Dale, loved trucks and  he said all his toys were trucks, .  Having your own truck was a requirement to get started in the trucking business so  Dale sold his car, which all the girls loved, to buy his first truck. Dale always knew he wanted to do long haul trucking rather than short haul and his initial one truck grew to  a fleet of trucks providing transportation services throughout the country. Tillie maintained the business end and provided much of the financial stability that allowed the business to earn a national reputation for integrity.    Farming however has always remained an important interest and the trucking business allowed the Jessups to support and expand their agricultural interests.

Dale and Tillie Jessup  continue to be  outstanding assets to this community as they  keep  alive the  giving tradition sparked by  Dale’s  dad.  Their generosity is making a  significant financial difference for those receiving the Jessup Scholarship and their generosity and community example is a beacon of  light  to which we can all aspire.