Partially funding trips to Springfield’s sister cities, the Kay Finnie Memorial Scholarship helps Springfield citizens build connections and experience the culture of another country.
The Springfield Sister Cities Association is partnered with two sister cities, Isesaki, Japan, and Tlaquepaque, Mexico. Springfield Sister Cities seeks to encourage “Peace Through People” by participating in cultural and economic exchanges, sponsoring trips, providing aid during community disasters and planning events to highlight the cultures of sister cities.
“We believe in the power of personal experiences and connections to create a more peaceful world,” Lisa Bakerink, Executive Director of the Springfield Sister Cities Association said. “Deep, abiding friendships between Springfield and Tlaquepaque/Isesaki citizens has been the result, some dating back to the inception of each relationship — 37 years with Isesaki and 20 with Tlaquepaque.”
The Tom Finnie family founded the Kay Finnie Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2022 in honor of Springfield Sister Cities board member Kay Finnie. At first, the scholarship started as a $3,000 donation from Tom Finnie matched by the Springfield Sister Cities Association, bringing the scholarship total to $6,000. Tom Finnie is a retired Springfield city manager who served in that role at the time Tlaquepaque became a sister city. He is a member of the Sister Cities board.
This year, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) selected the Springfield Sister Cities Association for an endowment match. If Springfield Sister Cities can raise $15,000 by Aug. 15, the CFO will give an additional $10,000 to be used for an endowed scholarship fund.
“There’s been scholarships given out [in the past], but it’s been more just from our operating budget,” Brigitte Marrs, President of the Springfield Sister Cities Association said. “It wasn’t ever formalized. We hadn’t formalized a scholarship until 2022 and it wasn’t an endowed scholarship, that’s going to be the difference with this one.”
An endowed scholarship fund differs from a non-endowed fund because rather than relying on donations, it accumulates interest over time, allowing the Springfield Sister Cities Association to use the interest to fund the scholarship and not spend the principal amount. Marrs explains the foundation expects the principal amount to be around $50,000 raised from the endowment match challenge, donations from the Finnie family, the FORVIS Foundation, and another foundation that will be contributing $5,000.
“That [endowed fund] is one of those things that’s there in perpetuity,” Marrs said. “And as a donor, that’s kind of a nice feeling when you think ‘Wow, it’s [the scholarship] going to keep going,’ because a four-percent draw off of $50,000 is going to be $2,000, so you know it’s always going to be $2,000 to be able to give out.”
Because the fund will continue to accumulate interest, the amount available to give out for the travel scholarship will compound over time.
“My hope is in five years we’re at $100,000. Then we’re looking at $4,000 [interest],” Marrs said.
To qualify for the scholarship, you must be a paid member of the Springfield Sister Cities Association and a resident of the Springfield metro area. The deadline to apply for the scholarship for the 2023 Isesaki trip is Aug. 1, and Marrs explains there will likely be two recipients now that the scholarship has moved to an endowed fund. If the principal amount is increased, the recipient number could increase, as well. To support the travel scholarship, you are able to make a donation via the Springfield Sister Cities Association website under the Donation tab.
