With the celebration this month of the 25th anniversary for the Greene County Community Foundation, we revisit a Board Member Spotlight from the 20th anniversary in 2021. Fred Gibson, one of the four founders of Greene Giving, shared about the beginnings of Greene County Community Foundation, soon called Greene Giving.
The Beginnings
The idea of a foundation for Greene Giving came from Fred’s previous experience that he had with Warren County. Fred had the experience of being recruited by county leaders that wanted to start a community foundation in their county, but did not have anyone to start it. They recruited him to be on the ground floor of the foundation in Warren County. As a newspaper publisher, Fred could be the voice of this foundation. He had such a great experience in Warren County for a foundation in that county.
At that time, he knew very little about foundations other than what he had heard from other communities. He and his team poured their time and efforts into building up the community foundation in Warren County. In time, they saw the fruits of their labor in the ways the foundation could support different nonprofits and community-led initiatives.
What is a Foundation?
When we asked Fred what is a foundation to him, he said, “A foundation is something that you build a quality of life on. It is something that binds people together. It seeks out and not just finds needs, but does something about it. It brings financial support and experience that can offer leadership.”
A New Chapter in Greene County
When Fred left his position in Warren County, he went to run the newspapers in Greene County. After diving into the Xenia community, Fred realized that they were missing some things, specifically a community foundation.
That is when Fred pledged in an editorial he wrote that he would do his very best to work hard for education, for the arts, and for anything that would make Greene County a better and stronger community.
So, the idea for the foundation was born.
Partnerships Create Progress
Through the coming months and years, Fred Gibson would partner with John Saraga, Reed Madden and Herman Menapace to brainstorm and build what is now the Greene County Community Foundation, or Greene Giving. It is through these four men’s dedication and creativity to the vision of the foundation and what it could be for Greene County that it is still flourishing to this day.
What these founders discovered is that in order for this foundation to work in their county, it had to be an organization for the people funded by the people and organized by the people. This is how they came to partner with Greene County, and still do to this day for the organization and daily functionality of the foundation.
Through the partnership with the county, Greene Giving was able to hire Ed Marinnan to serve as the president for Greene Giving.
Looking Back on a Legacy
When Fred Gibson reflected on the Greene County Community Foundation, he shared that “What is great about the foundation is that it is permanent. It will continue on past the individuals. The founders were just the vessels used to make the foundation happen. The foundation is my greatest joy.”
As we celebrate the past twenty years of Greene Giving, it is because of individuals like Fred Gibson that Greene Giving is able to partner with and guide so many local nonprofits and community initiatives. Greene Giving is a tool like no other that belongs to the whole county.
If you would like to partner with Greene Giving, visit our website to learn more.
