Leading Locally: Nixa Community Foundation

The legacy of the Nixa Community Foundation comes through in years, but also in lives. Since its founding in 1993, the work of the CFO’s first regional affiliate has grown through the time and energy of locals, some with longstanding connections to the area, who chose to invest in a new idea. That success helped pave the way for the way for a list that now includes more than 50 local affiliate foundations in communities across central and southern Missouri.

In Nixa, three decades of seeds have grown into layers of support for one of the fastest-growing communities in the Ozarks. Distributions have also increased: In 2019, the NCF hit an all-time high of more than $71,000 back into the community in just one year.

“Since our inception, we’ve donated over $3.7 million to the community,” says Paul Johns, a longtime board member. “You’ve got to have some impact with that over the years. All of that was in small increments, but when you spread it out, you get more help to more people, more kids. It’s just awesome.”

One example came years ago, when the NCF helped fund a car for the school’s D.A.R.E. program.

“Our first, biggest donation out was $10,000 to them for that vehicle,” says Sharon Whitehill, an advisor who formerly served on the board.

Many needs and focuses have been served by the NCF, which is comprised of around 60 different funds. One even allows all Nixa city employees to donate directly via automatic payroll deduction.

“Every employee that we hire, our HR director talks about it and makes it an option for them,” says Jimmy Liles, president of the NCF and administrator for the City of Nixa. “A lot of employees take advantage of that — they’ll do an automatic withdrawal for whatever amount they choose, and then it goes into that fund.”

There has been support of Troop 200 with the Boy Scouts — “they graduate a lot of Eagle Scouts, and every year I feel that we are always very supportive of their needs,” says Board Member Callie Linville — to hundreds of free weather radios to support for local food pantries, ham radio operators, and even local students who want to go to prom, but don’t have the resources.

The NCF also recognizes the individuals who help make their community great every quarter through “Extra Mile” awards.

“It’s for anyone who has literally gone the extra mile to help people in Nixa,” Johns says. “A lot of these people wouldn’t get recognition otherwise. I think that‘s a really cool thing.”

Ultimately, it all goes back to enriching the community for today — and tomorrow.

“At some point, I've been a beneficiary of the Community Foundation and didn’t probably even realize it,” Linville says. “Did my teacher have extra reading books? Or is it simply that I can go through the drive-thru at Scooters, and the person that's taking my order had reading comprehension problems, and they got scaled up and they can take my order again for my coffee? It’s all full circle.”