New Albany Community Foundation 2014 Annual Report

Building the most respected community in America 2014

ANNUAL REPORT

Fellow Foundation Donors & Community Members: New Albany is an extraordinary community. I know this because a former British Prime Minister, American President, Secretary of State and multiple Pulitzer Prize winners have said so when they visited our community at the invitation of The New Albany Community Foundation.

As Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees, I have had the pleasure of watching the Foundation’s leadership role in the community grow over the years. Today, it plays an instrumental role in New Albany emerging as one of the great communities anywhere. Indeed, the Foundation’s mission is to build the most respected community in America.

We accomplish this through partnerships that generate resources for transformational investments in education, health, the arts and environment. Toward that end and through its donors, the Foundation led efforts to build the New Albany branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, to build and endow the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, to establish New Albany’s Safety Town Program, to fund the school district’s Benchmarking Excellence initiative and to offer unique programming such as

The Jefferson Series lectures and the school’s author residency program. Those are just a few of the many projects and programs championed by the Foundation.

With Appreciation

Previous chairs of The New Albany Community Foundation Board of Trustees

We not only invest in transformational projects for the community, we work hand in hand with other community leaders to identify and advance shared community aspirations in a collaborative fashion.

None of this would be possible without the continued generosity of so many families, companies and organizations in the community. They share our commitment to building an extraordinary community, and we remain grateful to them.

With that in mind, I invite you to peruse the annual report that follows. While we cannot feature every grant, every project or every donor, we wanted to highlight just some of the people who are positively impacting our community and how they are doing it.

David Ryan and Carl English

With appreciation,

Michael DeAscentis, Jr., Chair Board of Trustees Rich Ramsey, Barbara Siemer, Jack Kessler, Cindy Hilsheimer and Michael DeAscentis, Jr.

“I am astounded by the breadth of vision that created this community and by the philanthropic work that you continue to do.”

President Bill Clinton, 2012 Remarkable Evening

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Valued Donors, Residents & Community and Business Leaders: The New Albany Community Foundation has served at the intersection of incredible generosity, visionary leadership and unique collaborations. With strong leadership from city, school and township leaders, visionary planning from Les Wexner and The New Albany Company, unprecedented volunteerism from dedicated residents and strong partnerships from the business community, New Albany is emerging as a model community.

The Foundation is proud to serve our donors and to partner with these stakeholders in realizing New Albany’s potential.

We believe truly extraordinary communities represent much more than beautiful places with economic vitality. We believe the experiences that enrich our lives will differentiate New Albany. For that reason, the Foundation focuses its resources on: • Lifelong learning • Healthful living • Cultural enrichment • Environmental sustainability Through our donors and partners, the Foundation has advanced several transformational community initiatives, such as the library, arts center, The Jefferson Series lectures, student lectures, author residencies for students and Healthy New Albany.

But our vision extends well beyond these.

With respect to lifelong learning, we envision The Jefferson Series lectures growing, with more panel discussions and perhaps residencies through which guest lecturers

spend time interacting with students, residents and business leaders. Imagine former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussing foreign policy in New Albany, but as a panelist with other former Secretaries of State. Or imagine historian James Bradley in residence, leading evening discussions with students and adults.

In the arts, through Foundation support, the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts presents a performance series of a quality rarely experienced in such an intimate venue and in a small community.

A film series is being planned thanks to a significant gift from the Mershad family to purchase equipment to support a highquality viewer experience. We envision expanded cultural programming offered at a new outdoor amphitheater. The Hinson family brought this vision a step closer to reality with a generous legacy gift. Together, the McCoy Center theaters and amphitheater will allow New Albany to host festivals.

Imagine performances in music, theater or film offered at multiple venues simultaneously. The opportunities are exciting.

In the area of health, the Foundation teamed with Dr. Phil Heit to launch Healthy New Albany. Dr. Heit and his army of volunteers already have transformed New Albany through the farmers market, community garden, health-focused lectures and more. Today, an innovative health center known as the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany is taking shape that will further expand health offerings to residents, students and employees in our community. Healthy New Albany, in collaboration with The Ohio State

University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, will bring personalized, preventative health care in New Albany to the forefront.

