Local attorney Dave Knight is donating $500,000 to the Boone County Community Trust with the ultimate goal of doubling the size of the trust.
Knight said he saw a need to increase the size of the trust and hopes his donation will motivate others to make sizeable contributions, starting with some friends that he thinks are willing and able to help substantiate the trust.
"If I put my money where my mouth is, I think I have more credibility," he said. "If I'm going to be asking for money, it's nice to show I believe sincerely in what I am doing."
The trust distributes money to local charitable organizations such as the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri, Columbia Boys and Girls Club, Central Missouri Humane Society and Family Health Center of Boone County. It was founded in 1975 with a $600,000 donation from the late R.B. Price, a president of Boone County National Bank for 47 years.
Knight's $500,000 donation is the largest gift the trust has received since that initial donation, said Vicki Russell, member of the trust board. Russell said she was surprised by the large donation but said she knows Knight is a passionate person who is committed to the trust and has served on the board for more than 25 years.
"The bottom line is Dave is fun and smart, and he's also very committed to the community," she said.
During his years on the board, Knight said he has seen an increased need for the trust in the Boone County community.
"Obviously we have more people, we have a very down economy and there's just a lot of people that need these various agencies," Knight said.
Another important benefit of the trust, Russell said, is that it helps those in need in all of Boone County, not just Columbia.
"In small towns it's hard to come up with big donations. It's terrific the trust can help fill those gaps," she said.
The eventual goal is to increase the size of the trust to more than $4 million, but Knight stressed that they will not be starting any large fundraising campaign.
"I think it just has to be a few people I believe are capable of helping," he said.
Knight said he doesn't have any firm timeline in place of when he would like to reach the $4 million goal, but Russell said it would be a great goal for the trust to hit in the next year.
Reach Catherine Martin at 573-815-1711 or e-mail cmartin@columbiatribune.com .
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