Staff writer
A $200,000 package of tax credits awarded Monday by the Kansas Department of Commerce will help St. Luke Hospital Foundation raise money for renovation of St. Luke Living Center.
“We were very happy to hear the news,” Roger Schroeder, the hospital’s marketing director, said. “We worked really hard to get it. It’s a great program. It will help us continue to better the quality of our health care.”
St. Luke Hospital Foundation was one of 22 nonprofit organizations in Kansas that received credits under the Community Service Tax Credit Program.
Through a competitive application process, the program helps nonprofits undertake major capital fundraising-raising drives for community service, crime prevention, and health care by allowing the credits to be given to donors in exchange for their gifts.
Remodeling plans for the Living Center include installing a new heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system along with other updates that Schroeder said would help modernize it and make it a more efficient space to live and work.
“The HVAC is to the point where it is maxed out,” Schroeder said. “Our residents and staff deserve to be comfortable.”
Updating the Living Center has been a priority since the hospital’s general renovation in 2010.
“We applied last year for the same thing but were not awarded,” Schroder said. “Afterward, we met with the Department of Commerce, our staff, and some community members and got some good feedback as to how we could change and improve our application.”
Now, having received the award, the hospital just has to find donors.
Schroeder said people who donate at least $250 before the end of the year would receive a 70 percent state tax credit in 2016.
“It sells itself to a certain extent,” Schroeder said. “If a person donates $1,000, St. Luke receives all of that money, and that person would also see a $700 credit.
“It’s a great opportunity for community members, and it could also be an asset to some depending on their tax situation.”
The credit isn’t just a deduction. It reduces taxes owed dollar for dollar.
Schroeder said the hospital would not be actively campaigning for the project until after he attends a training session Aug. 17 that should provided him more detailed procedures and regulations.
“We plan to put people’s names on a list,” he said, “We will contact them once we have more specific information.”
More information is available from Schroeder at roger.schroeder@slhmarion.org, (620) 382-2177, and at the hospital.