The Viking Foundation of Lincoln

The Viking Foundation of Lincoln of Lincoln is a benevolent entity established to help people. Following a long Eggland family tradition, the Foundation seeks to provide financial assistance to young people and families. This support will normally be provided to other 501(c)(3) organizations in the Lincoln, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa and Denver, Colorado metropolitan areas in the form of modest need-based grants directed to individuals and families challenged with education, poverty, housing, gender, mental and physical health, and other issues. The areas of support and core values will be sustained in perpetuity, unchanged by future Boards of Directors of the Foundation. The Foundation's objective is to remain as flexible and creative as possible, in the context of the mission, regarding the nature, size and purpose of the grants awarded.

To help understand the Foundation's objectives, a few hypothetical examples are listed below to demonstrate the Foundation's commitment to flexibility and creativity. These examples also show scenarios deemed worthy of funding:

· A family needing a new furnace identified through Habitat for Humanity's Denver, Colorado affiliate.

· Helping to purchase a delivery van for The Food Bank of Lincoln, Nebraska.

· A grant to pay for physical therapy for an injured family breadwinner through Denver, Colorado's Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

· Developing a child care program for high school age parents in the Ankeny, Iowa Public Schools.

· Supporting an occupational training program for mentally or physically challenged youths in Commerce City, Colorado.

· Providing for respite care for a family caring for an ALS patient in Lincoln, Nebraska.

· Stocking new children's books in a branch of the Lincoln City Libraries in Lincoln, Nebraska.

· A Girl Scout Chapter in Des Moines, Iowa, needing to employ a summer intern to manage their Learn to Fish program for young girls.

These examples are provided only to demonstrate the broad spectrum and creative possibilities for Foundation assistance.

Longtime Family Generosity Inspires Foundation

A statement from the Viking Foundation President:

The impetus for the conception and development of The Viking Foundation of Lincoln came from a long Eggland family tradition of charitable acts and modest philanthropy. The earliest of these date back to efforts of my Norwegian great grandparents and their first- and second-generation offspring to improve the lives of people.

Family stories abound describing the provision of food, shelter and financial assistance to Great Depression era victims, wayward hired hands and elderly care-givers as well as a significant recreational facility all in the realm of human service.

This tradition has been followed contemporaneously by the conveyance to the Hamilton County, Iowa Conservation Board and transformation of an 80-acre farm, named Richard's Marsh. The area is now devoted to supplementing the life sciences education of young people. Another more recent development has been the funding and construction of The Stenson House, a new Habitat for Humanity home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It is the expectation that The Viking Foundation of Lincoln will live on in perpetuity, continuing the tradition of providing charitable human services relying largely on the growth of an untouchable endowment.

Steven A. Eggland

 Board of Directors

The Viking Foundation of Lincoln is governed and managed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The members of the Board and their positions are listed below.

Steven A. Eggland, PhD, President

Dr. Eggland is an experienced secondary school and university educator. He is also former Executive Director of a non-profit corporation and recent Board President of both a Habitat for Humanity affiliate and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

James B. Berg, Vice President

Mr. Berg is a retired architect. His 38 years of practice was in the Midwest and his focus was on K-12 educational design. He is a mentor to high school students at the Lincoln Public Schools Career Academy. 

Jeffrey T. Ceurvorst, Secretary

Mr. Ceurvorst is a director in a Denver, Colorado medical device manufacturing firm. He is an industrial engineering graduate with a minor in economics.

Sally Johnson Eggland, MBA, Treasurer

Ms. Johnson Eggland is an accounting graduate with an MBA in business and extensive experience in accounting. She is currently CFO of a state-wide non-profit organization in Iowa.

Roseann R. Christensen, Public Information Officer

Ms. Christensen is a former Vice President for an insurance carrier. She has significant management experience in marketing, human resources and insurance administration. 

Erik Eggland, MBA, Board Member

Mr. Eggland is a marketing graduate with an MBA in business and extensive experience in business operations. He is currently the Purchasing Director of a large industrial agricultural tire manufacturing plant. He is also actively serves in several volunteer capacities in and around Des Moines. 

Erin Eggland, Board Member

Ms. Eggland enjoyed a career in employment services for a diverse audience and now volunteers with a variety of organizations serving animals, readers and hospital patients. She spends all her free time outdoors playing racquet sports and in the mountains.