From left: Carisa Buegler, John Illikman, Shannon Hillesheim, April Ide, Amy Johnson and Joey Schugel pose with their Emma Gebser Fund grant checks Friday at the New Ulm Public Library. New Ulm Area Foundation presented the annual grants to the Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm Public Library and Hermann Monument Interpretive Center. (Photo by Amy Zents)

NEW ULM — New Ulm Area Foundation presented its annual Emma Gebser Fund grants Friday at the New Ulm Public Library to three longtime local organizations that continue to serve the community Emma Gebser loved.

The Brown County Historical Society, the New Ulm Public Library, and the Hermann Monument Interpretive Center each received a share of the $690 distributed this year from the permanent endowment. 

Foundation Executive Director John Illikman and Board President Shannon Hillesheim presented the awards.

Emma Gebser, a lifelong New Ulm resident born in 1863, died in 1949 with no surviving family in the United States. In her will she created the fund to support the public library, the local museum (now the Brown County Historical Society), and the Hermann Monument Center in perpetuity. 

New Ulm Area Foundation administers the endowment, which distributes income annually according to percentages Gebser specified.

“We’re excited that Emma Gebser set up this fund when she passed away in 1949,” Illikman said. “She had the foresight to give back to her beloved community and set the example for everyone else in the community. It doesn’t take a huge amount of money, but we’re here to help people who want to do things like this.”

Representatives of the three organizations said the grants help sustain programs and collections that benefit residents year-round.

April Ide of the New Ulm Public Library said the money supports the annual Christmas Saint Nicholas program and helps purchase materials for both adult and youth collections.

“We’re very grateful to receive the money each year and to use it in the way that Emma had hoped we would,” Ide said.

Amy Johnson of the Brown County Historical Society noted that the grant helps fund programming and exhibits, including the popular free “Lunch and a Bite” noon program held once a month.

“It’s very helpful,” she said. “Gifts like this make that program possible because presenters are compensated at times if they wish to be.”

The Hermann Monument Interpretive Center, closed for eight years, keeps its portion in a restricted account for future use once the center reopens and artifacts can again be displayed to the public.

New Ulm Area Foundation encourages residents interested in creating their own legacy gifts to contact their estate-planning attorney or financial advisor about establishing a permanent endowment or charitable trust through the Foundation. Such gifts provide ongoing support to the community and recognition for donors and their families.

For more information about the Emma Gebser Fund or other giving options, contact New Ulm Area Foundation.