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Foundation History The John T. Vucurevich Foundation was established in 1989, and fully funded by its founder, John T. Vucurevich. John was born in Yugoslavia in 1912 and at the age of eight,immigrated to the United States with his parents. His family, including his two brothers, Milan and Alex, settled in Lead, SD where John attended public school until 10th grade. He worked in a variety of jobs and owned several businesses, but his real passion was in banking when he bought his first bank in 1951. He also owned numerous real estate investments throughout his lifetime. John was a generous philanthropist to a variety of causes during his life and he wanted his philanthropy continued through his Foundation after his death. Since the Foundation bears his name, its ideals and objectives are those most deeply held by John. John would say, "I'm no better than and no less than anyone else. You don't give until it hurts, you give until it feels good." John believed a person was a success if you treat people the way you would want to be treated. Be fair, tell the truth, and be honest. The values of honesty, integrity, loyalty and inclusiveness will be carried on through his Foundation. Since John's passing in 2005, the Foundation has transitioned from a small, part time Foundation co-located at the United Corporation building where John and Tom Vucurevich operated their businesses to a large Foundation whose office is located at 2800 Jackson Blvd and currently staffed with four full time employees. His brother, Alex Vucurevich, served as a Board member until his passing in 2008. Alex's invaluable service provided a personal connection to John and his philanthropic work. Since inception of the Foundation in 1989 through 2006, grants awarded were approximately $5 million. Grants awarded in 2007 were nearly $4 million, 2008 over $4 million, 2009 over $3 million and 2010 $4.3 million. Funding priorities will be in the areas of arts, education and health and human services. While the Foundation will still accept unsolicited proposals, we honor and build on the personal legacy of giving of John T. Vucurevich by facilitating solutions to key challenges facing South Dakota and the Black Hills Region in the priority areas. JTVF provides funding and human resources to make a greater impact on the community through a collaborative approach that creates a sense of shared responsibility among partners and promotes long-term sustainable change. The Foundation seeks to learn about and understand community issues and convenes focus groups in specific areas such as:
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