The Adobe® Flash® player is required
to view our videos.
A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out
Imagine being able to touch the lives of people you'll never know 10 years... 50 years...even 100 years after your death. That is precisely what Jeannette L. Musgrave did with the formation of her Foundation in 1984. From its inception, to date in 2008, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $8,000,000 to selected charities in the Springfield, Missouri area.
Who was Jeannette L. Musgrave?
Born in 1901 in Fort Scott, Kansas, Jeannette L. Musgrave would later marry Edward F. Musgrave and become his assistant in his Springfield dental practice beginning a lifelong love of nursing and health care.
Dr. Musgrave inherited a sizable sum from his family's oil leases in Oklahoma and Texas, which passed to Mrs. Musgrave upon his death in 1970. Having no children, Mrs. Musgrave formed her Foundation in the later years of her life.
Those who knew Jeannette say there were three primary areas that she felt deeply committed to:- Under-privileged children
- Helping people with scholarships (particularly young women entering nursing)
- Providing economic assistance to the elderly
Mrs. Musgrave believed in providing a "hand up, not a hand out."
In the News - Help for Area Hungry
For the second year, the Musgrave Foundation has assisted area organizations in meeting record requests for food assistance.
The Foundation granted $112,000 as part of the Feeding Hope in 2010 initiative. The grants, announced in January, 2010, were distributed to six local non-profits.
The gift helped stock the food pantries of these organizations during a time when the need is great following the holiday season.
This distribution from the Musgrave Foundation was in addition to its ongoing support of these and other area non-profit agencies, (Combined distributions since the Foundation's inception total nearly $8 million.) The Musgrave Board hopes this additional gift will encourage the giving of others in the community.
In 2009, the Musgrave Foundation granted an extra $100,000 to help feed the area's hungry.
Some recipients of the Foundation's special food grants are profiled below. Clicking any of the images will allow you to view a slide show of photos they have provided.
Convoy of Hope
The Convoy of Hope used part of last year's Musgrave Foundation grant to distribute 470 bags of food at their Hope Connection event, held last March. The Hope Connection, a one-day one-stop-shop for the homeless to come in and receive services was a first for Springfield, and it was considered a great success.
Crosslines
During January, 2010, the Council of Churches of the Ozarks and Crosslines provided emergency food assistance to 1,121 households (2,914 individuals). A total of 167 new families were served during that period.
Salvation Army
Families who never thought they would need help feeding their families may suddenly need those services due to job loss or hours cutbacks. Thanks in part to funds received from the Musgrave Foundation, these families can visit the Salvation Army Food Pantry on a monthly basis
