Capper Foundation Founded On Christmas Day! (1920)

At Capper Foundation, we have a special reason to be jolly this holiday season. Christmas day of this year will mark the official date of our 100th anniversary!

Our story began when Arthur Capper (before he was a Senator or Governor), continuing his longtime ritual, sent a car adorned with a reindeer head and boughs of holly to deliver Christmas gifts to the less fortunate children of Topeka. His composing room foreman at The Topeka State Journal, Con Van Natta, helped with these merry outings.

During one such outing on Dec. 25, 1920, Con saw something he couldn’t shake — children with disabilities with noses pressed to their windows, unable to come outside and participate.

Later, when Con told Arthur about these children, his response was resolute: “Get the best surgeons you can find and the best hospital. Go to the office for the money you need. I shall expect you to begin at once.”

The rest is history. That was how The Capper Fund for Crippled Children was born out of the Christmas spirit and evolved into the Capper Foundation as we know it today, reaching countless children and adults statewide over the last 100 years.

As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we wish you a wonderful holiday season, from all of us at Capper Foundation! To watch a masterful film sharing the story of our founding, visit our 100th Anniversary Gala webpage and look for “A Reenactment of Capper Foundation’s Origin Story and Legacy.”