More photos. . . 

If you'd like to post photos, just let us know or just add to the albums already available under the section called Photos: Then and Now.  Two more albums were added recently for the 30th and 35th reunions.  Please feel free to include your photos in them.  You never know when they might put a smile on someone's face. 

* * * * * *

Step up to the Chapman Challenge

Because I feel strongly that we received a solid educational foundation at MHS, it seems appropriate at this time in our lives to help worthy young people build on their foundations by creating a perpetual scholarship fund as a grand legacy for our Class of ‘65!

Therefore, at this time of Thanksgiving and year-end tax planning, I am offering this challenge:

Contribute to our class scholarship by December 31, 2018. If you’re a first time contributor, I’ll double match your contribution. (For example, if you give $100, I’ll give $200, for a total of $300.) If you’ve given before, I’ll also match your contribution. (That is if you give $100, I’ll match it, too.) My maximum contribution under this challenge is $5,000.

Please also remember the tax efficient gifting techniques described at our scholarship website, especially Qualified Charitable Distributions to further leverage your gift.

Again, I challenge you to join me in building our legacy; please push me to my $5,000 limit. Double or triple your donation value now by sending it to the Moline Foundation today. 

Thank you; good luck to us!!!

Best regards,  

Jon Chapman 

Please send contributions to : 
MHS 65 Scholarship
% Moline Foundation 
1601 River Drive, Suite 210
Moline, Illinois 61265

* * * * * *

Counting our blessings: my story

Have you ever thought about just how lucky we were to have grown up and lived in Moline?  A huge part of that experience is the people.  As one of the class website administrators, I often am overwhelmed by the blessings our own classmates have been bringing others when I read and post their obituaries. 

Sometimes, of course, I’m sad a particular classmate isn’t around any longer. Other times I’m sad because I didn’t get to know the person that classmate became, but a couple of times I’ve been overwhelmed by how wonderful it is to interact with their children who sometimes want to write their parent’s story themselves. 

One gal, whose mother I didn’t know in school, impressed me so much that I knew her mother must have been very kind and good, too.  So I ended up donating in her honor to our class scholarship fund. I am thankful for having such classmates and people around both then and now. 

One such classmate is Jon Chapman who generously agreed to step up and help our class scholarship grow a bit faster. We can be thankful he’s willing to do this for our class legacy, but let’s show him thanks now with some gifts for him to match. 

Sincerely, 

Marie Flatley 

* * * * * * 

FYI: Our Class Scholarship is right on track

An Expo held recently in the Quad-Cities highlighted the trades, showing students good alternatives to college.  Last year we expanded our class scholarship to include preparing for a trade and actively recruited applicants. And it continues to be open to those choosing this option.  We plan to become a bit proactive letting high schoolers in trades classes know that we can help further their career plans.

Watch out soon for info on how you can be even more a part of helping.

Quad-City Times article

* * * * * *

You Were on My Mind—We Five

HAFNERS — A Moline institution that time has changed very little--the interior is proof! But the food is is excellent and the fellowship even better--especially at lunch time on the first Wednesday of the month when members of the MHS class of '65 gather. Conversation at times includes "Hafner stories of yesteryear"-- do you have one?

All are welcome--join in on December 5th at 11:30-ish this month and every first Wednesday  of the month in the future.

* * * * * *

Meet Our Scholarship Winner for 2018

Luke Melton

Luke Melton is a graduate of Moline High School  class of 2018 and is attending Augustana College in the fall.  

Luke was on the Moline High School football team, playing on the freshman, JV, and then Varsity teams. He was honorary Team Captain and received the Western Big 6 Academic All Conference award, was voted to receive the Robert Waxenburg award for school spirit by his teammates.

He played in Concert Band, volunteered with Natural Helpers, and was involved in National Honors Society and Boy Scouts of America. Luke was a participant of Boy Scouts of America for 10 years, where he achieved a first class rank and was a patrol leader. Through Boy Scouts he participated in service projects such as Loud Thunder, food drives, and Veteran’s Day breakfasts. He has shining letters of recommendation from a volunteer he has worked with many times through Boy Scouts and from his high school counselor and principal.

In the future he would like to decide on a career that will allow him to continue to volunteer and support his community through involvement in Boy Scouts and his community’s high school football team. 

* * * * *

Legacy Project Update

Scholarship Success—Part 1 

You will be pleased to learn that our Class of ’65 has reached our near-term goal of perpetually funding one, $1,000 annual scholarship!

Thanks to all who have contributed, our scholarship fund balance is about $29,000 after having made three awards!  You’ll see the names of contributors at our MHS 65 website under Scholarship Contributors.

Now it’s on toward our longer-term goal of reaching $65,000, which will enable multiple perpetual awards to worthy young MHS grads--a fabulous legacy of our Class!

Please note that even with recent tax law changes, your scholarship contributions can be tax efficient. For example, if you are required to take minimum distributions from qualified retirement accounts (RMDs), your plan custodian can send a portion of your RMD to a qualified charity such as the MHS 65 Scholarship. This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution; it counts toward your RMD, and, importantly, is NOT taxable income to you.

Other tax efficient gifting techniques are shown at the Scholarship page of our MHS 65 website under the Tax Efficient Gifting tab.

Reaching higher—Part 2

Please join the class today in helping worthy young MHS grads become the best they can be.

Your donation can be made to: 
MHS 65 Scholarship 
% The Moline Foundation 
1601 River Drive Suite 210
Moline, Illinois 61265

—Jon Chapman and your MHS 65 Scholarship Group

* * * * * *