The Marilyn and William Young Foundation was created 25 ago, and to celebrate the organization awarded 25 local service nonprofits an unrestricted grant of $2,500 each.
Awardees accepting the grants attended a celebration luncheon Thursday in the Young Auditorium at the Kentucky Wesleyan College Wells Center.
KWC President Tom Mitzel opened the luncheon and told the attendees that auditorium would not exist without the Young Foundation.
“They are here to recognize 25 years … on their anniversary they are still reaching out and celebrating,” Mitzel said.
Young Foundation Board Chair Carol Bothwell said the foundation enjoys giving back to the community, a tradition that will continue long after “we are gone.”
“You all touch so many lives that don’t usually get touched,” Bothwell said to attendees. “A huge thank you to all of you, and thank you for all you do for our community.”
Young Foundation Executive Director Sara Hemingway provided background on the organization, focusing on the philanthropic nature of the beginning family, the Fields.
“The community is the one who built Field Packing Co., and (the family) wanted to pass that on,” she said of Marilyn Field Young.
Hemingway shared a story William “Bud” Young that she was told recently. After his parents died, he learned that his family supported people who worked for him – from financing houses with no interest to making their lives better.
Hemingway said the evolution of the foundation has become more public over the last decade. The board, which went from three members to nine, wants more stories shared to inspire others to be more philanthropic.
“I see the organization working more on projects, supporting more civic engagement, supporting efforts to capitalize on state and federal grants,” Hemingway said.
The foundation has created the civic engagement institute for anyone who has finished Leadership Owensboro and wants to continue working on solutions for the community. They have also brought people to Owensboro to train nonprofits in grant writing and ways to simplify and help their organizations thrive.
Hemingway said that in her 20 years with the foundation, her favorite day was spent with City, County and United Way leaders focusing on ways to help nonprofits during the pandemic.
“We needed to find what was most vital – and it was probably a wake-up call for us,” she said. “We learned that it needed to be about long-term, solid relationships with nonprofits.”
As for the 25-year celebration, Hemingway said it was a milestone for the foundation — but said the real focus was on celebrating the grantees because they do the work.
Prior to the celebration, the board challenged recipients to match the gift to multiply its impact.
“Our board has been searching for opportunities to grant more unrestricted gifts to our nonprofits and this milestone presented an occasion to do so,” Bothwell said. “We appreciate the creative ideas each agency used to double this gift.”
The foundation’s trustees have been awarding grants since 1999, with total giving accumulating nearly $13,000,000.
The 25 organizations receiving $2,500 grants this year are:
- Boulware Mission
- CASA
- The Center
- Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club
- Crossroads
- Dream Riders of KY
- Family Y of Owensboro
- Fresh Start
- Friends of Sinners
- Girl’s Inc
- Goodfellows
- Habitat for Humanity
- Help Office
- Imagination Library
- My Sister’s Keeper
- Neblett Center
- New Beginnings
- OASIS
- Puzzle Pieces
- St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter
- St. Joseph Peace Mission
- Salvation Army
- Senior Community Center
- Wendell Foster Center
- Western Academy
