Coverage of the foundation and its work in the local press, along with the current radio segment. Most newspaper links below require a subscription, so each entry includes a summary of what the story reported.
The foundation appears regularly on Discover Austin's Wright Here, Right Now podcast. Here is the current segment.
And I’ll catch up with Dr. Chel Page, Executive Director at the Austin Area Foundation. Joining in the conversation will be Taggert Medgaarden to talk about being a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Two months into the job, Dr. Chel Page tells the Herald her first priority is growing the foundation's assets so it can reach more of Austin. Growth, she says, is what makes it possible to widen the small local grants that enhance lives, support neighbors and create legacies.
Carolyn Bogott profiles board chair Emily Toland, an estate planning attorney who joined the AAF board in 2023. Toland describes the appeal of a foundation whose results are visible up close: you can read the names of the scholarship recipients and see what the small grants let local nonprofits do.
The foundation names Dr. Chel Page as executive director following a search to replace Steve Barrett, who resigned with plans to retire. Page started April 1. The Board of Trustees cited her background in leadership, community engagement and organizational development.
KIMT reports the leadership change, with Page starting April 1 and Steve Barrett retiring after his resignation.
ABC 6 covers the appointment and quotes board chair Emily Toland: "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Page as our next Executive Director. She brings a deep commitment to community, thoughtful leadership and a vision that closely aligns with our mission."
Four scholarships opened for the 2026 cycle, three for Austin High seniors and alumni and one open to all of Mower County. Scholarship committee chair Catherine Haslag noted she attended college herself on a scholarship from a local philanthropist.
Nadia Souvannarath, an education major at Riverland Community College, received the Austin Area Foundation Scholarship for Education Majors. The Rick Herreid Science Scholarship went to Mackenzie Andrews, studying insect biology at Purdue.
Four scholarships were awarded for the 2025 cycle. Reese Norton and Anna Kossman both received the Carl and Stella Ruzek Scholarship, heading to PennWest Clarion University and the University of Northern Iowa.
The sixth annual For The Love of Austin fundraiser was held February 15 at the Austin Country Club. The event has run every year since February 2020.
At its January annual meeting the board thanked Darrell Ingvaldson, stepping down after long service, and outgoing chair Taggert Medgaarden, whose tenure included major land gifts and leadership transitions. Emily Toland was elected chair, with Catherine Haslag as vice chair, Peggy Benzkofer as secretary and Isaac Gorman as treasurer.
The foundation awarded $34,676 from the Austin Legacy Endowment Fund across 22 local nonprofits, a record number of recipients. The grants covered the arts, education, basic needs and community events.
The foundation partnered with the Science Fair Mentoring Project to establish the Rick Herreid Science Scholarship. Herreid was a Hormel Foods food scientist who volunteered with the mentoring project after retiring and died suddenly in 2019.
Applications opened for the Carl and Stella Ruzek Scholarship, established by the Ruzek sons in 2005 and administered by AAF since 2022, and the Scholarship for Education Majors, established in 2021.
In a letter to the editor, Austin Symphony operations manager Philip Burkhart thanks the foundation for a grant that funded two free concerts for more than 2,000 elementary students from southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa.
The foundation moved to the Austin Professional Center at 308 Fourth Avenue NW, Suite 15. Then executive director Steve Barrett cited better space for meeting community members and better parking for visitors.
Samantha Krueger, a 2022 Austin High graduate studying entrepreneurial management and marketing at the University of Minnesota, received the Carl and Stella Ruzek Scholarship.
The Ruzek Scholarship and the Scholarship for Education Majors opened to Austin High graduates. The Ruzek fund dates to 2005 and came under AAF administration in 2022.
The fourth annual For the Love of Austin was held February 11 at the Austin Country Club, presented by Worlein Funeral Home. Tickets were $60 and included a four-course meal, live and silent auctions and a 50/50 raffle.
The estate of Annabell Benson, a former Austin area teacher, left the foundation a major bequest. Half was directed to the Austin Legacy Endowment Fund, the source of the annual grants to Austin nonprofits.
Pam Loock and David and Brenda Raffelson of the St. Olaf Lutheran Church Backpack Program received a $1,000 check from executive director Steve Barrett.
The Carl and Stella Ruzek Fund, created by sons Mike, David and Dan Ruzek of Austin, transferred to the foundation from Thrivent Charitable Impact and Investing. Awards are based mainly on financial need.
The foundation created its first scholarship fund, honoring the retirements of Superintendent David Krenz, Don Fox and Dick Lees, and supporting students pursuing careers in education.
An anonymous community member created a Donor Advised Fund with a $400,000 gift, directed toward nonprofit organizations in Mower County. Executive director Steve Barrett called it a milestone for the foundation.
The second annual For the Love of Austin ran as a four-course meal with a virtual program over Zoom on February 13, a pandemic-year adaptation of the fundraiser.
More than $25,000 from the Austin Legacy Endowment Fund went to 19 area nonprofits for 2021, plus $6,000 to the Salvation Army Food Shelf from the Basic Needs Fund. Steve Barrett noted the added burden COVID-19 placed on local organizations.
The board approved hiring Steve Barrett as the foundation's second executive director, succeeding Jeff Baldus. AAF founder Mike Ruzek, then acting executive director, cited Barrett's experience and community connections.
In its 16th year the foundation approved roughly $27,000 in new grants to area nonprofits. Executive director Jeff Baldus described AAF as a home-grown grant-maker: people giving to people.
In its 15th year the foundation announced $23,000 in grants to community organizations, funded by earnings from the Austin Legacy Fund.
Paul and Joanne Worlein donated 71 acres of farmland, valued at roughly $400,000, in a ceremony at Worlein Plaza. It was the largest donation the foundation had received.
Reporters, donors and local organizations are welcome to get in touch. We are happy to talk about what the Foundation funds, how the endowments work, and what is coming up.