With all of these exciting projects progressing, New Albany’s Village Center will be transformed. Imagine a cultural district, health district, educational district and retail district all connected. And within this vibrant core, New Albany residents, employees and students will enjoy quality educational, cultural and health programming year-round.

So while the Foundation has accomplished much in recent years, we believe there is so much more to come. With our partners and through our donors, we look forward to making it happen and we invite you to be part of it.

Sincerely,

J. Craig Mohre President

In 2014 alone, Foundation donors made possible $2 million in grants to support transformative initiatives in education, health, the arts and the environment.

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Grantmaking Lifelong Learning

The library was where it all began.

Building a library in New Albany had always been on a list of to-dos. Unfortunately, state funding cuts meant the project had been shelved indefinitely—until The New Albany Community Foundation teamed with leaders at the Columbus Metropolitan Library to raise the money for the book collections and computers.

It was the Foundation’s first large project and the impetus behind its now-legendary annual fundraiser, Remarkable Evening.

Historian David McCullough was the keynote speaker for the event, and the goal was to raise $1 million toward the collection.

The Foundation raised $1.2 million.

One year later, McCullough returned to help dedicate the library. In 2013, the library’s circulation was about 900,000, making it the eighth most used branch in the system.

In addition, the Foundation and the New Albany Women’s Network banded together to support a Homework Help Center in the library, which was visited 5,428 times in 2013.

Each year, renowned speakers take the stage at Remarkable Evening, at student lectures and at the new Jefferson Series. Speakers have included biographers Walter Isaacson and Doris Kearns Goodwin, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

On tap for the 2014–2015 Jefferson Series season are CNN host and Time magazine Editor-at-Large Fareed Zakaria, bestselling author and food journalist Michael Pollan, some of the finest planners in the world assembled 25 years ago by Les Wexner, and U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn— all of whom are sure to be inspirations to those who attend. Instead of having a separate education foundation dedicated to supporting the schools, the Foundation funnels hundreds of thousands of dollars

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to the New Albany–Plain Local School District via grants.

A recent $50,000 grant, including $25,000 from Corna Kokosing Construction, supported the district’s “Benchmarking Excellence” initiative. Led by the school board and Superintendent April Domine, the district studied best practices of districts all over the country. The findings led to the creation of goals to make New Albany into a learning environment that is both adaptive and innovative.

Arts and Culture New Albany High School musicals, Junior Broadway shows, community bands, a symphony, a ballet.

The heart of New Albany’s arts scene is the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, the result of a public-private partnership including the school district, the city of New Albany, Plain Township, The New Albany Company and the Foundation. The McCoy Center was conceived as an answer to the need for both a school auditorium and a community center.

And the Foundation played a central role advancing the project.

Since it opened in 2008, the center has exceeded community expectations. In addition to New Albany groups, the McCoy Center hosts central Ohio performers as well as national and international acts.

Facility schedulers estimate that more

than 900 events or activities happen in the building each year, which averages to about three events daily.

Endowments set up through the Foundation ensure that the center will always be able to present top-tier programming. Today, those endowments total more than $7.5 million.

In addition, the Foundation supports individual arts organizations, such as the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and the New Albany Arts Council. The arts council’s annual Junior Broadway productions give young thespians the chance to hone their acting, singing and dancing onstage.

The New Albany Ballet Company each December presents The Nutcracker at the McCoy Center.

Recent grants include $10,800 to the New Albany Arts Council for the Junior Broadway production of The Little Mermaid, $80,000 to the McCoy Center for a concert grand piano and $320,000 annually to the McCoy Center for programming.

“I really have a feeling about what this community is all about, having spent this day here, having talked to students this afternoon at the high school who asked remarkably good questions, and I think in our country as a whole, there is such a hunger for community, and you people have created it here. So I’m delighted to be a small part of that.”

Doris Kearns Goodwin, 2006 Remarkable Evening

Health

Sustainability

The opening of the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany in January 2015 is just the next step on the way to the goal of making New Albany the healthiest city in America.

Foliage, fields, flowing streams and historic buildings: The features that set New Albany apart are worth preserving.

That is the belief that drives the Foundation’s commitment to maintain both the community’s natural resources and its architectural history.

