A GOOD FOUNDATION THE NEWSLETTER OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
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We need look no further than the story of the founding of Meharry or Vanderbilt or Cheekwood. We need only pause and marvel at the generosity of the Frists when they led the building of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts; the Ingrams when they led the creation of the Ingram Cancer Center and Currey Ingram School; the Turners whose Laura Turner Concert Hall lies at the heart of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center; the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital and the Eskind Biomedical Library at Vanderbilt; the Burtons’ devotion to Lipscomb and the McWhorters’ and Inmans’ kindness to Belmont; Jack Massey’s support for the Mental Health Association; Leah Rose Werthan’s dedication to the elderly ... I could go on for pages, but you get the idea. ...
This community has been blessed … for generations … by a succession of people willing to invest in its well-being and the well-being of its citizens. We have been living in a golden age! Everywhere you look there are buildings named for individuals who cared. Nonprofits founded by individuals and supported by others abound.
Their leadership and their largesse — and that of SO many others — have made this community strong and stable. What will happen, however, when those who are still with us die? Who will pick up the mantle? Who will step up to continue the work to ensure that the nonprofit sector has what it needs to serve our community? Will it be their children? Will it be you? Will this community’s next generations follow in the footsteps of those who
THE NEXT GENERATION
OF PHILANTHROPY
came before? Who will continue to serve as our community’s conscience, reminding us all that we are only as good as the least among us? That issue has been one that has consumed a lot of The Community Foundation’s attention over our first 25 years. And one we continue to grapple with as we enter our second 25 years. How can we continue to make giving customized, comfortable, convenient and cost-effective? How can we help put the joy back in giving for people who have great hearts but may or may not have great wealth? How can we make sure donors feel good about what they can do, instead of bad about what they can’t do? What follows are stories about the wide range of ways in which we’ve already been able to help the next generation of donors help others. We hope you are as inspired by them as we are. And we hope that when you have something YOU want to do to help your neighbors and your community, you will call us and let us help you accomplish your goals. ELLEN LEHMAN,
President, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
NEXT GENERATION FUND ESTABLISHED 2016 Generous families often take the time to plan ahead as the transfer of business holdings and intergenerational wealth loom. Some are sparked by retirement; some by estate planning; and some by illness. But all are motivated by a continuous and continuing devotion to
Throughout the year, The Community Foundation
community and to leaving this world better than they found it.
helps guide a younger generation of philanthropists in THE SHEAR LOVE FUND
the process of setting up funds targeting their passion
ESTABLISHED 2013
and fulfilling their desire to make an impact. A handful
Jessica Oram has seen firsthand the continuing
of the funds highlighted within this season’s newsletter
needs of women in unfortunate circumstances.
provide insight into the wide variety of causes that
As the owner/hairstylist at Jessica Oram Salon,
inspire the next generation of givers to continue the
for women by giving free haircuts that lift their
Jessica volunteers at transitional living facilities spirits and build their self-esteem. She donates
work of making Middle Tennessee strong.
10% of her work income to The Shear Love Fund to help support nonprofits that help women in adverse situations, as they return to the workforce, battle illness, etc. The Fund assists Nashville shelters with funding to supply personal, educational, and household needs as they provide safe places for women and families to get back on their feet.
MATTHEWS MISSION FUND ESTABLISHED 2016 The Matthews Mission Fund, established in 2016 by Jordan Matthews, standout Philadelphia Eagles and former Vanderbilt wide receiver, works with communities to FEED: Feed the hungry, Educate the children, Empower the family, and Donate to those in need.
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