Since 2011, the Kikel estate has given more than $8 million to Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley and, this year, an additional $1 million from the trust is supporting a variety of projects and initiatives.
      Angela, Josephine and Jenny Kikel, of 4718 Brookwood Rd., Boardman, were sisters who shared their resources and a common desire to help children in their community. They lived modestly, saved consistently and invested wisely, accumulating a surprisingly significant estate.
      The sisters passed away within one year of each other between 1997 and 1998 but, before their passing, established an estate plan that designated support for children in Mahoning Valley.
      The Kikel Charitable Trust is administered by Farmers Trust Company. This year, an additional $1 million from the trust is supporting these Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley projects:
       •Akron Children’s Health Center, Warren – This local facility brings general and specialty pediatric services to families in the Warren community.
       •The Mahoning Valley Food Farmacy – Many patients and their families suffer from food insecurity. The Food Farmacy offers fresh and pantry-staple food at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley.
       •Outpatient Pharmacy – This pharmacy makes it easier for caregivers to get prescriptions when bringing their children to the facility for illness, treatments and other services.
       •Greatest areas of need – Some of the gift will go toward patient care, education and research – foundations of continuous growth and improvement at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley.
      “Nearly three decades after their deaths, Angela, Josephine and Jenny Kikel continue to make a positive impact on the lives of children in their community,” said Chris Gessner, CEO and president of Akron Children’s. “Their philanthropic spirit and financial foresight have played a significant role in the expansion of services and added to the vibrancy of our Mahoning Valley campus. We strive to be the very best stewards of their investment.”
      The pediatric surgery unit at Akron Children’s in Boardman, that opened in October, 2010, honors the three sisters as it is named The Kikel Center for Pediatric Surgery.
      The donation is from an accumulation of earnings of the Kikel Trust, that about $14 million in assets, since Tod Children’s Hospital, the former beneficiary of half of the trust’s annual earnings, closed July 1, 2007.
      A March, 2011 decision by Mahoning County Probate Court Judge Mark Belinky, allows Akron Children’s to receive Tod Children’s share of the earnings from the Kikel Trust, that is shared equally with St. Elizabeth Health Center.