Heit, the Center’s namesake and a retired Ohio State University professor, used his experience as an original organizer of the New York Marathon to launch the New Albany Walking Club and its signature event, the New Albany Walking Classic. In the decade since the event began, 36,600 people from 40 states and four countries have walked the streets of our community —a total of 231,500 miles.

Heit turned to the Foundation to help convene nonprofit Healthy New Albany and to build an endowment to support its health initiatives. The grassroots organization, through its army of volunteers, created a community garden, a farmers market, a magazine and a lecture series, which have sparked the passion of residents and everyone who hears about the community’s innovative approach to health.

Forward-thinking city leaders saw an opportunity to bring expanded health offerings to the residents and employees while at the same time activating more private investment in the village center. This led to the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, and in doing so brought together OSU’s Wexner Medical Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Healthy New Albany. It combines fitness with personalized health care in a unique way to empower members to take control of their own wellness and stay healthy.

The Foundation’s commitment to health also is reflected by the instrumental role it played in launching New Albany’s Safety Town, which has taught thousands of preschoolers the basics of water, fire, pedestrian, bicycle, animal and school bus safety. The Foundation convened the New Albany Police Department, Plain Township Fire Department and funders like the New Albany Women’s Network.

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The Foundation is working with environmental leaders to bring The Ohio State University’s Solar House to the school’s nature preserve. The house, constructed by Ohio State students, placed in the top 10 of the 2009 Solar Decathlon.

The decathlon house will find a new identity as the Easton-OSU STEM and Nature Center and will sit at the entrance of the 85-acre nature preserve. Donations from the Easton Community Foundation, Battelle, the city of New Albany and several other corporations and individuals have helped the Foundation near its goal of raising $150,000 to reassemble and upgrade the house to showcase the latest innovations in renewable energy and complete the project in 2015.

Running through New Albany’s historic downtown, Rose Run Stream was once condemned as hazardous. Foundation donors funded a study that led to $2.5 million in grants to clean up the waterway and create a park along the stream’s edge. The school district and city recently received another grant from the EPA to improve the section downstream of the park.

“I have read about The New Albany Community Foundation. I think the greatest philanthropy for any community always has at its core a focus on the future. It builds for progress. And it’s motivated by the aspiration of the community to do better and be better; and it’s driven usually by the spirit of present possibility and future hope. And The New Albany Foundation represents that focus, and drive and spirit as well as any organization there is. So when I look at the range of activities—education, and the arts and cultural well-being, the environment—I mean, this is what will decide the future for this community, and that future seems pretty bright.

And The New Albany Foundation is the light that makes it shine.

So congratulations to everybody involved in the Foundation.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair, 2013 Remarkable Evening

Donor Profile Jackie and Ken Krebs

Since they moved to New Albany in 1997, Jackie and Ken Krebs had been very involved in the community—giving of both their time and money to support programs and causes they identified with.

Ken is a founding partner as well as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for private equity firm Rockbridge. Rockbridge organizes an annual hospitality conference centered around Pelotonia and will have contributed about $350,000 to the cause in 2014, a remarkable feat for a company with fewer than 70 employees, Ken says.

The Krebs are still contributing to their family fund and plan to use some of the money to support additional school causes— both education and athletics.

They view their donations as a

But a few years ago, the couple took the next step and decided to set up a family fund with the Foundation. The Krebs, whose three children all attended New Albany–Plain Local Schools, made a $160,000 donation toward the turf field installed in Eagle Stadium in 2013.

It was the Krebs who chose the name “Veterans Field” as a tribute to both Jackie’s father and Ken’s father, who were members of the military, as well as to other friends and neighbors who have served in the armed forces. In addition to the naming rights, the Krebs also asked that veterans be allowed free tickets to sporting events held at the field.

“It was something we thought would not only support what we thought would be a great asset in the community, but would do it in a way that would honor veterans, and I think that also reflects well on our community,” Ken says.

Since the field was dedicated, the Krebs try to attend as many home games as they can. In the warmer months, Jackie spends a lot of time volunteering with nonprofit Healthy New Albany as president of the New Albany Community Garden board and as a co-manager of the New Albany Farmers Market.

