MCF Scholarship Recipient Update

"I received the Marie Adamson scholarship in 2015. I am now in my second year at UCLA as an aerospace engineer and I love it. There are endless opportunities for me here. I am on the board of the student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and I am a member of the Rocket Project at UCLA. With these activities, I have been able to learn professional and hands on skills. Outside of the classroom I’m a member of the Club Water Ski and Wakeboard team and I get to travel all over the western region and compete against other schools. This summer I plan to intern with Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C.

Although I love it here in Southern California, I would not be here without everyone in Marietta who helped me along the way. I would like to thank the Marietta Community Foundation for its generosity and contribution to enabling me to pursue my passions. The picture included is of me at the Rose Bowl before the UCLA v. Stanford game, go Bruins!"- Olivia Wesel

Philanthropy Without Boundaries

The Marietta Community Foundation (MCF) is excited to welcome two new initiatives, the Washington County Women’s Giving Circle and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). These groups share similar interests but demonstrate different ways of giving and emphasize philanthropy without boundaries.

The Giving Circle is focused on increasing awareness of local needs facing women and children in our communities. Throughout the year members contribute minimum gifts which are pooled together to make a larger impact. Once endowed, their contributions will be awarded, through a competitive grants process, to area nonprofits in order to address issues faced by local women and children.

The MCF believes that philanthropy starts at any age and is not limited to a specific type of giving. It includes gifts of all kinds, such as time, action, money and goods, which comprise an interdependent circle of giving that surrounds a community and strengthens it through diversity of support.

The YAC is made up of high school students from Belpre, Warren, Fort Frye and Marietta High Schools. As the students do not have the ability to contribute monetarily, they work on creating unique events to raise funds for the causes they believe in. Britani Merritt, office manager of the Foundation, works with the youth group at their bi-monthly meetings to teach members about philanthropy and guide them on upcoming projects.

Though still in the early stages, the YAC is comprised of eager members who have already been extremely active. Currently underway, their first project is focused on assisting incoming foster children with the transition to their new foster families.

“We look forward to the positive impact both initiatives will have on our community over the next several years,” said Heather Allender, president and CEO of the Foundation. “Both groups have so much enthusiasm for their initiatives; it is encouraging to see such dedication from such diverse members.”

Edwin 'Jack' Haas Memorial Scholarship

Posted 2017-03-16 by MCF

"I grew up in Whipple Ohio on a 170 acre farm. I had plenty of space to ride my bike and four wheeler. There was a one acre pond stocked with fish and an enormous old White Pine tree to climb in our front yard. We raised about 10-15 head of cattle until I was around the age of 15. Of course that meant a few extra chores, on top of all the farm maintenance. I started feeding and watering as soon as I was old enough to move a bail of hay. That leads me to the next order of business that comes with cattle, THE HAY!!  We bailed and stored hay on our own property. This meant we always had to be available to help during hay season. I did learn to drive my dads truck and tractors at a very young age around our hay fields, whether I could see over the steering wheel or not! I am the youngest of three children so we all had our part on helping our parents.

I started helping my father off and on at his day job around the age of 13. My father, Bernie Thompson owned his own timber cutting business. He also worked at B.F. Goodrich/ R.J.F International from 4pm- midnight since before I was born. I learned to do every job to the best of my ability from my dad. He stressed the importance of my name being attached to anything I set my hands to. There were times when I had other employment and five years when my wife and I moved out of state. My heart was always on the bulldozer or log skidder there in the woods with my father though. Along with the equipment operation and use of chainsaws while cutting timber, some other skills I acquired through work were plumbing, residential and commercial irrigation, landscaping, hardscaping, gas and wood fireplace installation, tree trimming and removal. I found out that climbing all those trees as a child would help later on in life with my own tree trimming career. I have been, for the most part, self employed since 2009.

I was working full time with my dad after he took early pension from RJF International in 2014.  On September 12 2014, while I was on one of my own jobs, my father was killed cutting trees by himself. I had actually started attending another college for heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the same time. I found out that not all trade schools are the same. I spent more time on required classes unassociated to my main course of study, than I actually did HVAC. Realizing this, I decided to research The Washington County Career Center. I found that all the classes I would have to take were directly related to HVAC, not expensive mandatory classes that didn't aid in my career choice. I withdrew from that school and started attending classes at WCCC in September of 2015. I applied for this scholarship to help with tuition since my full time employment stopped when my father passed.

