June 16, 2008 CONTACT: Kali Baker, (402) 342-3458

The Harrison County Endowment Fund, an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation, has established a fund for the rebuilding of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch located in Harrison County, Iowa. On June 11, an EF3 tornado took the lives of four boy scouts, injured 48 others, and destroyed the ranch. Little Sioux is located approximately one hour north of Omaha, Nebraska, in Iowa's Loess Hills. The ranch covers 1,800 acres of heavily wooded terrain with narrow valleys and steep hills and includes a 15-acre lake.

Boy scouts from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota have been learning survival skills at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch since 1970, and the Harrison County Endowment Fund wants to see that the opportunity continues to be available for future scouts. Since 2006, they have given over $10,000 to the scout ranch. They have worked in partnership with the Boy Scouts of America Mid-America Council to set up this fund and made an initial deposit of $1000.

Donations to this fund should be made payable to the Little Sioux Scout Ranch Rebuilding Fund and mailed to the Omaha Community Foundation, 302 South 36th Street, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68131.

The Harrison County Endowment Fund is a countywide community fund and is one of nine "Qualified Community Foundations" in Southwest Iowa as recognized by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The nine community foundations are collectively known as the Endowment Funds of Southwest Iowa; are affiliated with the Omaha Community Foundation; and meet or exceed the Standard for Community Foundations as established by the Council on Foundations in Washington D.C.

The Omaha Community Foundation provides services that range from helping charitable individuals consolidate their charitable record keeping to advising donors on strategic giving techniques to maximize the personal reward and tax-efficiency of their philanthropy. The Foundation has over $470 million in total assets with over 750 charitable families and organizations participating in its giving programs.

For more information, please contact Kali Baker, Omaha Community Foundation Director of Communications, at 402-342-3458, or kali@omahafoundation.org.

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