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way to show their gratitude for all the community has given to them and say the Foundation is a huge help in connecting donors to causes they’re interested in.

“The Foundation has played a tremendous role [in New Albany]. It gives an opportunity for families like ours and others to give back … and you can do it in a way that I think is strategic,” Ken says. “[Craig Mohre] knows if you have a special interest in something and he can point out to you where your money might be most effective. The Foundation is a great facilitator and a conduit for bettering the community as a whole.”

Funds Fuel the Work

The New Albany Community Foundation exists to support the philanthropic goals of its donors. Many generous individuals, families, organizations and corporations have established funds to support our community. We are grateful to the following donors: General Philanthropy

Abercrombie & Fitch Fund Keith and Cindy Berend Family Fund Charlie and Shannan Dankworth Fund DeAscentis Family Fund Fixari Family Endowment Fund Jo Ann and Scott Johnson Family Fund John W. Kessler Fund Krebs Family Fund Lucas Family Foundation Fund Paul and Jennifer Naumoff Fund New Albany Community Foundation Fund New Albany Realty Association Fund New Albany Women’s Network Endowment Fund Tween Brands Fund

Arts and Culture Jody and Joel Altschule Fund Ron Cadieux and Sandy Raines Family Fund Clan Cameron Art Center Fund Endowment for Arts and Sciences Program Fund C. Charleen Hinson Fund Ralph A. Johnson Endowment Fund Lucas Arts Programming Endowment Fund

Helena McComb Memorial Endowment Fund Mershad Family Fund New Albany Symphony Orchestra Fund Ellen and David Ryan Fund for Arts and Sciences Ryan Family Fund Patricia and Yaromir Steiner Fund Arlene and Michael Weiss Endowment Fund

Education

Huntington Bank Fund New Albany Athletic Boosters Turf Field Fund

Environment and Preservation

New Albany–Plain Township Historical Society Sustaining Fund Sustainable Earth-William H. Resch Endowment Fund

The Kathryn Borghi Memorial Fund Captain Carwash Entrepreneurial Enrichment Fund Connor and Avery Hinson Fund New Albany Branch Library Fund New Albany Education Foundation Fund Jon Pryor Environment Scholarship Fund Christine and Jeffrey Rodek Fund Leslie Wexner Leadership Academy Fund Carolyn and Lance White Fund

Health and Wellness

New Albany Surgical Hospital Foundation Fund Healthy New Albany Walking Club Fund Philip and Sheryl Heit Fund

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Remarkable Evening

Each year the Foundation hosts its annual fundraiser, Remarkable Evening. This year’s event will feature the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Our generous donors to the 12th annual event include: PRESENTING SPONSORS The Berend Family &

SPEAKER UNDERWRITER AND HOST The Wexner Family PREMIER PATRONS

Columbus Partnership / Columbus 2020 Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. The Daimler Group, Inc. The DeAscentis Family Easton Community Foundation The Scott & Jo Ann Johnson Family Foundation KeyBank M/I Homes Foundation Cindy & Scott Monroe Nationwide Olah Healthcare Martin Savko / Nickolas Savko & Sons Barbara & Al Siemer - Siemer Family Foundation

PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY

Anomatic Corporation* Hinson Family Trust* The Ohio State University & The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center* Marci & Bill Ingram* Red Roof Inn* Chris & Jeff Rodek* Drs. Jamie & Steve Allen Anasis Family Fund Dr. Jeffrey & Sheryl Angart Anonymous Axium Plastics Linda & Don Barger Mitzi & Phil Barrett Cindy & Evan Beane Jewel & Frank Benson The Bonadies Family Venetia & Chuck Bramlage Lenore & Max Brown Delaney & Stuart Burgdoerfer Jennifer & Tom Butler Capitol Square, Ltd. Dr. Carol L. Clinton – Timeless Skin Solutions 10 • The New Albany Community Foundation