Being the recipient of the Edwin 'Jack' Haas Memorial Scholarship helped me to focus more on my studies by giving me financial support while being in school two full days out of my work week. I cant express my gratitude towards the Marietta Community Foundation for choosing me as the $1000 scholarship winner.

I am currently still self employed and have had a job in the HVAC industry for 6 months until recently being laid off. I will definitely pursue more education as the industry is always changing and updating its technologies. There is a very specific science behind the pressure/temperature relationship when it comes to the refrigerants used in the systems. The "how's and why's" of HVAC is what drew me into the field and I only want to know more now.

I would recommend The Career Center and its many different courses of study AND The Marietta Community Foundations' scholarship assistance program!!! It needs to be said that your organization was used in a blessing as an answer to prayers over my financial difficulties while putting myself through schooling. Marietta Community Foundation encourages me to want to do all I can for those who are struggling financially and are deserving of a helping hand."

Thank you with all my heart,

Phillip Thompson

The Story of a Life

Posted 2016-12-23 by MCF
 

To kick off the 27th annual National Community Foundation Week, the Marietta Community Foundation (MCF) partnered with Marietta Main Street and Marietta High School on a veterans’ portrait project. Area veterans shared their stories with the Marietta High School art classes, led by teacher Heath Rader. Students then created portraits of the veterans that were displayed at the Marietta Main Street event held on Veterans’ Day.

Hearing honest accounts of being a soldier allowed students to better understand the human element of patriotism and connect to something larger than themselves. “Our assignments are just to better our own skills,” said participating student Katie Kitchen. “But this project gave us the opportunity to extend beyond the classroom and into the community.” The emotional stories of veterans provided students with a new found understanding they could express through their artwork.

In addition to the veteran speakers who visited the MHS classrooms, students also learned the life story of a recently deceased veteran whose family helped share his legacy. This inspired one student in the art class to paint their own grandfather. It also shows how the sharing of personal legacies can bring together a family and forge better understanding of a family history.

The week’s events ended with the Foundation’s 2nd Annual Event and their Grant Your Grant Contest. This year’s event continued the theme of what it means to share a life’s story. Accomplished author and founder of Personal Legacy Advisors, Susan Turnbull, wrapped up the evening’s speakers by exploring the deeper meaning of a legacy and how ethical wills help establish a legacy that lasts.

An ethical will is a complement to a legal will. It is about laying out decisions or even family stories for family members or other loved ones. According to Turnbull, people sometimes wonder if they have stories or if anyone will be interested in what they do have to say. A legacy is, however, the one thing that really lasts. It is established through our actions, yet in an ethical will people have a way to make their legacy truly personal.

In an ethical will, a person can lay out the reasons behind a legal will or simply share life stories, values and last thoughts. What you hope to be remembered by or what you strove to accomplish in life all makes up an ethical will. Much like the veterans’ portraits project that began Community Foundation Week, Turnbull showed the impact a story can have to bring people together even after they are gone. She also showed that a legacy is an ever present work in progress, rather than something put off for ‘later.’

As a society, we crave a story. Whether through theater, cinema, television or print, the lives of others are compelling. These stories offer a window into someone else’s life that allows us to glimpse new realities and form new understandings. Yet all too often, we forget to open that window into our own life’s stories to enrich the lives of those around us.

The two main events in this year’s National Community Foundation Week acted as bookends to one overarching message. A legacy is the sharing of a life and its core values. It is a way to enact change and bring a community together by connecting individuals, non-profits and local businesses.

“I am so grateful to our partners in the veterans’ portrait project and for the attendees, participants and speakers that made our 2nd Annual Event and the Grant Your Grant Contest such a success,” said Heather Allender, MCF president and CEO. “Without their support, and the support of our event sponsor, Superior Toyota, none of our initiatives would be possible.”

Unique Opportunity for Marietta High School Students

Posted 2016-12-02 by MCF
 

While the thought of cutting a body open and seeing what’s inside only induces cringes for most, a class full of future medical professionals at Marietta High School greeted the opportunity with avid enthusiasm. 

