Kris Lutt on Leadership, Giving and Investing in Community

For the Lutt family, philanthropy often begins with a personal connection.

Their giving has included support for the university that played an important role in their family's story, organizations connected to their children's experiences, and the cancer center in Sioux City, Iowa, where both of their fathers received treatment.

Those connections have helped shape where they choose to give and why certain causes matter to them.

Kris describes their approach as a cross-section of the organizations and experiences that have been part of their lives. Rather than looking at philanthropy as simply choosing a list of causes, their giving has grown from relationships and experiences that have given them a reason to care.

That same approach has shaped Kris's involvement with the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation where he has served as a trustee for 10 years, including two years as board chair.