As naturally as prairie grass and wildflowers grow and dance along an open, wind-blown highway, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains grew as an expression of love for the Kansas Plains and the small, rural community of Hesston. Harold and Elva Mae Dyck first began the Arboretum in the 1980's by donating the property -- which was once a wheat field -- and by establishing a million dollar endowment to provide for the continued care of the acreage.

Harold Dyck, former Director of Sales with Hesston Corporation, a farm implement manufacturing operation (now named Hay and Forage), and his wife, Elva Mae, linked the work of the Arboretum to Hesston College's educational mission. The Arboretum's mission, operating under the auspices of Hesston College, was to foster an appreciation of the natural beauty of Kansas. Over a decade later, this mission remains unchanged. Successfully achieved, a natural continuation of growth occurred as thousands of visitors experienced not only the aesthetic quality of the Arboretum, but the educational opportunity that it provided.

In 1996, the Arboretum hosted over 10,000 visitors including more than 2,200 students and adults attending educational programs and events focusing on plant physiology and reproduction, plant adaptations, horticulture, the significance of Kansas natural heritage, and the preservation of habitat for wildlife. Numerous seminars on utilizing native plants in the landscape were given by staff to hundreds of people across the state including the Kansas Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Kansas Association of Nurserymen, the North American Prairie Conference, the Kansas State Historical Society, and the Wichita Lawn Flower and Garden Show.

It was soon clear that such a level of activity warranted a facility adequate to sustain the growing influence of the Arboretum and its staff. In early 1996, after an intense phase of research and planning for the needs of students and visitors at the Arboretum, the Trustees authorized the development of a plan for a Visitor and Education Center on the grounds. This 3,700 square foot facility would provide a place to conduct educational programming and accommodate its many visitors.

In July of 1996, Hartsook and Associates was asked to study the feasibility of raising the funds needed to underwrite the project. Within the same month, the Arboretum received its first Kansas Community Service Tax Credit for $100,000 which allowed them to offer 70% state income tax credit to area businesses and individuals while raising $142,850 for the work they had undertaken. The original goal set in 1996 was to raise $685,000 to complete the facility. With that target in mind, the work began.

"One of the smartest things we did was to realize we needed help," offered the director of the Arboretum and major fund raiser for the project, Larry Vickerman. "This was our first major fund raising project and we knew enough to find someone who could guide us through the process. Hartsook was instrumental in raising the level of professionalism and adding an element of excellence to our work."

Working in unison with Hesston College's fund raising project, Enhancing Excellence (also a client of Hartsook and Associates), the Arboretum quickly began making use of the Kansas Tax Credit. Remarkably, by December 1997 the entire $100,000 Tax Credit had been dispensed, not only from the supportive Hesston community but from surrounding areas such as Newton, Hutchinson and Wichita, as well as others. "Hartsook convinced us early on that while we had extensive backing from the town of Hesston, its leaders and its populace, practically, we needed to look at a wider giving area. Hesston was also supporting other ventures and we agreed that many Kansas communities would be interested in seeing this project succeed."

Concurrent with the extending of Tax Credits to interested donors, grants were written and sent to several foundations around the country. "We would write the grant and send it over to Bob to review. He helped us throughout the grant writing process," said Mr. Vickerman. By December 1996, just months into the campaign, the Arboretum received its first outright grant given by the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust out of Berkeley, California. "That first grant was for $13,320," Mr. Vickerman quoted from memory, with the personal interest that is representative of what was successful about this campaign. "In August of '97 we received $5,000 from the Wichita-Greyhound Charities, Inc. foundation. In September of that year we were given a cash contribution as well as an in-kind gift of services -- water, sewer, gas, for example -- from the town of Hesston, authorized by the City Council. The next year we received $2,500 from the Western Resources Foundation and then $7,500 a few months later from the James S. and John L. Knight Foundation. That's when things really started to get exciting."

Mr. Vickerman said that one reason he believes individuals, businesses and foundations were so willing to get behind the project was because they could see that things were moving along at a steady, even accelerating clip. "One of the most valuable things Bob Hartsook did for us was to keep us on schedule. He'd meet with us every six weeks and let us know what was needed next. We were clear on the fact that he expected it to be done, which was a good motivator. You knew you were going to have to answer to Bob every six weeks. That certainly helped to keep us moving forward."

In July of 1998 the Arboretum received a real turning-point gift from the Mabee Foundation. The grant, written in conjunction with Hesston College, allotted over $100,000 toward the Arboretum project. In that same month, they also received a second $100,000 Kansas Community Service Tax Credit; and within six months this second Tax Credit was also dispensed, increasing their funding by another $142,850.

By the fall of 1998 they received an additional $7,000 from the Wichita-Greyhound Charities, Inc. foundation and stood somewhere within $50,000 of their original target. Mr. Vickerman remembers, "We'd written a grant back in February 1998 to the Lied Foundation Trust asking for $50,000. At the time, we felt as though it might be a bit of a long shot, but now we were just that far away from our goal. In early December I made a call to check up on the grant. They had showed some interest over the summer so the call let them know that their gift would put us over the top." After a week of calls back and forth, answering questions from the foundation and continuing their communication, the Lied Foundation agreed to accept the grant and donate the entire $50,000 to the Arboretum project. "It was a great way to finish off the year," Mr. Vickerman added with satisfaction.

"Bob told us it should take about two years to meet our original target amount. This turned out to be right." Now a new goal has been added -- $50,000 to be earmarked for furniture and equipment. With 3,200 students and 14,000 visitors passing through the Arboretum in 1998, it is expected that the Visitor and Education Center will enjoy much use in the years to come.

AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Denise Rhoades is a free-lance writer living in Newton, Kansas. Denise has worked on several projects for Hartsook and Associates and regularly writes campaign case statements for Hartsook clients.

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