As much as we wish we could, we can’t predict the future. There’s no way for us to know what roadblocks or opportunities are around the next corner.
We can’t predict it, but we can prepare for it.

That’s exactly what donors like you are doing through giving to the Foundation. By establishing funds and giving to existing funds, you are building up resources that meet the ever-changing and transformational needs of the community.

Thanks to the flexibility of funds, the Foundation is equipped to address all kinds of roadblocks and opportunities while constructing meaningful change in Henry County.

One big opportunity was presented in 2022 when Wilbur Wright Elementary School began raising funds for a new playground.

After 30 years of wear and tear, they could no longer keep patching it together. With slides boarded up and a playground that their students in wheelchairs could not access, it was time to build something new.

Principal Jean Ann McAllister shared, “It seemed insurmountable. I didn’t want to do the job halfway. I wanted to make sure it was something that would last and be fun for all of our students.”

This large-scale project was going to take a village. Not one group could do it alone.

While the staff and volunteers at the school worked hard to meet the funding goals, they knew they would need help. It started with the PTO and spread outside of the county. Word

got out about the need for a new playground. Articles were printed in the Courier Times, a student leadership team presented at several local group meetings, and fundraising events were held.

When a Choose Henry Flex Fund grant cycle came around, they applied for funding. Because dollars in Choose Henry are unrestricted, they can be added to projects like this, paving the way for Foundation donors to play a part in meeting this great need.

Help didn’t stop there! More HCCF donors learned about the project and wanted to support it through their funds at the Foundation. The All 4 Kids and the Gerald K. Hodson and Helen L. Hodson Field of Interest Endowment Funds, and two donor-advised funds, the Richard Myers and Bonnie Myers Donor Advised Fund and the Dr. Lynn Bowers & Cassandra Bowers and Stuart & Joan Bowers Family Fund, all granted money to help.

When the Bowers family learned more about the playground, they wanted to help beyond what their fund was able. So, they pulled together family from all over the United States and combined their resources to push Wilbur Wright even closer to their goal.

The community, near and far, worked hard to make something that seemed insurmountable possible for one of our elementary schools. Wilbur Wright now has an excellent, new playground including friendship swings, adaptable swings, and much more! Mrs. McAllister explained, “The safe surface is going to make a big difference. The ground used to be made up of mulch with railroad ties as the border. Wheelchairs could not get onto it. The new surface will allow accessibility. Now, they’ll be able to move right onto the playground from the blacktop.”

What once was in desperate need of a change can now serve as a fantastic place for all kids to play, thanks to the generous giving of an entire village. When you give to the Foundation, you’re constructing change just like this! Three different types of funds were used in the grantmaking support for Wilbur Wright. The Choose Henry Flex Fund, two Donor Advised Funds, and two Field of Interest Funds all served as building blocks in the community effort to bring this new, improved, accessible space to Henry County.