RCHF
PLAINVILLE — The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded Rooks County Healthcare Foundation $200,000 in Community Service Program tax credits to help build another daycare center in Rooks County.
The program provides a 70% tax credit to qualified donors in rural communities. The credits are a direct deduction from the donor’s state tax obligation and the remaining 30% of the donation may be deductible on federal tax filings.
The contributions raised by the sale of the tax credits will also help fund a new bus barn facility for the Rooks County Transit System. Both daycare and transit system facilities will be sited on the Rooks County Health Center (RCH) campus grounds.
Stephanie Bjornstad, CEO of the health center said, “These tax credits allow us to fill some funding gaps for providing a day-care center that will help some of our staff with their childcare needs. This will relieve the stress on those employees who have to scramble to find daycare for their young children. We always try to provide the resources that help us retain employees. This will also serve as an added incentive when trying to hire new employees. If potential new hires live outside the county, they might see this as an added incentive for moving their young families to Rooks County.”
Bjornstad went on to note that the daycare center project is a partnership with USD 270 and that after RCH employees had been given a chance to enroll their children, the extra slots would be available to parents in the community at large.
The formal announcement from the Kansas Dept. of Commerce reads in part:
“The CSP program amplifies fundraising activities for non-profits and boosts large capital campaigns. Any individual or business subject to Kansas income tax is eligible to receive a tax credit through this program. This year, CSP will assist six counties with building new or upgrading existing child care facilities. Other community projects across the state include housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a center for youth who have aged out of the foster system, a dormitory for children in acute psychiatric crises, a community wellness facility, historic renovations, health care equipment, and more.”
The director of RCHF, Eric Sumearll, points out that while the entire allotment of tax credits has already been pledged, there is the possibility that more credits may be available in coming months if other awardees cannot complete their projects.
Rooks County Healthcare Foundation was one of 36 non-profits in Kansas that were awarded the tax credits through a highly competitive, score-based selection process.
The Rooks County Healthcare Foundation is a standalone, 501 (C)(3) non-profit charitable foundation that helps fund many healthcare entities and initiatives in Rooks County.
For more information about Rooks County Healthcare Foundation or Rooks County Health Center, visit www.rookscountyhealthcenter.com.