Ravenna Area Vision Fund

Our Vision

Ravenna is a dynamic community that embraces families, education, business, recreation, and growth.

Our Mission

Promote progress and growth in Ravenna with proactive involvement of people and resources.

RAV FUND HISTORY

The Ravenna Area Vision Fund (RAV) is a charitable organization working to improve the quality of life and create opportunities for prosperity. We have created an endowment – which is like a community savings account – to support community projects, programs, and people. In the fall of 2015, the RAV Fund worked with other community members and high school students to establish community wants and needs. The RAV Fund can be used as a tool to help meet community goals and visions. By investing in Ravenna, we will make it a place for future generations to choose to live, work, and raise their families. RAV provides a way for people to give back to the community that has been an important part of their lives. Each year a portion of those contributions are placed in a permanent endowment which is invested to create a source of funding for annual grants to improve the community. The endowment funds will be held and invested in perpetuity, creating an asset for the community that remains forever.

WHAT HAS RAV FUND ACHIEVED?

Since the beginning of RAV fund began in 2015, it has partnered with the Buffalo County Board of Commissioners and been influential in developing the Buffalo County Lake. These developments have included electrical camper hook-ups (2017), enhanced recreational areas, and new playground equipment (2023) to help Ravenna residents and visitors enjoy nature’s beauty, connect with family and friends, relax, and have fun. Another partnership has been with the Ravenna Public Library to create the Makerspace (2018), where community members can make, learn, explore, and share new ideas while using high-tech or no-tech tools that are not easily accessible otherwise. We want to support our creative residents! Most recently, RAV Fund had the vision to create a Hike and Bike trail. Partnerships with the city allowed the development and completion of this limestone 1.55-mile trail in June 2023. Enjoy the trail’s storyboards from the library or sit at benches enjoying the sights and sounds of the local river and wildlife. We want this trail to support the physical, emotional, and mental wellness of our community and visitors.

WHY IS RAV FUND IMPORTANT?

Our greatest challenge is to develop and maintain the local resources that built our community from the start. Our local resources include the growth of capital investments, businesses, jobs, young people, and intergenerational wealth. Many of today’s senior citizens no longer have heirs who live in the area. When the older generation passes on, the wealth they have built through a lifetime of work – in the form of land, retirement funds, and other assets – often passes to heirs who no longer are connected to our community. RAV provides a way for people to give back to the community that has been an important part of their lives. It is an opportunity for them to consider Ravenna as “another child” when planning their estate. Each year a portion of those contributions are placed in a permanent endowment which is invested to create a source of funding for annual grants to improve the community. The endowment funds will be held and invested in perpetuity, creating an asset for the community that remains forever.

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH RAV FUND?

We can accept gifts of cash or pledges over a multi-year period, appreciated property, life insurance, or bequests in wills. Our affiliation with Nebraska Community Foundation makes it possible to give gifts of real estate, livestock, grain and more. You can even give a gift that provides a guaranteed income and tax savings through a gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust. All gifts are tax-deductible.

OUR FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Jeff Achtenberg, Chair
Fred Matejka, Vice Chair
Julie Chramosta, Treasurer
McKenzie Behrendt, Secretary
Darby Bauer
Ashlin Behrendt
Denise Bolling
Bob Chop
Rebecca Hervert
Richard Hervert
Jon Yendra