Foundation for the Tri-State Community celebrates 40 years of improving the Tri-State.
By Angela Henderson-Bentley
HQ 77 | SPRING 2012
When Mary Witten Wiseman says she has the best job in the Tri-State, it’s hard to argue with her. Especially since what she does on a daily basis is help worthwhile projects and organizations throughout the region receive the money they truly need.
Wiseman is president of Foundation for the Tri-State Community Inc. (FTSC), a community foundation that works to encourage, raise, administer and distribute gifts to improve the quality of life in the Tri-State. The foundation’s small staff – Wiseman, Sandi Martin, executive assistant, and Jennifer Strechay, communications specialist – split time between FTSC’s Ashland headquarters and its office in Huntington.
“The idea of a community foundation is that you shouldn’t have to be a Rockefeller to be able to give back to your community in a way that’s important to you and your family,” Wiseman said. “I’m working with wonderful people who are philanthropic and who want to make their community better.”
Ritter Park alone is full of examples of the foundation’s work. The Fountain on Switzer-Wallace Plaza and the Junior League Island Playground were constructed and are maintained with the help of funds established by donors and administered by FTSC. Most recently, the foundation partnered with community volunteers and the Greater Huntington Parks & Recreation District to raise money for the Huntington Dog Park, expected to open this year in the Lion’s Den area of Ritter Park.
“It really is rewarding when we can look at things and know we helped make them happen,” Wiseman said. “Of course, for all of these things the hard work comes from people all over the community, but the fact of the matter is that these people need a mechanism through which to make these projects a reality. And the more expertise we can provide to help them achieve their goals, the better off they’re going to be – and the better off the community as a whole will be.”
Donors can support a wide variety of existing funds dedicated to a specific community need, or they can start a fund of their own through an endowment. An endowment is a long-term gift that allows the donor to continue giving long after he or she has passed away and is FTSC’s primary focus.
“The nice thing about the way endowments work is that the gifts are not going to end,” Wiseman said. “We’re just going to keep giving out more and more money.”
Although the work of FTSC is evident on nearly every street in Huntington – from landscaping and other beautification efforts to educational and extra-curricular programs for children to the support of many of our area’s most beloved nonprofit organizations – the foundation tends to stay out of the spotlight. Wiseman said the reason for this is that many of the foundation’s major donors choose to remain anonymous. However, organizations that have benefited from FTSC endowments are everywhere; they include the Huntington Museum of Art, Marshall University, Hospice of Huntington, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Tri-State.
“The generosity of this region is just astounding,” Wiseman said. “It’s exciting to see the creative abilities of people who develop plans to improve their community, who come up with ideas that truly make a difference. It’s really amazing.”
FTSC distributes funds throughout its focus area, which includes Cabell and Wayne counties in West Virginia, Lawrence County in Ohio and Boyd and Greenup counties in Kentucky. The foundation’s Board of Trustees, which approves all distributions of funds, is made up of members from all three states.
Michael Emerson, president of Huntington Steel, served on the Board of Trustees for six years, including two as chairman, and is now a member of the Investment Committee. He first worked with Foundation for the Tri-State Community when he wanted to set up a scholarship program for his employees but didn’t want to deal with the hassle of establishing a private foundation.
“I wanted to be able to invest dollars and then not have to worry about it,” Emerson said, “and the foundation made that really, really easy. They do it all. I could fund the program when times were good and not have to fund it when times were bad. Now, the fund will continue long past me being around.”
“Everyone wins,” Wiseman said. “First, the donor can give the money to us and be confident that it will go exactly toward what they want to support. Second, the recipient charities don’t have to worry about anything; they know they will receive the money they need. And third, the people who are the beneficiaries of those charities can trust that money will continue to come in, supporting the programs that are directly serving them.”
One organization that has benefitted greatly from Foundation for the Tri-State Community’s efforts is the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District (GHPRD). Not only does the foundation support many of the park’s most cherished landmarks, it also handles all of the charitable giving for the GHPRD.
“Foundation money is a wonderful thing,” said GHPRD Executive Director Kevin Brady. “You can supplement limited budgets with endowment dollars. We have money we can access to do the things we need to do.”
The foundation has established funds for many aspects of the GHPRD, including Rotary Park, home of Huntington’s only Frisbee golf course; the Chuck Ripper Trail, which features paintings by Chuck Ripper of native animals and plants frequently seen on the trail; and of course the Rose Garden and Tennis Center. However, it was during the fundraising for the Huntington Dog Park that Brady said he became fully aware of what the foundation can do.
“That process really turned a corner for me,” he said. “It’s when I realized that they’re not just accountants. They’re enthusiastic about helping the community.”
Through Foundation for the Tri-State Community’s competitive grants program, smaller organizations are able to benefit from the foundation’s support as well. Grants are awarded quarterly and range in amount from $500 to $5,000. Among the Huntington organizations that have been assisted by these grants are the Huntington Area Food Bank, the Weed and Seed Program, Little Victories Animal Rescue and the Huntington Symphony Orchestra.
This year, the foundation celebrates a significant milestone – its 40th anniversary. FTSC began in 1972 as the Greater Ashland Area Cultural and Economic Development Foundation Inc. and was founded with the sole purpose of buying and renovating the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland. After the Paramount split off in 1990, the organization began operating more like a traditional community foundation, expanded its territory to include Cabell and Wayne Counties in West Virginia and Lawrence County in Ohio, and was renamed the Foundation for the Tri-State Community to reflect its new role.
“In this community, there are resources that exist for the public good, and those resources are never going to leave the community,” Wiseman said. “That is the thing that is so powerful about what we do with the help of our donors and supporters.”
More information about the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, including the ways to both give and receive funds, can be found on the foundation’s website at www.tristatefoundation.org or by calling (304) 942-0046.
