Heuermanns earn lifetime legacy honors

Keith Heuermann’s father believed strongly in education, a philosophy the Hamilton County farmer/entrepreneur personified throughout his life, using his success in business to help others open doors through education as well.
Heuermann and his wife, Norma, were honored last week for their selfless contributions and commitment to education, receiving the first-ever Hamilton Community Foundation Lifetime Legacy Award.
“The Heuermanns literally changed my life,” said Ben Greenfield, an Aurora graduate who suffered a heart attack as a senior in high school and went on to enjoy a successful medical career, starting his studies at Wesleyan University with the help of the Heuermann Scholarship. “You know, sometimes they say God closes a door and opens the window. I owe a lot of what my life looks like right now to the Heuermann family for giving me the opportunity that they did.”
Greenfield was one of many to share stories reflecting the Heuermann’s impact in a video tribute shown at last week’s HCF Spirit of Philanthropy banquet.
“Most of what we get goes to education,” Keith stated. “My dad … preached to us, ‘Get yourself an education. It’s the only thing nobody can ever take away from you.”’
The Heuermanns made sizable contributions to Wesleyan University over the years, creating scholarships, an endowment and helping fund facilities on campus, once of which bears their name as the Heuermann House. Keith humbly suggested that he was simply paying it forward, using revenue gained in part by local residents who bought his popular BKH Popcorn product.
“We are not the ones that really deserve all the recognition,” he said in the video. “What we really did is not very much in comparison to all the hard work that other people put into it. But most importantly, of all the money that we’ve given back it wasn’t really our money. It came from people purchasing our product. The support we had from Hamilton County has just been excellent and I think we owe them something.”
Mary Hawk, Wesleyan’s director of development, shared her own perspective on the Heuermann’s philosophy.
“The impact that they’ve had on this campus can be quantified, you know, over a million dollars in Heuermann scholarships, over $2 million in direct support of Nebraska Wesleyan, but I really think their biggest impact is the ripple effect of their giving,” Hawk shared in the video. “
The story Hawk said best exemplifies their impact is when Aurora native Jarryd     Widhalm, a Heuermann Scholarship recipient, joined her on a visit with Keith and Norma. A junior in college at the time, Widhalm shared his own philosophy on philanthropy.
“He said when he’s at Husker games sometimes they throw balls into the crowd and he loves to catch them, but he doesn’t have any interest in keeping them,” Hawk said. “He wants to give them to the children around him. He said that’s what he wants to do in life. He wants to make resources so that he can give them away. I remember he looked at Keith and Norma and he said, ‘Like you. I want to grow up to be like you.’ That’s the impact Keith and Norma have. It’s the example.”
“Keith and Norma are two incredibly special people,” added HCF Executive Director Tammy Morris. “They are very humble and gracious and community minded. In fact, when I think about the families and the students who have been impacted by the scholarship I think they too are humbled by the generosity of the Heuermann family. There’s no one I can think of that would be more deserving of a Lifetime Legacy Award than Keith and Norma Heuermann.”
Surrounded by family and friends at last week’s banquet, Keith and Norma humbly accept the award, tipping the hat as always toward others.
“Norma and I are just overwhelmed for this recognition and appreciate so much what Hamilton County and the people of Hamilton County have done for us,” Keith said. “There isn’t a better place that we could have lived. We’re very grateful for everybody who came here also tonight. Thank you very much.”