About The John Hart Hunter Educational Foundation, Inc.
It is John Hart Hunter's legacy of constant questioning, constant striving for knowledge, and desire to never stop learning that the members of The Kappa Alpha Society are bound to uphold. The goal of this Foundation is to promote scholastic excellence in students, providing them the means to further their studies by supporting the educational and intellectual ideals on which the Society was founded.
In 1989, a group of Kaps formulated an idea and plan for a Foundation whose goal was to strengthen The Kappa Alpha Society by funding scholarships, educational programs, and improvements to Kap lodges that would support the educational and intellectual objectives of the Society on each chapter campus.
On March 10, 1994, the foundation's first step in its mission was realized when the Internal Revenue Service granted permanent status to The John Hart Hunter Educational Foundation, Inc., which was designated as a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) tax-exempt, public, charitable organization (tax ID# 22-2991883).
The foundation is named in honor of John Hart Hunter, who led the founding of The Kappa Alpha Society at Union College on November 26, 1825. What the nine founding members proposed under Reverend Hunter's direction was to formalize a secret Greek letter literary society as a social and eating group.
The literary society concept remains unique to Kappa Alpha, but the secret Greek letter social, eating concept evolved into the college fraternity system as it is known today. The Kappa Alpha Society was the first of these Greek letter groups.
Kaps who were instrumental in creating the foundation and its subsequent growth include Steve Kramer, Esq., VP'71, who used his expertise to direct the Foundation's incorporation in 1989; John Enteman, CG'72, who wrote the by-laws and continues as legal counsel; CPA, Doug Stives, VL'68, who has provided us with sage accounting and tax counsel, and who worked with the IRS to obtain permanent tax-exempt status; Dick Cawthorne, VL'60, who had so capably managed our portfolio until 2003; and Bert Schweigaard-Olsen, VL'54, who initiated the idea and spearheaded the formation of the Foundation when he was president of the Executive Council from 1987-1991, and was the president of the Foundation until 2008.
Initial funding came in 1990 from two gifts totaling $6,000 from Tom MacCabe, VL'53, and Bert Schweigaard-Olsen, VL'54. The foundation funding received a major boost in 1993 when John Enteman, CG'72, presented a gift of $54,000 from the Williams Kappa Alpha alumni portfolio. This gift allowed the Foundation to apply for permanent, tax-exempt status, which was issued in 1994.
An understanding of the foundation's mission statement should be of interest to the family of donors:
- Undergraduate Education
- Development of Leadership Skills
- Scholarship and Academic Achievement
- Endowment of Funding Educational Resources
- Preservation of Kappa Alpha Society Archives
- Development and Distribution of the John Hart Hunter Educational Journal
- Prudently invest some Funds in Chapters for Capital Improvement
Specific details for each of these components are in the mission statement, which you can view by clicking here.
You can give your much-appreciated charitable donation to The John Hart Hunter Educational Foundation, Inc., by clicking here and making your gift securely online.