Stories from Across Minnesota
A Legacy of Giving in Hutchinson
The I. J. Burich Family Foundation was created by Irvin Joseph and Mary Burich to carry out their philanthropic commitment to the city of Hutchinson and McLeod County.
The I. J. Burich Family Foundation has been a pillar in Hutchinson since 1996, when it was launched as the Citizens Bank Foundation. Its funding has helped support many prominent fixtures in the community, such as the Hutchinson Library, Hutchinson Health Hospital, Elks Park, Burich Arena and Harmony River Senior Living.
The I. J. Burich Family Foundation board consists of community members, Citizens Bank staff, members of the Burich family and a member of the Southwest Initiative Foundation. Together they collectively make recommendations to support organizations and causes they care about.
Three Generations of Giving
Heather Knorr is the third generation to carry on the Burich family’s tradition of giving. In the early 1960s her grandfather, Irvin J. Burich, became majority owner and third president of the Citizens Bank of Hutchinson where he carved out his family’s legacy of giving back. His son and Heather’s father, Thomas “Buzz” Burich followed in his footsteps and led the bank from 1985 to 2020, as well as the foundation.
Snapshots
This fund is just one of four funds the Burich family has with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. It is a family authorized donor advised fund, which has been philanthropically inherited, to ensure the family's charitable legacy lives on.
“I always hear people say, ‘if the community needs something, they go to the bank or they go to the foundation. They're always here for the community trying to make them better.’”
Heather Knorr
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