OSHKOSH — "Wow" is the best way to describe the surprise from the J. J. Keller Foundation at the annual donor appreciation event hosted by Oshkosh Area Community Foundation Thursday at the Oshkosh Convention Center.

In accepting one of the Partners in Philanthropy awards, Jim Keller presented a $250,000 check to the Community Foundation's J. J. Keller Fund. The Keller Fund is a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation that has been used to support non-profit agencies that provide basic needs services.

The J. J. Keller family was presented the Partners In Philanthropy award for matching the grant dollars from the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs, allowing the Community Foundation to double basic needs grant funding every year and for opening the donor advised fund at the foundation, which has granted $60,000 to the community so far.

Also receiving Partner in Philanthropy awards were Oshkosh Corp. and the Schmidt Family. Oshkosh Corp was cited for being the driving force behind initiative to provide low-income families with free passes to the Pollock Community Water Park, for the annual scholarship program that awards $80,000 every year through the foundation, for answering the foundation's call for a $20,000 matching grant by contributing $25,000 to help the Oshkosh United Way meet their 2008 annual campaign goal, and for contributing $50,000 to the construction of the Oshkosh Convention Center, creating the Oshkosh Corporation Board Room (2009).

The Schmidt Family was recognized for founding the U.S. Oil Open, which has raised $10 million for communities throughout northeastern Wisconsin and matching all sponsorship dollars raised from the outing with all sponsorship dollars raised in the Oshkosh area, staying in the Oshkosh area. The U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs now has over $900,000 to provide support for basic needs in Oshkosh, Green Lake and Winneconne.