AUBURN — Dick Kendall knew how to give away money in a way that was generous and strategic, careful and caring.

“He had a kind of sympathetic, careful eye to say, ‘Is this an organization just waiting for a little bit of encouragement and support?” said Bill Hiss, who succeeded Kendall as chairman of the the Maine Community Foundation’s Androscoggin County Committee.

For 15 years, the organization has been making small-to-moderate-sized grants to charities across the county.

Again and again, Kendall seemed to find the charities that needed a hand and could draw momentum from the gift, Hiss said.

“He just had a gentle, encouraging, but very wise way of doing this work,” Hiss said. “He trained us all.”

When Kendall died in August 2013 at 90, he left a legacy of charities that thrive, Hiss said.

That legacy is growing.

On Sept. 10, the county committee plans to host a celebration of Kendall’s life and unveil details of the new Dick Kendall Fund for Androscoggin County.

The Bethel-based Betterment Fund has made a $25,000 matching grant to the Androscoggin County Committee. To collect the whole amount, the committee must raise at least $25,000 in donations.

“We’re trying to raise the $25,000 and hopefully a good deal more,” Hiss said.

Part of the Sept. 10 celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lost Valley Ski Center in Auburn will be a plea for money. It will also be an acknowledgement of Kendall’s accomplishments, complete with a slide presentation hosted by his friend Chip Morrison, president of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re hoping that people who wish to support the Kendall fund with a gift will come, but also we hope members of organizations, which have received support, will come.”

There were so many.

Raised in Augusta, Kendall graduated in 1941 from Cony High School. He married his high school sweetheart, Mary Briggs. They had eight children.

When Kendall began working for Bates Manufacturing, the growing family moved to Auburn. They settled at Brookside Farm, which remains the Kendall family home.

Kendall later worked as director of personnel for Union Mutual Life Insurance Co., then started his own business specializing in manufacturing and printing accounting forms. Maine Ventures, doing business as Veribest Systems, grew to 64 employees and a plant on Merrow Road.

“His job was being a businessman,” Hiss said. “Helping charities was a hobby.”

Besides the county committee, he volunteered for a collection of organizations, boards and charities, including the chamber, United Way, Auburn-Lewiston YMCA and Central Maine SCORE. He also helped establish the Lewiston-Auburn Youth Court.

“I knew him mostly as a really good neighbor who opened up all of his property to schools for cross-country skiing and other activities,” said Tamara Grieshaber, who serves on the county committee.

“We decided to create something on our own for him, she said. “This is our turn to recognize him for all of the things he has done.”

The biggest effects will be found among the groups that have been helped by the county fund, from Tree Street Youth and the Trinity Jubilee Center to The Public Theatre, the Androscoggin Land Trust and the Boys and Girls clubs.

The fund typically gives away between $20,000 and $30,000 in grants each year. Most are relatively small, running from $500 to $5,000.

“We’re not making grants to build buildings with,” Hiss said. Rather, the charity merely tries to help where it can and, as much as it can, make a difference. It’s something Kendall believed in, he said.

“Dick was a remarkable man who cared deeply — deeply — about Androscoggin County and its people,” Hiss said.

dhartill@sunjournal.com