The 44 students enrolled in the school’s Anatomy & Physiology course were able to witness an actual autopsy through a narrated video conference.

Provided by COSI, the videotape of an actual autopsy is accompanied by live narration by a pathologist resident from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Participants must work through the "case" and solve for cause of death. The 90-minute autopsy is shown from the external examination and Y-incision to the removal of and dissection of individual organs, including the brain.

The offering of an Anatomy & Physiology course within high school is unusual itself, so being able to take part in the autopsy activity is yet another way the participating students are getting great experience and preparation for their pursuit of health careers.

“Since a lot of the students who are in my class are interested in the medical profession I thought it would be helpful to give them an opportunity to see some options of experiences that they may encounter later in the career field,” Vickie Hall, the class’s teacher, said.

When the Marietta Community Foundation heard about the program, it approached one of its fund’s executors. The donor that was approached was Mary Anton, who is a nurse herself.

“It’s right up my alley,” Anton said, in regards to the autopsy program.  ”In our area, there are plenty of students that want to go into the medical profession, so this is a great way to get a feeling or it,” she said.

Making such connections between donors’ interests and beneficial opportunities throughout the community is exactly what the Foundation strives to do every day.

“This was an absolute perfect example of connecting a donor with a need that also fits their interests,” Foundation President Heather Allender said. “This is exactly what we want to accomplish with our funds.”

For Allie Rainer, a junior, the program was a chance for her to gain valuable knowledge and experience in regards to her intended field of study.

With plans to be a pre-med major and eventually become an oncologist, Rainer sees her anatomy class and the program as major advantages compared to many of her peers who will not have such exposure before college. “The autopsy program gave me a better idea of what it will really be like, “she said.

The kits provided to students actually help to extend the learning even further when the video conference was over.  They allowed students to run their own toxicology tests, a rather unique opportunity for high school students. “This real-world experience is what makes learning memorable for students,” Hall said.

While she’s very excited to get to teach such a specialized class as Anatomy & Physiology, Hall remains grateful for the opportunity to extend her students’ practical, real-world learning through the Foundation’s help.

“I cannot put into words how grateful I am for the opportunity that the Marietta Community Foundation provided for my students,” Hall said. “It allowed them to see practical, real-world applications of everything that we have been learning in class. Without the Foundation’s funding, such an opportunity would not have been possible.”

Marietta Natives Give Gift of Change

Posted 2016-12-02 by MCF

Jean and Glen “Pete” Thorne of Marietta passed away in early 2015. When they died, they made sure something bigger would live on by leaving a substantial gift to help improve Marietta. This is their legacy. 

Jean & Pete Thorne called Marietta home their whole lives. Jean worked at BF Goodrich for many years and volunteered for Meals on Wheels. Pete served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a highly trained submariner on the USS Gato from 1943-1945. He worked in the ladies department at Sniffen’s in downtown Marietta and then 3C trucking. They were both very active in the community, but enjoyed their privacy. 

Marietta charmed the Thornes. They were endlessly impressed by the people that populate this quaint city and how deeply residents care for their community. They loved the downtown area and the simple pleasure gained from greeting business owners who both knew you and earnestly cared about your needs. They also loved the town’s history and promising future. 

They had the kind of relationship most only hope to find; they adored each other. Better yet, the skills, talents and interests of one seemed a perfect complement to the other. Pete was a gifted carver and Jean an accomplished painter. Their primitive Santa carvings and walking sticks were crafted with vivid detail. The hard wood was chiseled with care by Pete and softened with each stroke of Jean’s brush. Presentation was everything to them both. Though rather structured in appearance and manner, Jean had an artist’s heart and loved things that were open and free. 

While living, the hanging flower baskets downtown were the only detail of Marietta they hoped to change. Jean’s artistic eye longed for a visual display more befitting such a beautiful area. Jean recognized the uplifting effect gardens have when balanced with florals and greens that blend varied tones and textures. They also recognized this revitalization was not financially possible without help. That is their legacy: affecting real change to improve something they believed in. 

