The Sandhills Area Foundation is pleased to announce a significant donation of nearly $500,000 from the estate of the late Michael Davenport. This generous contribution will
primarily be allocated as endowed funds. The finance committee of the Sandhills Area Foundation is reviewing options for the most effective way to allocate this wonderful gift.

Michael Davenport was not well known in our community. He came to Valentine to care for his parents, Wade and Pauline Davenport, when they chose to return from San Francisco, CA, to the town of their birth in the early 1990s. With their health ailing, he made the commitment to care for them and dedicated his time to that task. Following his parents’ deaths, he remained living in Valentine until his own death in May 2023. Michael’s generous gift from his estate will continue his long-lasting connection with Valentine via his love for his parents and especially from him and his sensitive and generous heart.

The endowed funds will be instrumental in providing sustainable financial support for scholarships, enabling students in the Sandhills area to pursue higher education. Furthermore, projects/organizations funded this year will focus on addressing immediate community needs. Michael would have enjoyed seeing the benefits to the community that he knew as a child.

The Sandhills Area Foundation is dedicated to honoring Michael Davenport’s legacy by ensuring that these funds are used effectively to benefit the community for years to come. The Foundation expresses its deepest gratitude to the Davenport estate for this transformative gift.
For more information about the Sandhills Area Foundation and its initiatives, please contact any board member or executive director Carolyn Moore.