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Greg and Karen Schultz met her first night of college at Augustana University.

That was nearly 55 years ago.

Since then, they’ve moved across the country a few times, raised three children, and both had successful careers across the Upper Midwest. Greg spent most of his career as a vascular surgeon at Sanford Health. Karen taught music in Minnesota schools and then was a piano teacher with the First Lutheran Church Piano Lab program.

They both grew up in the area but decided to make Sioux Falls their home to be close to Karen’s family. 

“Having family close by was important, because I knew my career was going to be fairly intense and focused,” Greg said. “It was nice to have other people around for support.”

Greg was the first board-certified vascular surgeon in South Dakota and helped shape the program at Sanford Health. He calls his career rewarding – challenging, technical work in a field that continued to evolve during his time. 

“The field just transformed before my eyes, and we really developed some of the cutting-edge techniques,” Schultz said. “It really evolved into a wonderful specialty.”

Medicine has always been part of Karen’s life. Her father was a doctor with then-Sioux Valley, and she remembers going to the hospital with him. Like Greg, she marvels at how the healthcare landscape and the community itself have grown.

Cultivating generosity

When it comes to giving back to the community, they both point to influential people in their lives. For Karen, it was her parents. “My mother was a huge volunteer,” Karen said. “She was always on the phone, and she started the first Alzheimer’s chapter in South Dakota. She was very involved in community concerts, and community things.”

Greg credits his parents, too.

One of the first gifts Greg and Karen made was in his father’s name – a ballfield in Madison now called the Ray Schultz Field of Dreams. 

Greg notes that it was his financial advisor who began telling him about the Community Foundation and asking him to consider what he wanted to do with the assets he’d accumulated during his life. 

“As you go through life, you have to get your school loans paid off, your house paid off, get your kids through college, and once you get those things behind you, charitable giving becomes more on your radar,” Greg said. 

He also remembers the late David Birkeland telling him, “You know, you’ve got to be able to think back, think about giving back to your community.”

It was a message that stuck with him. 

“I think that kind of spurred my interest,” Schultz said. 

He and Karen regularly give to Augustana – and they credit their time there with instilling a sense of community responsibility.

“It’s always felt good,” Karen said. “It’s just a joyful feeling.”

Greg agrees.

“When you see wonderful things in life, you try to be a positive person and a positive influence on your society, your culture,” Greg said. “You want to leave a legacy of positive things. It’s important to give back to the place you call home.”

Benefits of the Foundation

Greg said the tax advantages of Donor Advised Funds are appealing, as well as the opportunity to have his own financial advisor manage his charitable assets. 

“This is a pathway to provide an ongoing legacy, and for our heirs. Whether our kids are in Minneapolis or here, we can instill our desire to give back to this community,” Greg said. 

Mary Kolsrud, chief philanthropy officer with the Community Foundation, said there are a variety of options to help people with charitable intent. 

“We really see our role as champions for philanthropy,” Kolsrud said. “I’m so glad Greg and Karen are able to have the best of both worlds – continuity with their current financial advisor, and the expertise of the Community Foundation to help as they plan their giving.”

Civic leaders, local philanthropists and people who set the example are part of what defines Sioux Falls, Greg said. 

“So many other families have just demonstrated, time after time, that giving is a natural thing to do,” Greg said. “You’re helping people, and you’re making a difference.”

Recently, they gave to the Lake Madison Trail, and Greg said giving through the Community Foundation was seamless. They’re also looking at other opportunities and are excited to find new ways to give. 

“We’re at a point in our life where this is something we are able to do, and we look forward to doing it,” Greg said.