Welcome to the (temporary) Foothills Kids website!
Foothills Kids Magazine is a developing non-profit publication that aims to enrich and promote the educational development of children and instill pride in the communities of Western North Carolina.
Previously a classroom educational supplement published by local magazine editor Carmen Eckard, Foothills Kids Magazine will become its own non-profit organization with the help of Lenoir-Rhyne University Masters of Business Administration students.
Stay tuned for more information as Foothills Kids Magazine evolves and develops into a western North Carolina classic for kids — about kids.
We will have a separate website for Foothills Kids Magazine — coming soon — so check back to this page for regular developments of our adventure in western NC!
We hope to distribute the magazine, regularly, to western NC schools so please put us in touch with your public or private school, or homeschooling group!
This is a community effort — so please be a part.
-Foothills Kids
- For updates about operational developments, information about potential sponsorships/donations, or press inquiries, please contact Foothills Kids Executive Director Mr. Aaron Kohrs at aakohrs121@yahoo.com.
- For story ideas or to contribute creatively to Foothills Kids Magazine, please contact Foothills Kids Magazine Creative Editor and Chief Ms. Carmen Eckard at carmeneckard@gmail.com.
Updates on our Journey to Explore Western North Carolina
Meet the Magazine Team
Creative Editor and Chief – Ms. Carmen Eckard
Executive (Administrative) Director – Mr. Aaron Kohrs
Meet the Board of Directors
President – Mr. Cliff Moone
Vice-President — Mrs. Sarah Greer Koenig
Secretary — Ms. Christiana Lovelace
Treasurer – Ms. Monica Parache
Ms. Tracy Hall
Mr. Ron Downs
Mr. Patrick Broos
Ms. Roseann Flowers
Board Attorney: Mr. William “Bill” Morgan
Special Financial Advisor: Mr. K. Dorran Swearngan, CPA
Thank you to our Lenoir-Rhyne University Masters of Business Administration students (under the direction of Dr. Ralph Griffith) for spending their 2020 spring semester brainstorming organizational by-laws, capital plans, and marketing campaigns for Foothills Kids Magazine – as a part of their experiential business learning.
Students include Alexander Langer, Kendall Fischlein, Carlos Rubio, Josh Alderson, Jaclyn Denny, Mee Vang, Ryan Crompton, and Cassidy Joyner.
Follow Foothills Kids Magazine on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Foothills-KIDS-Magazine-112517347092692/
Twitter – Twitter.com/FoothillsKids
Instagram – Instagram.com/Foothills.Kids
Share with friends and people in your network with school-aged children!
5/14/2020 –
• Foothills Kids Magazine’s non-profit formation and partnership with LRU MBA students featured on WBTV’s “Queen City Morning Show”! See here: https://qclife.wbtv.com/foothills-kids-magazine/
• Foothills Kids Magazine non-profit and LRU MBA partnership featured in Morganton News Herald: https://www.morganton.com/news/publication-becomes-nonprofit-with-help-of-l-r-students/article_2087cdf0-2c58-5088-b866-c626273cffd3.html
5/29/2020 –
Foothills Kids Magazine Non-Profit Board of Directors adopted the Board/ organizational by-laws written by the LRU MBA students at their regular monthly meeting on the last Friday of the month at 12:00 p.m. These will be posted on-line, publicly.
Ideas for fundraising/development discussed and plans for the start of operations (production of magazines) tentatively planned for when NC K-12 schools re-open.
6/26/2020 –
Foothills Kids Magazine Non-Profit Board of Directors met for their regular monthly (currently virtual) meeting to discuss organizational progress – all non-profit registration and fees have been submitted, development/fundraising ideas shared, and the planned topic for the first issue (as well as on-line associated applications) agreed upon. Let’s keep going together!
Executive Director Aaron Kohrs shared Foothills Kids Magazine Non-Profit progress has been published on Hickory Macaroni Kid, the regional on-line media resource platform for families and children, here: https://hickory.macaronikid.com/articles/5ecf23c3acd1fc4cf97b45ed/foothills-kids-to-become-non-profit-organization.
8/20/2020 –
Foothills Kids Magazine has officially been approved by the federal IRS as a 501(c)3 under the tax code — hurray! This means our organization is formally recognized by the government as a not-for-profit educational operation. We can now accept donations – so get your pledges ready to help create something for kids, about kids! We continue to monitor NC school re-openings. Ask your local school system if they would like FK in their classroom! The adventure continues!
Great coverage here: https://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/foothills-kids-magazine-now-tax-exempt-nonprofit/article_f4e11622-e6e6-11ea-977d-5bd15b3d763f.html and here: https://morganton.com/news/western-nc-children-s-publication-goes-nonprofit/article_58f271ac-e62d-11ea-a962-bfeb6d6a7af7.amp.html.
2/8/2021 –
Foothills Kids Magazine has been working hard to get fully setup for the operations of magazine creation – we have been approved by Facebook Fundraising as a 501(c)3 and have already received many generous donations; we welcomed a new board member, Ms. Sarah Greer Koenig, a local and state parent-teacher advocate; and we are working to make sure our organization’s structure will be sustainable long-term (i.e. leadership, finding volunteers, organizing rules). Keep up-to-date at https://www.facebook.com/FoothillsKidsMagazine/ and let us know if your school wants Foothills Kids! We already have several school districts interested! To adventure and beyond!
10/8/2021 –
Foothills Kids Magazine is getting close to our first school year issue fundraising goal and is excited to on board two new board of directors — Patrick Broos and Roseann Flowers. We have completed several public engagements as a volunteer team to raise funds through the local baseball team. We have also been getting the word out about our non-profit project on local WHKY-AM with Hickory Talk Radio Host Hal Row. Forward we go to educate and inspire local school children!
Volunteers and ideas always welcome! E-mail us, follow FK on social media!