Most people give money in a structured way. When the Thornes donated, however, they put their full faith in the Foundation. The Thornes were traditionalists, but they were also forward thinking. When it came time to make an impact they chose to give to something open and let that gift be free to make the most difference. 

“The Thornes trusted us with this gift,” said Heather Allender, president and CEO of the Marietta Community Foundation. “It’s important that we learn about our donors’ interests and create a project in their honor that represents who they were.”

Through collaboration between the Marietta Community Foundation,

Marietta Main Street and Marietta in Bloom, the revitalization of the downtown flower baskets is underway. The beautification of historic Marietta is something the Thornes believed in, and still believe in through their gift. Presentation was everything and the Thornes knew that with a little help Marietta could be more. The Thornes’ legacy is extensive and does not end with the beautification of Marietta. It will go further to support our community by addressing the area’s most pressing needs.

Marietta Community Foundation and Memorial Health Foundation join forces to establish endowment in honor of local family

Posted 2016-11-21 by MCF
 

As so many members of the Marietta community are aware, Dr. Brad Carman has served the healthcare needs of our town for many years, his father doing just the same for almost thirty years before him. The Carman Family Chair of Surgery Fund was established to honor the Carman Family and their nearly sixty years of combined service in support of the community’s health.

“The endowment was established to recognize their outstanding record of service,” commented Dr. Charles Levy, original founder of the Fund. (Pictured, left to right: Dr. Brad Carman and Dr. Charles Levy)

A funded chair of surgery carries with it a number of advantages to our local hospital and healthcare system, a privilege normally reserved for only the most prestigious academic centers.  It will serve as a point of attraction for topflight applicants to residency programs which will, in the near future, include a general surgery residency.  It will serve as a focal point for charitable giving to the Department of Surgery, members of which have saved thousands of lives and have improved the lives of many more.  Finally, it will serve as a resource for funding advanced training and education for members of the department so that they remain the most technically skilled practitioners in our region and among the most skilled in the nation.

The Marietta Community Foundation will administer the Fund initially, since the work of the Carman family has been so important to the health and welfare of the Marietta community. At which point the assets of the endowment have grown to an operative level, the Memorial Health Foundation will facilitate transfers and begin the important work for which it is intended. “We are delighted to engage in this joint endeavor with the local community foundation and are pleased to assist with this commendable effort,” said Daneka Hedges, Executive Director of the Memorial Health Foundation.

Dr. Charles Levy adds, “My deepest thanks and most sincere appreciation to anyone who wishes to help grow this important resource that honors one of Marietta’s first families and, in so doing, helps support and continue the critically important work of our Department of Surgery—which is peerless.”

Honoring Veterans at Merchants and Artists Walk

The Marietta Community Foundation, Marietta Main Street, Marietta City Schools and local veterans are coming together for the next Merchants and Artists Walk on Friday, November 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Downtown Marietta and Harmar Village.

The event is all about celebrating the area’s unique local businesses in the downtown shopping district while featuring local art, music, craftsmanship and more. This time that ‘more’ is all about the celebration and recognition of local veterans.

In partnership with Marietta Main Street the Marietta Community Foundation has connected local veterans with area art students at Marietta High School as part of a veterans’ portrait project that will be showcased at the Merchants and Artists Walk.

“This is not the first time the Foundation has highlighted artwork from the high school during an event,” said Heather Allender, president and CEO of the Marietta Community Foundation. “The veterans focused Merchants and Artist Walk is a great chance for students to learn more about our veterans and bring new generations of the community together.”

To date, three area veterans have come to speak to the Marietta High School art class, led by teacher Heath Rader. The veteran volunteers shared their deeply personal experiences with students to provide a firsthand account of the daily realities they faced while in the service. After hearing these moving tales, students were then charged with the creation of portraits based on the veterans.

According to Rader, hearing the firsthand accounts of veterans has helped students understand not only the difficulties they have faced but also the unique comradery that is formed between veterans. “Students in my class get to see the human element. They gain emotional depth for their artwork which is the difference between good art and great,” said Rader.

The upcoming event is all about the community joining together to support one another. “This event is a truly unique opportunity to come out and support not just our merchants and artists, but also the student artists and our veterans,” said Cristie Thomas, executive director of Marietta Main Street.