Eisenhower Foundation

Goal: $10,000.00

Specific Need

February 24, 2025

Dear Friend,

Throughout his life, Dwight D. Eisenhower often spoke about the “heart of America,” and for him, that was Abilene, Kansas. During his First Inauguration as the President of the United States, he said, “Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.”

Consider this quote for a moment. President Eisenhower knew that, as the leader of the free world, he had to exemplify the leadership characteristics he wanted to see around the globe. It was here, in Ike’s “heart of America,” where he learned the very values he would rely on to lead our nation and the world through some of the darkest times in modern history.

For the past 80 years, the Eisenhower Foundation has been committed to passing on these same values to future generations by ensuring they know and appreciate the extent to which Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Greatest Generation shaped the world we live in today.

I need your help to continue teaching about this rich legacy. It is only through generous contributions from donors like you that the Eisenhower Foundation funds IKEducation, our innovative K-12 program that is reaching thousands of students across the globe, and the exhibits, programs, and events at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

A Special Opportunity for the Community: Donate Dickinson County Day

The Community Foundation of Dickinson County has issued a challenge to our community. Perhaps you are aware that they serve as a resource for area nonprofits like ours. The Community Foundation believes that philanthropy is a community effort; it is about local support, for local causes. That’s where you come in.

In that spirit, the Community Foundation is hosting the seventh-annual Donate Dickinson County Day to help us raise money for our endowment. If we can secure $10,000 on March 21, 2025, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation of Dickinson County and a loyal Kansas donor. All money raised through this matching gift opportunity will be added to our endowment. I share Ike’s faith in our community and I am confident we can reach this goal.

Many of you have participated in this challenge in previous years and I want you to know that because of your gifts, the Eisenhower Foundation has raised more than $200,000 for our endowment since 2019. But the truth remains: the Eisenhower Foundation’s endowment is the smallest among all of our Presidential Foundations in the country. That is why we participate in Donate Day every year, and it is why we are raising funds for an endowment as part of our I Like Ike Capital Campaign.

The I Like Ike Capital Campaign is a transformational effort to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Eisenhower Foundation. By building our endowment, we are creating a permanent source of funding that will support IKEducation, dynamic exhibits, and impactful programs well into the future. This campaign is about more than just financial security; it is about securing Ike’s legacy and ensuring that generations to come continue to learn from his leadership and character. Your support today is an investment in the future of the Eisenhower Foundation and the students, teachers, and visitors we serve every day.

Dwight D. Eisenhower remains fifth in the C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey, and interest in his military career and presidency continue to rise. As the Eisenhower Foundation works to achieve our mission of securing Ike’s legacy, sustained funding from our endowment is essential. This will make it possible for the world, and a new generation, to learn about his unparalleled accomplishments as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and the 34^th President of the United States.

For children in our own community to look at Ike as a role model, it is vital that we continue to educate current and future generations through our work. If our children can see what a “barefoot boy” from Abilene can accomplish when he works hard, it will inspire them to become leaders and heroes in their own way.

Won’t you please join us on Donate Dickinson County Day? There are three ways to participate:

Mail - Use the enclosed envelope to mail your donation to our office by March 21. Checks should be made payable to the Eisenhower Foundation. Please note “Endowment” in the memo.
In person - Make your donation in person on Friday, March 21. Hand-delivered donations will be accepted at the Community Foundation’s new office, located at 201 NW 2nd Street from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Online - Donate online at www.DonateDickinson.com. Online donations will be accepted on March 21 only, from midnight to midnight.

Only you know what amount is right for you and your family to give. No matter how much you contribute, please know your donation is important. We cannot build our endowment without an outpouring of support from our community. A robust endowment ensures that the Eisenhower Foundation has the capacity to grow and thrive for years to come.

Thank you so much for considering this urgent request. I look forward to receiving your response. As always, please contact me should you have any questions at 785-280-9531 or msleichter@eisenhowerfoundation.net.

Sincerely,

Meredith Sleichter, Executive Director

P.S. Your participation in Donate Day will help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 so we can receive the additional $10,000 commitment from the Community Foundation of Dickinson County and a loyal Kansas donor. This will total $20,000! This is your chance to double your donation and leave a lasting impact on your community that will inspire the children of Kansas for generations to come.

