Butch and Kate Fuss: Honoring a Legacy of Care Through the Bryan-Trask Foundation
For Butch and Kate Fuss, meaningful giving begins with paying attention to need and responding with intention. Through the Bryan-Trask Foundation, the married couple has helped extend care and dignity to children, families, and communities across several states. In 2025, that commitment led them to Bridge & Beyond, an emergency shelter serving foster children in Southwest Florida.
The Fuss family first learned about Bridge & Beyond through a local news segment highlighting the opening of the new foster care shelter. At the time, the couple was in the midst of transitioning a longtime friend’s estate into what is now the Bryan-Trask Foundation. As they listened and learned more, the mission stood out.
“We love kids,” Butch shared. “And once we started learning about the need for foster care in Lee and Collier counties, it just made sense to take a closer look.”
After connecting with Lutheran Services Florida staff and touring the facility, Butch and Kate were deeply impressed. They learned that while the shelter was beautiful and thoughtfully designed, a critical infrastructure limitation was preventing it from operating at full capacity. The septic tank system needed to be upgraded before additional children could be housed safely.
In response, the Bryan-Trask Foundation awarded a $40,000 grant in 2025 to fund the septic system upgrade, allowing Bridge & Beyond to serve more foster children who are awaiting placement with families.
“This gift addressed a critical need at exactly the right time,” said Angela DeVore, Executive Program Director at Lutheran Services Florida. “Because of the Bryan-Trask Foundation’s generosity, we are able to welcome more children into a safe, stable environment while they wait for loving foster families. Their support directly translates into more stability and better care for children during one of the most uncertain moments of their lives.”
For the Fusses, the decision aligned perfectly with the foundation’s purpose. The Bryan-Trask Foundation was created to carry out the philanthropic wishes of their late friend William Murphy Bryan, affectionately known as Bingo. Bingo believed strongly in helping children, individuals in crisis, and animals, and he entrusted Butch with ensuring that his generosity would continue well beyond his lifetime.
“Being able to help children have a safe place to sleep, especially during such a vulnerable time in their lives, is exactly what this foundation is meant to do,” Butch said.
Kate echoed that sentiment, noting how often one act of generosity inspires another. She has seen firsthand how sharing stories of impact encourages others to ask how they can help, too.
The need Bridge & Beyond addresses is both urgent and ongoing. In Southwest Florida, children entering foster care have at times been forced to sleep on office floors, police stations, or temporary cots simply because there was nowhere else for them to go. Emergency shelters like Bridge & Beyond provide stability, safety, and consistency during moments of profound upheaval.
Through their generosity, Butch and Kate Fuss and the Bryan-Trask Foundation are helping ensure that more children have a bed, a roof, and a sense of calm while they wait for their next chapter to begin.
Their gift is more than an infrastructure upgrade. It is an investment in dignity, compassion, and the belief that every child deserves a safe place to land.
To learn more about Bridge and Beyond, visit https://www.lsffamilyfocus.org/bridge-and-beyond