The Comisar Family Shannan & Charlie Dankworth Marie & Bob Dawes Amy Hauk & Scott Dehm Karen & Irv Dennis The Barbara W. & Philip R. Derrow Family Foundation Carrie & Brandon Dupler Tami & Bill Ebbing EMH&T Fifth Third Bank Dawn & Randall Franz State Representative Anne Gonzales Laura & Paul Greenland, Aetna Building Maintenance Andrea & Mike Gross Sheryl & Phil Heit Laurie & Thomas W. Hill Cindy & Larry Hilsheimer Marsha & Scott Hinsch, Jr. Suzie & David Hirsh Jay Hirsh Elizabeth McNellie & Jonathan Iten Penny & Rick Jackson Matt Kallner KDC Columbus Charlotte & Jack Kessler Jackie & Ken Krebs Renee & Gary LeDonne Bobbi & Rob Lucas Suzanne & Jonathan Lucas Marie-Luise & Michael Marx In memory of Tiney M. McComb by Debra L. McComb Deborah & Jeffrey Milks, Personal MD Mary & Jeff Mitchell Mark Moorehead / Moorehead Design Karen & Jon Morgan The Motorists Insurance Group Dr. Robert & Candice Nowinski David C. Olmstead PNC

Doug Preisse - Van Meter, Ashbrook & Associates Patty & Doug Probst Jane & Rich Ramsey Lynne & Martyn Redgrave Kathryne & Kevin Reeves Robert A.M. Stern Architects Val & Ronnie Robinson Rocky Fork Company Erin & Tyler Rogers Katie & Timothy Rooney Sarah & Mark Ryan Marcy & Jonathan Schaffir The Sekulovski Family Dr. & Mrs. Andrew and Sue Skasko Lynne & Steve Smith Joy & Bruce Soll The Adam C. Spiess Family Jane & Tim Stehle Patricia & Yaromir Steiner Patti & Steve Steinour The Strategy Group Company Deborah & Daryl Sybert, DO Patti & Ron Sykes Cathy Taub Linda B. & J. Scott Taylor The TJX Companies, Inc. Judy & Steve Tuckerman Sharen & Charles Turney Cindy & Kirt Walker Arlene & Michael Weiss Zibbi & B. J. Wentz Carolyn & Lance White Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Whitman Jennie & Mark Wilson Susan & Larry Winter Ann & John F. Wolfe Janice & Herbert Wolman - Insurance Office of Central Ohio Kathy & Jay Worly Edward & Ellen Yen Family Fund Kimberly K. & James D. Zifer

THE JEFFERSON SOCIETY

Jules & Mark Alexandrunas Teresa & John Archer Janice & Dan Bailey Mary Jane & Rick Bayer Lorrie & Mike Durik Bill Fannin Susan Gordon, Richard Hall & Family Dr. Michael & Joyce Hallet Lynn & Keith Karr Margaret McDonald-Kelly & Mark Kelly Mauricha & Gregory Marcussen Jennifer & Marc Miriello Neal Hauschild & Jeff Ramm Janet & Rick Remiker Raquel & Jesse Thomas Kate & Tony Thomas Dr. & Mrs. David Whitt * Designates multiple gifts at this level

The McCoy Award The late Jeanne and John G. McCoy’s lifelong dedication to community service is powerful and inspiring. Their legendary record of philanthropy—in education, health, social services and the arts—has transformed and strengthened our community. Through their generosity they have made a difference in the lives of thousands of people, but perhaps their most important legacy will be the many generations of philanthropists and community leaders they have inspired.

Established in 2004 by The New Albany Community Foundation, the Jeanne and John G. McCoy Community Service Award recognizes a person or persons who through their contributions and community service have made a significant, positive impact on the New Albany community.

2004 Jeanne and John G. McCoy 2005 Janet Atwater Founder, New Albany Women’s Network 2006 Dr. Ralph Johnson Past Superintendent, New Albany–Plain Local Schools 2007 Bill Resch Environmental Teacher & Advocate 2008 Donald Cameron Plain Township Trustee & Community Leader 2009 Dr. Phil Heit Founder, Healthy New Albany, New Albany Walking Classic & Walking Club

2010 The Ryan Family: Ellen, David, Sarah and Mark Philanthropists & Community Advocates 2011 Tiney McComb Founder & Chairman, Heartland Bank 2012 Robert H. Schottenstein Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer & President of M/I Homes, Inc. 2013 John W. Kessler Chairman, The New Albany Company Co-founder, Past Chair & Emeritus Trustee, The New Albany Community Foundation

