Photo of C.B. Kern THE CARL B. KERN FUND
of The Dayton Foundation
established 1987

1401 S. Main Street, Suite 100  *  Dayton, OH 45409
(937) 222-0410  * * *  FAX: (937) 222-0636

Dayton Foundation Logo
Looking for the former Friends of Kern, Inc. site? Click here to launch in new window.
2021 Stall Plaque
(Click to enlarge) 		6/28/2021 - Half of the 2021 $20,000 distribution check will be supporting Camp Kern's Circle K Ranch Project, including a "Sponsor a Stall" campaign (see plaque). The remaining $10,000 will be used to provide financial assistance to those children who want to benefit from the camp experience but may otherwise be unable to do so.
 
 
Welcome to The Carl B. Kern Fund, one of nearly 4,000 donor funds administered by The Dayton Foundation, a non-profit community foundation located in Dayton, Ohio. This Endowment Fund pays tribute to a person and an institution through annual distributions.

The person is 'C.B.' Kern, Dayton Y.M.C.A. Boys' Work Secretary from 1909-1917, whose outstanding work with youth was evident from the many testimonials and resolutions made in his memory after he died tragically and unexpectedly on June 3, 1917 at the age of 37.

The institution is organized camping, which 'C.B.' recognized as one of those unique experiences that can have such a profound, positive impact on the physical, mental, and spiritual development of youth. More of permanent value can be accomplished with a week in camp with a boy than months of casual contact, he wrote in a 1915 one-page report describing the activities of his summer camp, Camp Ozone, which was subsequently renamed Camp Kern in his honor on September 17, 1917.

The continuity of distributions from the Fund has been particularly helpful during the pandemic. From YMCA Camp Kern Executive Director Chris Addison on 4/17/2020, "Thank you so much for the foresight and the gift. These special circumstances have created a different kind of need at camp, and this donation will help us fill those needs. You have all done an absolutely tremendous job with the Fund and should be so proud of the benefits it has brought to camp and our campers over the years. We are obviously facing some challenging times ahead, but gifts like these will make a big difference."

Please feel free to browse the Kern Fund web pages and learn more about the person and character of Carl B. Kern, the institution of organized camping which he embraced so strongly, and the activities of The Carl B. Kern Fund which serve to perpetuate the memory of 'C.B.' and support "the experience that lasts a lifetime".  

 
* * News and Announcements * *
  
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2021-08-17 - Thanks to YMCA Camp Kern for the Kern Fund shout-out in the History Corner section of its recently posted alumni newsletter. The page has been added to the 'In The News' dropdown.

2021-08-04 - The Advisory Board is pleased to present an initial 15-slide PDF presentation summarizing the Fund's purpose, activities, and latest figures. Feel free to share at parties!

2021-07-30 - The 2021 2nd-quarter numbers are in. Even after distributing $20,000 to Kern in June, the Fund's balance increased from $531,392.37 to $543,431.52, thanks to your gifts and a positive market! For details, see the 2021 Quarterly Summary Reports.

2021-07-26 - For the historically-minded, a link to the Cliff Smith YMCA Postcard Collection has been added under 'Other Links'. The collection includes a few Dayton YMCA and Camp Kern postcards.

2021-07-03 - The "FAQs" page now has some content(!). Check it out to see if your favorite question(s) have been answered!

2021-06-02 - The Kern Fund was featured in a May 30th Dayton Daily News advertisement celebrating The Dayton Foundation's 100 Years. A PDF version has been added to the "In the News" dropdown.

2021-05-08 - The 2021 1st-quarter numbers are in. Thanks to an improved investment market and donations received in response to the Annual Report mailing, the Fund's balance as of 3/31 is $531,392.37! For details, see the 2021 Quarterly Summary Reports.

2021-03-08 - Time to remove the Foundation's toll-free number(!) from our site - (877) 222-0410 - as it doesn't seem to appear anywhere on the Foundation's site anymore. A relic of old!

2021-02-12 - The Kern Fund's 2020 Annual Report has been posted online and will also be mailed to around 1,000 individuals.

2021-02-08 - The 2020 year-end numbers are in, and the Fund's balance passed the half-million-dollar mark - $510,659.39!! Thanks to all donors! See the 2020 Quarterly Summary Reports page for additional details.

2021-02-03 - The Dayton Foundation paid tribute to Robert S. Neff, former Dayton Foundation Governing Board Chair who also contributed to The Carl B. Kern Fund and was a long-time supporter of YMCA Camp Kern. Mr. Neff passed away January 18th at age 89.

2020-09-13 - How to put a positive spin on 2020? How about this: a generous donor has made a '20-20' commitment, matching year-end gifts (starting in September) dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000, in the hopes of adding at least an additional $40,000 to the Fund's principal this year... To help out, click on the DONATE! link.

2020-05-02 - An original 1918 Carl B. Kern Tribute Booklet and a 1985 reprint have been re-scanned and can now be seen in higher resolution on a separate page.

 

 

Developed by: Stuart T. Weinberg, MD; Founder, The Carl B. Kern Fund
First placed on the WWW: April 5, 1995