Old Town Keller Foundation

Programs: Organization did not receive approval until june 2012. Board membership was completed in october 2012. First board meeting to begin planning of activities occurred december 2012. Thus no program activities occurred in 2012. Activities now are underway and moving forward.

acquisition of ninety year old house that was to be demolished to make way for development: in may 2013, the house was offered to the foundation in exchange for its removal from its main street location; in october, it was successfully moved to the old town keller park and work began to prepare establish a heritage center with limited meeting space for keller organizations and with a keller information center. The center will open this summer and will provide a focus for foundation programs and for related community activities. More than $40,000 was been raised through the small donations of several hundred individuals (with 50+ establishing foundation membership, 400+ participating in our fund raisers, and several dozen active volunteers) and with the support of nearly a dozen local businesses (from $100. 00 to $5000. 00) to move the house and to begin utility services and minor repairs. In addition, though not providing financial support, the city government approved lease of undeveloped park property at nominal cost.

increasing awareness within the community of the rich heritage of keller: more than 1500 foundation brochures have been distributed, participation in community events, developing publicity about the foundations heritage projects including the heritage center, and establishing an electronic presence through web site and facebook presence. We estimate that we have provide information directly or indirectly to 5000+ individuals.

identifying and initiating heritage projects: in addition to saving and moving the house to create a heritage center, the foundation's 2013 priority projects included (1) identifying historical area locations, (2) establishing heritage markers for notable sites, (3) acquiring and cataloging additional information about keller's notable past events and locating and preserving artifacts, and (4) developing heritage walking trails and driving self-tours. Because so much effort was devoted to the future heritage center, time allowed only initial effort toward the other projects, but none-the-less, some progress was made. More than two dozen notable locations and events have been identified; one historical markers has been established and a second is planned; several artifacts have been called to our attention and have been pledged as future donations. Most of the progress has been accomplished through the diligent efforts of fewer than a dozen volunteers at no cost to the foundation and has not yet had impact on the community, but can be expected to gain appreciation as displays are established in the heritage center. The historical marker was purchased by a donor and is prominently placed at a major intersection in old town keller and has called attention to one of the oldest homes of the area.