As a Haviland farm couple, Frank and Katherine Rinkel loved to watch things grow. From the crops they planted and nurtured to the four girls they raised, growth was central to their lives on the farm. The Rinkels’ daughters are “growing” an endowment fund at South Central Community Foundation. On a family vacation last August, the sisters – Jane Skehan, Eunice Proctor, Barbara Simons and Beverly Keller – decided to establish a donor advised endowment fund to honor their parents. “We each are to contribute at least $2,500 and have five years to complete this,” said Eunice Proctor, Pratt. “If SCCF had existed when Mother and Daddy were alive, we believe they would have established an endowment fund to benefit their church and community.”

The Haviland United Methodist Church is the benefactor of the Rinkel endowment. Frank taught an adult Sunday School class there for years and also served as church treasurer and on many church committees. Katherine taught Bible school, was active in United Methodist Women and organized many years of groundhog suppers, which helped fund a new church building.

Both Rinkels had strong roots in the community. Frank’s parents moved to their farm northeast of Haviland in 1908, and Frank continued to tend the family land. Katherine Woodward Rinkel’s grandparents were among the 30 or so families who moved from Indiana in 1884 to 1885 to form Haviland as a Quaker town. However, Katherine joined the United Methodist Church after her marriage to Frank.

The family of Shirley Cunningham has honored her memory by establishing a scholarship fund in her name with the South Central Community Foundation. Shirley was a lifetime resident of Barber County where she and her husband, Melvin, raised their four children on her family's homestead near Medicine Lodge. Shirley's memory is cherished in that community and she was blessed to see grandchildren and great-grandchildren growing up there. She will be remembered for her faith in God, her love of children and her regard for Barber County. The Shirley Cunningham Scholarship Fund will provide future educational opportunities for Medicine Lodge High School students.