Mission

The mission of the Eisenhower Foundation is to champion the life and enduring legacy of Dwight D. Eisenhower to inspire leadership, character, and service. His vision of peace, prosperity and justice in the world offers this generation a timely and relevant example for character leadership.

The Eisenhower Foundation was founded on June 22, 1945, to memorialize General Eisenhower’s military leadership and subsequently to collect his presidential papers. Today, in partnership with the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home, the Foundation aims to connect the life and legacy of Eisenhower, emphasizing his leadership style and accomplishments, to issues today that are of vital importance to our nation and the world. His vision of peace, prosperity and justice in the world offers this generation a timely and relevant example for character leadership.

In 1947, the Foundation opened Eisenhower’s Boyhood Home, and in 1954, construction was completed on the Museum. After President Eisenhower’s term ended, the existing buildings were donated to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Foundation raised $3.5 million to build the Eisenhower Presidential Library, which was dedicated in 1962. Today, five buildings on 22 acres constitute the Eisenhower campus — the Library, Museum, Boyhood Home, Visitors Center, and Place of Meditation.

Our goal is to ensure that future generations know and appreciate the extent to which Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Greatest Generation shaped the world we live in today.

Profile

The Eisenhower Foundation provides funding for all major programs, services, and exhibits on the Eisenhower Presidential Library campus: Symphony at Sunset D-Day Commemoration Concert, IKEducation, including the Virtual Classroom, Ike’s Soldiers, Scholar Lecture Series, Research Travel Grants, and temporary exhibits.

Symphony at Sunset D-Day Commemoration Concert (June 7, 2025)

On the first Saturday of June, we proudly host the annual Symphony at Sunset D-Day Commemoration Concert on the lawn of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas. We welcome thousands of families, neighbors, community partners, and of course, our veterans to this free concert featuring live performances from the Salina Symphony and the Fort Riley 1st Infantry Division Band. This popular event is free thanks to the generous support of grants through foundations, such as the Community Foundation of Dickinson County, and sponsorships from businesses, including Kansas Gas Service.

IKEducation

Launched in 2013, IKEducation has taught more than 125,000 K-12 students and teachers about the Eisenhower Era onsite at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, in Kansas classrooms via IKE Express, and online to schools across the globe. Donations allow us to provide these programs to schools at no charge. Its mission is to provide K-12 students with an innovative educational experience that enhances their understanding of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. IKEducation has developed more than 40 unique programs, all of which align to national Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and national curriculum standards for social studies and utilize primary sources from the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home.

Ike’s Soldiers

Ike’s Soldiers pays tribute to General Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander of Europe during World War II. Recognizing the challenge of teaching technology-driven generations about the personal histories from World War II, we developed Ike's Soldiers. Through this program, we honor General Eisenhower’s legacy through the compelling stories of the soldiers he led and share them with the world through IKEducation programs and digital media platforms. We invite these special nonagenarians or older to tell their own stories about their experiences on video during this unique time in history. In addition, a new website feature empowers the families to honor the memories of World War II veterans who are no longer with us.

Scholar Lecture Series

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home hosts authors and researchers from all over the world to present at lectures in-person and virtually. These programs make current research accessible to broad national and international audiences. In addition, the Library hosts an annual WWII Emerging Scholars Symposium. In partnership with the Roosevelt and Truman Presidential Libraries, this symposium features scholars who are relatively new to the field during the virtual symposium held the first week of June. The symposium focuses on specialized topics related to the Allied effort in World War II.

Research Travel Grant Program

The Research Travel Grant Program encourages scholars to utilize the rich holdings of the Eisenhower Presidential Library to conduct research on topics that result in publication. Grants are awarded to individual researchers on a competitive basis to cover a portion of expenses traveling and while in Abilene, Kansas, using the Library’s collections.

Special Exhibits

The Eisenhower Presidential Museum features a 3,600 square feet special exhibits gallery. These include the upcoming “WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America,” which will open in May 2025. It will feature 50 large-scale watercolor portraits of veterans from each state by internationally renowned artist, Mary Whyte. From a Missouri dairy farmer and Rhode Island lobsterman to a Pennsylvania science teacher and a South Carolina single mother, the images united, culminating in a remarkably timeless portrait.