Ryan Trust reaches donation milestone
by Lindsay Hoeppner · March 10, 2010

In only six short years, the Joseph and Edward Ryan Trust has awarded $1 million in grants and funding to the West Liberty community.

“We’ve reached a milestone,” said West Liberty State Bank president Randy Carlson, who, along with West Liberty residents Bob Cline and Priscilla Haessig, form the three trustees of the Ryan Trust.

The milestone was reached following the purchase of a specially ordered handicap accessible van for Simpson Memorial Home.

Ironically, the Simpson Home was one of the first beneficiaries following the implementation of the trust in 2004.

The Joseph and Edward Ryan Trust was created after Joseph Ryan, a well-known West Liberty native, supporter of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the American Legion and a devout Chicago Cubs and Iowa Hawkeyes fan, died in January 2003. Joe, along with his brother, Edward, had never married or created families of their own, so they decided to take the community of West Liberty under their care.

In 1994, nine years before his death and 10 years before the creation of the trust, Joe finalized his will, leaving the bulk of his estate to a nonprofit perpetual trust for West Liberty residents. His estate, totaling $500,000, included his family farm and a neighboring farm, the two of which occupy 300 acres of land five miles west of West Liberty off Highway 6.

Those farms, according to Cline, were the “heart and soul” of the Ryan wealth, and, in turn, have continued to generate funding for the trust.

“The Ryan assets continue to create income,” Carlson said. “The money generated is distributed to recipients on a continuing basis.”

The trust is designated to benefit West Liberty area residents as defined by the geographical boundaries of the West Liberty Community School District, which includes Nichols and Atalissa. Any nonprofit organization within those boundaries may apply for a grant. The trustees award grants based on several different criteria, using a 10-point checklist to aid in their decisions.

The criteria is simple and straightforward. First, the money must stay within the West Liberty community. Also, the recipient must be a nonprofit organization; an individual cannot receive a grant. The trustees always try to give grants to those projects that will benefit the greatest number of people. They also attempt to look at matching funds, because they don’t want the Ryan Trust to be the only source of funding for a project.

The application process is also simple. Applications can be picked up at West Liberty State Bank. Besides turning in an application, interested nonprofit groups will additionally prepare a short presentation for the trustees, informing them of the outline of the project and how many people it will benefit. The trustees meet on a quarterly basis to conduct business and review and approve grants.

To date, the grants have funded items including the technology center at West Liberty High School, an addition to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the tennis courts at the Dutton Athletic Complex and handicap accessible showers at Simpson Memorial Home. They have also sent World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., helped purchase Spanish literature books for the West Liberty Parent Teacher Organization and assisted in funding for HAZMAT equipment for the Atalissa Fire Department, to name a few.

“We need to pat the Ryans on the back. It’s not about us. It’s about our honor to continue to fulfill their wishes,” Carlson said. “A lot of communities would be jealous to know we have a continuous grant betterment committee, and it fits right into what this community is all about — giving. Joe and Edward are continuing to add to that.”