Don Matz has a real love for Otsego Christian School. Over the years, he has shared his time, talent and treasure with the little school located in Gaylord. An engineer by trade, Don helped design the school and has spent countless hours using his handiness to build, repair and maintain the buildings and grounds. When the board president resigned and no one else was interested in the position, Don volunteered and served multiple terms. Through the years, Don learned first hand the challenges associated with operating a private school.
“Serving as board president highlighted the need for endowments — resources that would forever give to support this important cause.”
Don Matz
Although his board service ended nearly two decades ago, his desire to increase organizational sustainability for Otsego Christian School continued to be a wish, and in 2021 he partnered with the Otsego Community Foundation to start a fund for OCS.
The Otsego Christian School Fund of the OCF is an endowed fund established to support the operations of the school. It is a valuable gift as the board will be able to use grant dollars from the fund to fill the gaps not covered by tuition or other donations.
“Endowments are often compared to evergreen trees. Don planted the seed, and between the care of the Community Foundation’s investment policies and stewardship practices and the nurturing from additional donors, this fund has the potential to grow deep roots and be a renewable source to support the efforts of Otsego Christian School forever.”
Dana Bensinger, OCF Executive Director
“It was so exciting for us to reconnect with Don for this new chapter in the OCS story. His name is on our gathering space, so it’s obvious he has such a heart for our school! We plan to dedicate this money to yearly scholarships. As we move into a time where more and more parents are seeking classical-style, Christian education for their children, Don’s gift will have a lasting impact on the hearts and minds of many local students.”
Stephenie Jacobson, OCS Board of Trustees
Establishing a designated fund with the Otsego Community Foundation allows you to support the good work of your most valued nonprofit organization long-term. For the nonprofit, the fund creates a permanent income stream from which they can take annual distributions to support their mission or preserve the available dollars for a large expense in the future. Because it’s given through the OCF, your gift provides the nonprofit not only funding, but also planned giving support and investment management services.
To learn more about fund options at the OCF, please call Dana Bensinger at 989-731-0597 or email dana@otsegofoundation.org.
To make a gift to the Otsego Christian School Fund click here: https://give.otsegofoundation.org/OCS