Over our 76-year history, CEDARS has been here for kids in many ways. We began as a safe place for kids who could not live at home – and that service remains to this day – but throughout the years, CEDARS has evolved with emerging best practices, always striving to take care of kids in the best way possible. In the 1970s through the 1990s, CEDARS operated several group homes in Nebraska. Each group home focused on a specific need, and each home had “house parents” who lived with and cared for the kids.
After retiring from farming in 1983, Jim and Lois Hannon became house parents in one of CEDARS group homes where they lived with and nurtured nearly a dozen children under one roof. The Hannons positively impacted many young people who needed a safe home and loving encouragement from an adult who cared for them. Now, over 40 years later, their son continues to build on their legacy through his donations to CEDARS.
Pat Hannon is a fifth-generation grain farmer out of Shelton, Nebraska. He began investing in CEDARS in 2010 after learning that a family friend had honored Pat’s parents with a tribute gift to CEDARS.
“I received a letter from Mr. Jim Blue letting me know that someone had donated to CEDARS in my mother’s name, who had recently passed at that time. I reached out to Jim and learned that this same person, who happened to be a close friend of my parents, had done the same thing when my father died years earlier,” Pat shared.
Pat and his wife Kim (pictured above with their grandchildren) joined our mailing list and began to make occasional donations. When he received a piece of mail offering him the option of a deferred annuity contract, Pat called CEDARS immediately over his lunch hour and signed up to become a donor through this tax-deductible method. His gifts to CEDARS come in the form of grain.
“When I give to CEDARS, I know where my money is going. I like giving to an organization like CEDARS, one that has always been there for kids.”
CEDARS is incredibly grateful for this legacy of generosity from the Hannon family. Support from the community plays such an important role in our ability to serve kids and families in crisis for 76 years and counting. Thank you for being a generational support to the kids at CEDARS!
