When I started at Heritage Fund I had visions of making sweeping changes that would benefit all the people of Bartholomew County. It did not take me long to realize that big changes take a long time and rarely make everyone happy.
But idealism runs deep in my veins. So, I kept going and maneuvering around obstacles like politics and lack of money and varying opinions. That is all part of working in community. It is both exhilarating and frustrating.
After more than 23 years of corporate and community foundation work, I have come to appreciate the smaller acts of philanthropy. The interventions that make one life at a time better.
It might be a scholarship, a grant that creates jobs or provides childcare or maybe just encourages someone to step forward to do something good for their community or environment.
Recently, I became aware of two “successes” that came about because of philanthropy.
I learned of a Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. teacher who received a Lilly Scholarship. Heritage Fund administers the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for Bartholomew County. This full-tuition scholarship goes to outstanding Indiana students attending Indiana colleges and universities with the hope that these remarkable young people will choose to remain and work in the state after graduation. So, this philanthropic intervention worked for the student/teacher for sure but also for BCSC and her students.
A few days later, Diane Doup, of Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, sent me a photo of a new homeowner standing next to a washer and dryer that the woman was able to purchase for her home thanks to a grant. She has never owned a home or lived with a washer/dryer on site. Thanks to the Lincoln Central Neighborhood Homebuyer Program — a partnership between LCNFC, the city of Columbus, Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation, C4, Apprisen, United Way and Heritage Fund — four homes have been built by local high school students and made available to residents who complete a homebuyer readiness program.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still searching for those sweeping programs and will do my best to implement them so that everyone benefits. But to be honest, the stories about the teacher and the new homeowner are the ones that make me smile at the end of the day. Philanthropy can do wonderful things at many levels. Today I am celebrating it making a difference, one person at a time.
Tracy Souza is president and CEO of Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. Contact the fund at 812-376-7772 to learn more about how they can help you do “Your Philanthropy. Your Way.” Send comments to [email protected].
