Our network of 31 community foundations is powered by people who care deeply about the place they call home. Each foundation is guided by a local advisory board of leaders who know their communities best. These board members raise funds, recommend grants, share stories of local impact, and champion the good work happening in their towns. Their commitment ensures that neighbors have the resources and support they need to create lasting, positive change.
About 150 people currently volunteer on advisory boards for our affiliates. We caught up with some of the Bird Island-Olivia Community Foundation board members at a recent meeting to ask them, “Why serve on a local community foundation board?”
About the Bird Island-Olivia Community Foundation
The BIO Legacy Foundation was launched in 2012. Now called Bird Island-Olivia Community Foundation, it remains dedicated to supporting ideas and projects that strengthen its namesake communities. The local foundation and its related funds have collectively granted more than $122,000 to support local organizations and community projects. Focus areas include the four pillars of education, recreation, health, and amenities.
Kelly Hagen – Board Treasurer
Kelly grew up in the area and loves the small-town environment. She’s been employed with Saunders Mertens Schmitz since 2018.
“I’ve been on the board since 2022. I have been back in the Bird Island-Olivia community since 2018 and had been looking to join groups and volunteer as I started a new career here. My boss was on the board and asked me to join, and it seemed like a really good fit. I had no idea the foundation existed previously, so that was part of what I wanted to do on the board, to get the word out to other people. It’s been fun to see what we’re doing with all the donations we get, how it’s being granted to our to Bird Island and Olivia communities. And then trying to strategize how to get the word out there to help more nonprofits in our communities.”
Kayla Hirschman – Board Member
Kayla is a personal banker at Frandsen Bank & Trust in Bird Island. She lives south of Bird Island with her husband, Robert, and their two sons.
“I joined the board because I needed to get out of the office more. I was born and raised in Bird Island, and I’m all about making our community awesome. Previous to my employment at the bank, I was the director of the Learning Funhouse (child care), so I have applied multiple times for grants from the Bird Island-Olivia Foundation. I knew that they granted out money, but there’s so much more to it than I thought. We do so much for our community.”
Olivia Tersteeg – Board Secretary
Olivia Tersteeg, is an appraiser for AgCountry in Olivia. She is originally from Iowa, but met her husband, Austin Tersteeg, in college. They came back to Austin’s hometown of Olivia and recently started a family.
“My boss suggested the foundation as a way for me to get to know the community. And I’ve definitely learned a lot from being on the board and all the happenings that go along with it, and the great stuff that everybody’s trying to do here. That’s been great and very eye-opening for me, not originally being from this community.”
Holly Garberich – Board President
Holly Garberich is Co-Owner and Head of People at Rural Computer Consultants in Bird Island. She lives in Olivia with her husband and three kids.
“I’ve been on the board almost 10 years. I was brought into it by my brother-in-law, Rob Thurston. He and his dad were some of the original founders of the BIO Legacy Community Foundation. We’ve since rebranded to be the Bird Island-Olivia Community Foundation.
What really intrigued me about the board and joining it was, I grew up here. I’ve lived here my whole life, came back after college, and now my kids are living here and growing up here, and I want to see the community succeed. And the foundation is definitely doing that, giving back to so many places, and the money stays local. It’s important to see Bird Island and Olivia continue to thrive for the future generations too, and I think we’re really a big part of that.”
Get involved
Why serve on a local community foundation board? You can connect more deeply with your community and make good happen locally! If you’re interested, check out opportunities with your local community foundation. If there’s not one nearby, consider another nonprofit in your area that needs board members to support its mission.