May 30, 2002

Contact: John Scarffe, KU Endowment Association, (785) 832-7336.

H&R Block Foundation commits $86,700 for KCK community youth program

LAWRENCE -- To help at-risk youths beautify their Kansas City, Kan., community and to build leadership skills, the H&R Block Foundation will provide a gift of $86,700 for the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, Dean Ann Weick announced today.

The pledge to the Kansas University Endowment Association continues the H&R Block Foundation's longtime support for the Rosedale Community Building Project, a joint program between the School of Social Welfare, the Rosedale Development Association in Kansas City, Kan., and Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity. The gift funds a new program component called Community TREE (Teach Responsibility, Educate and Empower), which encourages at-risk middle school students to develop leadership skills and to carry out community improvement projects.

Susan Cowden Rowan, president of the H&R Block Foundation, said supporting Community TREE is part of a larger strategy envisioned by the foundation to partner the School of Social Welfare, the Rosedale Development Association and Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity with area youths, community residents and H&R Block volunteers.

"Our goals are to build three houses in three years, strengthen the community's youth, beautify the Rosedale neighborhood and to make other tangible improvements to local neighborhoods for the benefit of all," said Rowan, a 1973 KU political science and Latin American studies graduate.

Dean Weick said the foundation's latest commitment would have a significant impact on the Rosedale community.

"The support from the H&R Block Foundation is nothing short of visionary," she said. "By bringing together three partners to benefit the people of Rosedale, the foundation has made an outstanding long-term commitment to the health and vitality of that community."

The H&R Block Foundation is the philanthropic arm of H&R Block of Kansas City, Mo. The largest contributor to the Rosedale Community Building Project, the foundation provides support for Kansas City nonprofit agencies in the areas of arts and culture, education, community development, and health and human services.

The foundation's gift counts toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence, the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history. KU Endowment is conducting KU First on behalf of the university through 2004 to raise funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support. KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.