Photo–left to right, (front row): Trish Roberts of St. Anthony; Keith Sporrer; Jodie Jansen of New Hope Village; and Linn Block of Manning Regional Healthcare Center
(back row): Joe Behrens and Father Tim Friedrichsen of Sacred Heart Church; and Jerry and Jordan Janson, Edward Jones
Four Carroll County organizations have been gifted a total of $1.18 million at the bequest of Donald and Leana Kalkhoff of Templeton. Leana passed away at the age of 87 on June 2, 2020, and Donald died on Nov. 26, 2020 at the age of 89. The Kalkhoffs gifted $295,000 each to Sacred Heart Church in Templeton, where they were members, to St. Anthony Regional Hospital (SARH), New Hope and Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC). According to Jerry Janson, a former financial advisor for the couple, the Kalkhoffs did not have any children so the community became their family. “They looked at these four organizations that were benefitting the community and themselves as to why they chose the four they did,” Janson says. Pastor at Sacred Heart, Father Tim Friedrichsen, says the majority of funds they received will go towards the upkeep of the 120 plus-year-old building. When St. Anthony President and CEO, Ed Smith, and Development Director, Trish Roberts, learned that a man close to the couple, Keith Sporrer, had been affected by cancer, they decided to use their bequest to support the St. Anthony Cancer Center. MRHC CEO, Linn Block, says the estate gift will be used for their award-winning outpatient Senior Life Solutions program that supports those 65 and older suffering from depression and anxiety. The healthcare center is renovating some existing space for program use. And New Hope Director of Development, Jodie Jansen, says they will deposit the funds into their endowment, so that interest earned can benefit programming at the non-profit perpetually. Roberts summed up the shock, surprise and gratefulness of all four organizations. “One of my first thoughts was ‘I wish I would have had a chance to tell them how much we appreciate their thoughtfulness and consideration, not only for St. Anthony, but for other really important organizations in our community.’ The whole gift is very generous, I just wish I could have thanked them in person.”