The New Albany Community Foundation • 11

A new program of The New Albany Community Foundation Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s appreciation for lifelong learning and encouraged by the success of the Remarkable Evening lectures, the Foundation established The Jefferson Series, a collection of stimulating forums featuring some of the world’s most compelling and esteemed thinkers of our time. Named for the man who spoke often and eloquently of the benefits to society in disseminating knowledge and supporting education, this series invites each citizen and student, as Thomas Jefferson proposed, to “light his taper at mine… that ideas should freely spread from one to another…”

Through the support of generous donors and as part of the Foundation’s effort to provide lifelong learning opportunities, the series debuted in the first quarter of 2014 and featured a

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rich diversity of distinguished speakers in various formats at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.

The Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generous donors who have made the first two seasons of The Jefferson Series possible.

Aetna American Electric Power Louis Beck Corna Kokosing Kaufman Development Charlotte & Jack Kessler

NAI Ohio Equities, LLC Lynne & Martyn Redgrave Chris & Jeff Rodek Ruscilli Construction Co., Inc. Ellen & David Ryan Family

The New Albany Community Foundation • 13

Board of Trustees

220 Market Street Suite 205 New Albany, Ohio 43054 614.939.8150 newalbanyfoundation.org

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Keith R. Berend, MD Senior Partner, Joint Implant Surgeons, Inc. CEO, White Fence Surgical Suites Scott Bracale President, Tween Brands Agency, Inc. Stuart Burgdoerfer Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer L Brands, Inc. Michael J. DeAscentis, Jr. Chief Executive Officer, Lifestyle Communities Board Chair Philip Heit, Ph.D. Founder, Healthy New Albany, New Albany Walking Classic & Walking Club Cindy Hilsheimer Principal & Founder, BeecherHill

Michael Marx President, New World Van Lines of Ohio Ira Sharfin President & CEO, Continental Office Environments Sanjay Singh Community Leader Patti Steinour Community Leader Board Secretary Kirt A. Walker President, Nationwide Financial Board Treasurer Dennis E. Welch Executive Vice President & Chief External Officer, American Electric Power Board Vice-Chair

Richard P. Lavin CEO, Commercial Vehicle Group

Ex-Officio Board Members April Domine, Ed.D. Superintendent, New Albany–Plain Local Schools

J. Craig Mohre President, The New Albany Community Foundation

David W. Ferguson President, Plain Township Board of Trustees

Angela Parsons Associate Director of Planned Giving, The Columbus Foundation

Nancy Ivers Ferguson Mayor, New Albany

David J. Ryan Past Chair & Emeritus Trustee, The New Albany Community Foundation

John W. Kessler Chairman, The New Albany Company Co-founder, Past Chair & Emeritus Trustee, The New Albany Community Foundation The Foundation is grateful to the many photographers whose images appear in this report, including Scott Cunningham, Tucker Day, Sara Knight and Lorn Spolter.

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Mark Ryan President, New Albany–Plain Local Schools Board of Education

New Albany is “extraordinary.”

—The late Wendy Wasserstein, Playwright An excerpt from her 2006 lecture at the New Albany Community Foundation’s Remarkable Evening benefit.

“I can’t tell you what it’s like to wake up in New York City as a playwright, alone in your apartment looking at a dismal day, thinking, ‘How do I live as a playwright?

How do I get my plays done? How can I concentrate? The phone is ringing.’ And suddenly I’m flown to this place where everyone is talking about community.

It’s the most extraordinary experience. Suddenly I’m at this place where money is being raised for a performing arts center, and money was raised for a library, and people are talking about the wonderfulness of the schools, and I’m thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?

What is going on here?’

This is extraordinary.

And that is a community. There is nothing like creating the strength of a community.

Because it is live. It is the most humane thing you can do. So to come to a place where people are talking about community in their lives, and creating a new one, has The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts really been a uniquely uplifting experience for me. And I’m really grateful to everyone in this room. Because it has made me optimistic. And, for a New Yorker, that’s hard.

So I can’t wait to go home, call my cynical ironic friends, and say, ‘You’re not going to believe this. I’m optimistic. And it’s about New Albany.’”

The Village of

New Albany Established 1837

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