New Albany Community Foundation’s lasting impact

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For over two decades, the New Albany Community Foundation has been helping to achieve something out of the ordinary – to build an extraordinary community.

Formed in 1994 by a group of progressive community leaders, the foundation’s board of trustees strategically identified four areas – or pillars – of impact: lifelong learning, arts and culture, health and wellness, and the environment and historic preservation.

Donors have the opportunity to create a legacy in not just these, but any number of areas within the community and school district. Through the establishment of partnerships with other organizations, the foundation often acts as a catalyst within the community to bring together myriad organizations to achieve a common goal. To date, the foundation has awarded over $10 million in grants to community organizations that enrich lives.

Furthermore, the foundation each year awards grants to not-for-profit organizations. The belief is that bringing people together for a shared experience ultimately leads to an enhanced sense of community.

Inspiring Aspiration

The foundation established the Jefferson Series in 2013. Featuring a collection of the country’s most fascinating thought leaders, the forums are inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s appreciation for lifelong learning. All lectures are held at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, where the general public, as well as students in New Albany and across the state, are invited to participate.

The foundation’s engagement of central Ohio students via its Student Lecture Series dates back to 2002, with the goal of giving students the opportunity to benefit from foundation programs. A sub-initiative of this is the Jefferson Society, which began in 2014. The members of this society support the foundation to underwrite the cost of the Jefferson Series, making these opportunities possible for the students.

The original goal was for students to have access to meet and interact with respected thought leaders in a small group setting.

In his third year at the helm, Michael Sawyers, superintendent for New Albany-Plain Local Schools and ex officio board member for the foundation, has seen the impact the series has on his students first-hand.

“The intent was to expose kids to thought leaders and develop leadership skills and inspire them, or make it aspirational for kids to understand that you too can be a leader,” Sawyers says.

Since its inception, the series has evolved specifically into an author series because the majority of chosen speakers had indeed recently penned a new book. These authors provide a wealth of knowledge to the students as it pertains to different things that occur throughout life from a business, political, governmental, and mental health and well-being perspective.

“It’s evolved dramatically since 2002, but I think it started with the mindset that we want to help kids understand that you too can be a leader, and now we’ve put that into a context within different facets of life,” Sawyers says.

These role models are people who have not only been clearly successful in their personal and professional lives, but are often also people who have faced – and overcome – adversity. The ability to send a message that these students can be successful is paramount.

“It’s not just about politics or business or economics, which I think is where it really started,” Sawyers says. “Now it also includes life events that happen in a kid’s world: social, emotional, and mental health and well-being initiatives in both the public and private sectors.”

Sawyers is quick to credit this initiative’s success to the foundation’s prioritization of presenting students with the opportunity for leadership development.

“We’re very, very fortunate that the foundation has made this a priority as far as a major initiative for what they continue to do – both within our community called ‘school’ – because we’re technically a learning community, but really the community at large,” Sawyers says.

Tomorrow and Beyond

When asked about what she is most proud of as it relates to the foundation’s achievements to date, Patti Steinour, grant committee chair and community volunteer for the foundation, doesn’t hesitate to heap praise on the Jefferson Series.

“There were a lot of commitments and projects accomplished before I joined, but that was one that really came about sort of through organic thinking,” Steinour says. “Trying to figure out a way to increase exposure for not just New Albany residents, but central Ohio residents, and to fulfill one of the pillars of lifelong learning, fingers were crossed and it has been an absolutely runaway success.”

Steinour’s main focus today is to ensure the Jefferson Series lasts another 25 years and beyond. Planning ahead for unforeseen funding ebbs through the establishment of an endowment is not only meaningful, but prudent.

“One of the things as I look forward that I’m also proud that the foundation is doing is trying to set up an endowment so that, long after the board members currently in their seats are gone, the Jefferson Series can stay for the community,” Steinour says.

Naturally, for Sawyers, student-focused initiatives are what he looks forward to the most. One such initiative, the Well-Being Initiative, emphasizes overall mental health and well-being. It is significant as it is front and center within the school district on a day-to-day basis.

“It ties back to the Jefferson Series and bringing Patrick Kennedy and Elizabeth Vargas, or in January when Glenn Close comes for the kids and then the community lecture,” Sawyers says. “I think that’s probably been one of the most exciting things; the foundation does recognize that the health and wellness programming that we’re trying to instill for lifelong learning is just as valuable as the arts and culture and environmental work that originally started out of the foundation 25 years ago.”

Nathan Collins is managing editor. Feedback welcome at ncollins@cityscenemediagroup.com.