The Kahlert Foundation, an organization started by the late William “Bill” E. Kahlert, a generous donor to the Breakthrough T1D Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Chapter, was named 2017 Outstanding Foundation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) Maryland chapter.

Bill Kahlert was a philanthropist with a compassion and desire to make a difference in the communities where he lived and worked. Bill was co-founder of Evapco Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of evaporative cooling products based in Taneytown, MD in Carroll County.  He established the Kahlert Foundation in 1991 with the mission to provide grants to non-profit organizations seeking to improve the quality of life and well-being of the community in the areas of health care, youth programs, education, veteran organizations, and human services in Maryland, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. At the time of Bill’s death in 2011, a generous gift to the foundation enabled it to make more and larger grants increasing the impact the foundation has in the community.

“We give back because we want to help other people, a value instilled in me by my father,” said Bill’s son Greg Kahlert, who now, along with his wife, Roberta, runs the foundation. “We do what we can to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives, and understand the important work that Breakthrough T1D does to better treat and hopefully cure type 1 diabetes.”

Since 2016, the Kahlert Foundation has provided Breakthrough T1D with a generous grant to support type 1 diabetes research and local outreach initiatives in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. Grant funds support the local TypeOneNation Summit held annually in Bethesda, which provides opportunities for education and networking for all those in the type 1 community. Additionally, the chapter is able to host smaller community events including picnics and family-friendly activities.

“The Kahlert Foundation is serving a vital need in advancing T1D research as well as providing the opportunity for those living with and managing the disease to connect and learn from T1D experts and one another,” said Cathy Chisholm, Breakthrough T1D chapter interim executive director. “We are extremely grateful to the Kahlert family for their continuing generosity which is moving us closer to a world without type 1 diabetes.”