Paul Dillon
Back when the founders were just getting started with the Hutchinson Community Foundation, Dick Dillon visited with Paul about it.
Both were top executives with Dillon Companies. And both are grandsons of J. S. Dillon, who opened a grocery store here in Hutchinson in 1913 that introduced the
family to that retail enterprise. Paul’s father, Clyde, was a co-founder of Dillon
Companies along with Dick’s father, Ray, Sr.
So even though they were cousins and corporate colleagues, since Paul had already established his own private foundation, he says, “I have to admit, initially I was not all that receptive to this new approach for my charitable contributions.”
About that same time, though, he was working on the tax filings for his private foundation and realized “I could save myself all this red tape, plus not have to make
my personal information so public,” by using the Community Foundation.
(In a nutshell, having an endowment fund with the Hutchinson Community Foundation eliminates administrative hassles, minimizes operational costs, keeps
individuals’ financial information private, and provides bigger tax savings compared
to a private foundation.)
After thoroughly evaluating his situation, Paul decided to transition his private foundation into an endowment fund at the Hutchinson Community Foundation and became an enthusiastic supporter. He served for years as Treasurer on the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Chair of the Finance Committee. Paul now shares the titles
Co-Treasurer and Co-Chair with Ken Vogel.
Even More Benefits
Paul also discovered many other benefits. “The distribution of contributions is made much more efficiently by the Foundation.” he cited, “And I have greater confidence the money is being channeled in the right direction for our community.”
Paul appreciates the fact Hutchinson Community Foundation “makes it easy to give” and is “a method of giving that helps by being versatile and flexible.” The Foundation enables donors to use property, securities, and other assets for their philanthropy. “They tackle all the various facets of giving,” Paul says, “And provide the accounting statements and everything for taxes.”
Another benefit Paul sees, this one for all of Reno County, is that funds being established in our Community Foundation “keeps the money from going elsewhere”.
He mentions several families with deep roots in Reno County, but with no remaining family members living here; and surmises that without a local commitment having been made through the Hutchinson Community Foundation, the charitable portion of the estate could well have been moved to some other community.
Value of Local Support
“If we want organizations in our community to do their good work, we must
support them,” Paul says. He points out that if the residents don’t provide the funding, it will come from the government, “and that will mean only about fifty cents of every dollar will actually be effective.” Paul feels strongly that keeping politics out of it is in the best interest of everyone.
An interesting perspective of Paul’s is that we need the challenge to not under give.
He credits Norman Krause and “Uncle Ray” (Ray Dillon, Sr.) for nurturing his attitude about philanthropy. With appreciation for their influence on him, Paul reflects, “They really believed in this community, and wanted to see good things happen here. I couldn’t do a lot early on, but I developed the desire to help as much as possible.”
At the same time, Paul does believe in not going overboard in helping a particular organization. “It’s like with our children,” he notes, “If we help them too much, it will make them weak instead of learning to fend for themselves.”
Paul also attributes a lesson in giving to a fellow church member who continues to support their church years after moving away. “That got me to thinking about things
I wanted to be sure and do. Among those was an endowment for the church’s annual budget to help alleviate that yearly struggle.”
That reminds Paul of an earlier story. It involves his wife, Ruth, the couple’s long-standing interest in the Hutchinson Art Center, and their utilization of the Hutchinson
Community Foundation. “About twenty years ago or so, Ruth and a friend decided to conduct a fund drive so the new, larger building,” he recalls, “That was successful, but then there was all the upkeep and maintenance.” To ease that operational strain, Ruth and Paul created an endowment for the Art Center at the Foundation.
Experiences Affect Choices
Admitting that “they’d get it someday anyway”, Paul presented his three children -- David, now living in Cincinnati; Ann Ramseyer, Wichita; and Mary Esau, Lawrence -- each with an amount to use as he/she chose for charity. It was his way of exemplifying to them his philosophy about giving. “They’re supporting causes I would never of thought of,” he reports proudly.
Paul realizes our personal experiences influence where we tend to funnel our donations. That became particularly apparent to him when Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Being touched like that changes things. I’m now much more aware of needs in that area,” he acknowledges.
“Giving can be in a lot of forms,” Paul says he learned years ago in scouting. “And the good goes both ways -- receiving and giving.” He became an Eagle Scout in 1940 and, among the many ways Paul has given is by serving as Troop 301’s Scoutmaster for 25 years. This scout has certainly earned his badge in philanthropy!
