Legacies of love
This year The Community Foundation will celebrate its 30th anniversary. In those 30 years, thousands of people have come to the Foundation with one goal – to give back to the community they love. In our history, more than 6,500+ people have given to TCF. Each and every person has gone above and beyond to show they care for Hancock County in a way that establishes a meaningful legacy.
The very first of the 6,500 was Marathon Petroleum Corporation. In 1992 when the Foundation was officially established, Marathon generously established the first fund. In those 30 years, they’ve continued to support the Foundation in addition to many other nonprofits throughout Hancock County. The Marathon Petroleum Company Fund has supported health and wellness, diversity, mental health, and more in that time.
Sterling and Meredith Pfeiffer established the Pfeiffer Family Fund with a charitable lead trust in 1995. The Pfeiffers made Findlay their home in the 1950s and were generous donors and volunteers. Both had a strong sense of civic duty to give back to their community, which led them to the Foundation. The Pfeiffer Family Fund has supported housing, parks, youth, education and more.
Gertrude Anderson created two funds in 1995 and a third in 1998. These funds were established to support designated organizations she was passionate about for 20 years. Then, they were converted to unrestricted funds to support the community more broadly. These funds have supported the arts, food security, safety and more.
Above are just three examples of donors in the Foundation’s history. A corporation, a family and an individual. They all come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but have one thing in common: love for their community. Their gifts will forever support a community they love and make a difference now and forever.
At the Foundation, we focus on legacy and long-term impact. As a lifelong resident of Findlay, I’m proud to be leading an organization that can help anyone create their legacy. Do you want to support youth? Do you have a love for animals? Do you have a particular nonprofit you want to make sure has permanent funding? We can help. No matter what you love in our community, we can help you establish support that will last generations.
Love can be shown in so many ways. The Foundation can help with the financial ways, like starting a fund or contributing to an existing fund. But there are so many others. Volunteer to help an organization or cause you’re passionate about. help your neighbor by shoveling snow or doing yard work, or simply spending time with someone. However you choose to show your love, it makes our community better.
The Community Foundation can help you leave a legacy for not just the next 30 years, but forever. As a community, we are at our best when we work together. Every act of love brings us closer together.
This editorial was originally printed in The Courier Monday, February 14, 2022.
