Building Rural Opportunity: Richard and Kathy White's Commitment in the Northeast Kingdom

Following this advice, Richard and his wife Kathy landed in the Northeast Kingdom—and they could not have made a better decision.

“I joined a law firm whose partners were all active in the community in various ways, and this gave me a good start not only in my practice but in community involvement,” Richard said.

Richard and Kathy fell in love with the beauty of the Kingdom, and soon after they arrived, they began to understand and appreciate the tremendous strength of its people. Richard worked first as a lawyer and then as a bank president, and Kathy worked in education as a high school English teacher, chair of the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont, and board member of the Vermont State Colleges. They both were active participants in the community—giving back by volunteering and joining various nonprofit boards, with particular emphasis on historic preservation (Kathy) and affordable housing (Richard).

The Whites grew their philanthropy with a focus on giving locally. “After a few years, we realized it made sense on several levels to prioritize our giving, so we developed a budget for this purpose which has evolved over the years,” Kathy said.

The couple, now retired, also recognized there were significant unmet needs in the Northeast Kingdom, where unemployment rates typically run higher than the state average and income runs lower. “The people who live and work in the Northeast Kingdom are resilient and to a large extent self-sufficient, but there are various needs that still exist and we wanted to open a small fund to help meet those needs,” Richard said.

In 1998, they started a fund in their names at the Community Foundation dedicated to strengthening nonprofit organizations in the Kingdom. Among the many programs they supported over the years was a summer mountain biking camp called Dirt Divas. The program captured the intersection between the Whites’ love of the land and their determination to help middle school-aged girls in the Kingdom. Another favorite program was the North Country Dance Company at the local high school, which they supported regularly over the years.

Their namesake fund was a start, but the Whites wanted to make a bigger, longer-term difference through a regional fund that could serve as a dedicated resource for the Kingdom for years to come. Launched in 2011 through the efforts of the Community Foundation and a local steering committee, the Northeast Kingdom Fund supports innovative projects in the Kingdom, enlivening and enriching its communities. One of the goals is to help nonprofits that are long on good ideas and sometimes short on funding. “We tried to focus on smaller organizations because we felt they needed us more,” Richard said.

The giving has steadily added up to a total that is anything but small. Since 2012, The Northeast Kingdom Fund grant program has awarded 301 grants totaling $1,034,000.

It’s heartening to know the fund has had an impact. “We’re delighted that we’re a part of that and we’re delighted to see that the grants are a valuable resource for the region,” Richard said.

Though Richard and Kathy no longer live in the Kingdom, they care deeply about the area and return regularly. “We love it still and go up to see friends and see the community, how it’s adapting and growing and faring,” Richard said.

They are also happy to have watched the Vermont Community Foundation grow through administration of giving accounts such as the Northeast Kingdom Fund, which in fundamental ways aligns with the broader mission of the VCF. “I’m really pleased to see the growth and success of the Community Foundation,” Richard said. “I applaud their mission of closing the opportunity gap, which is a huge problem not only in Vermont but all over the country.”