Foundation receives donation of nearly $374,000 for Newton Campus

The Geisler-Penquite Foundation recently awarded WesleyLife Foundation a grant totaling $373,977 in support of Park Centre, a WesleyLife community in Newton.

The funds will benefit the community’s Good Samaritan Fund, which assures residents that if they deplete their financial resources through no fault of their own, they will not be asked to leave the community. A portion of the gift also will benefit the redevelopment of Park Centre’s memory care households.

“The impact of this generous gift is transformational for WesleyLife and the Park Centre community,” Sophia S. Ahmad, vice president of WesleyLife Foundation, said. “WesleyLife has received generous annual funding from the Geisler-Penquite Foundation for several years, and this grant will significantly impact those we serve in Jasper County for decades to come.”

Established in 2009, the Geisler-Penquite Foundation’s roots trace back to 1969. That year, the Geisler Penquite Charitable Corporation was created with a $7,000 investment from the Jasper County farm family of John E. and Gertrude Setzer Geisler and their children, Cecil Geisler Penquite and her husband, Loren, and Harold Geisler and his wife, Mavis.

Since then, distribution of the family’s farm holdings and investments has resulted in grants totaling nearly $9 million to Central College in Pella and to 16 Jasper County non-profit organizations whose missions align with the family’s deeply held values of hard work, diligence, a love for learning, and strong adherence to Christian principles.

In accordance with the original donors’ wishes, the Foundation’s board recently elected to disburse $16.5 million in remaining grant funds to 17 prior recipients including WesleyLife Foundation, thereby sunsetting the entity. Park Centre resident Janice F., who received assistance from the community’s Good Samaritan Fund, said she is grateful to Geisler-Penquite for its support over the years.

“After first moving to Park Centre, we found it necessary for my husband to have a higher level of care that required a larger financial commitment,” Janice said. “The Good Samaritan Fund came to our rescue, with my husband receiving the needed care while I stayed in our apartment, which was close enough to allow daily visits.

“After personally receiving all the blessings of those who gave to this special fund, I want the members of the foundation to know that the Almighty blessed every cent of their gifts. They are greatly appreciated by those who received help from the loving kindness of those who continue to help others through this fund. We are grateful.”