John and Kay Hegarty
Why is charitable giving important to you?
John: Kay and I were both blessed to have parents who brought us up in this community and taught us the value of giving something back, whether it be through your activities or your volunteerism, or your money, and in that way of thinking, they taught us to leave things better than you found it. And I think some of what we intended to do was honor our parents and our families for the community that they raised us in.
What are your charitable passions?
John: We set up a scholarship fund at Jefferson High School where I taught for 25 years. It goes to a worthy recipient who has been in both wrestling for four years, which I coached, and also shown scholarship in the science department.
Why did you give through the Community Foundation?
Kay: My day job is a CPA, so I understand the benefit of charitable tax deductions, and of course the Endow Iowa credit. Along with the fact that the organizations says Cedar Rapids on it, which is near and dear to our hearts because our lives are here. All these things together made it perfect.
I know the value of it as a charitable vehicle for donors. They don’t have to go to the trouble of establishing a private foundation or something else that could take more money and maintenance. In my mind, it should be the first-stop-shop for anyone who is interested in charitable giving.
What do you want your giving to achieve?
John: Legacy is important to Kay and I because we don’t have children and we’d liked to know that when we are not here anymore, the community that benefited us will continue on and in some small part, we have been able to give back.