The Athens County Foundation invites you to a celebration of the outstanding people of our community!

March 24, 2022
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Stuart’s Opera House

Please RSVP by March 4, 2022.

Honoring:

Senior of the Year Award Winner
Woman of the Year Award Winner
Cornwell Award Winner

Hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and refreshments will be served.

Health & Safety. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. To protect yourself and other attendees of the event, please get vaccinated. The Athens County Foundation commits to comply with all CDC health and safety guidelines(1)(2) applicable at the time of the event. All guests will be expected to comply with CDC health and safety guidelines as well.

On the day of the event, please do not attend if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, had direct contact with an individual diagnosed or suspected to have COVID-19, or are displaying symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19.

The John Glazer Impact Fund is allocating up to $25K of its principle in grants, in an average distribution of $5-7K per grant, for local impact businesses or impact business model development.  The fund accepts proposals on a competitive basis and does not guarantee disbursement in any grant cycle.  The fund advisory committee seeks competitive applicants who have a well-delineated mission, are addressing a viable market, and also fit some or all of these additional criteria:

• Are focused on economic vitality, especially in the environment, social justice, and/or the health and wellness sectors
• Are catalyzing new ideas and expanding boundaries
• Are proposing distinct, impact-related metrics
• Are seeking impact measurement
• Are  matching their Glazer Fund ask with other existing funding or additional applications to other funds

Please apply through the ACF Fall Grant Cycle.

The David A. Fidler Memorial fund was established to recognize a unique and generous individual.

“Tony,” as he was often called, was born in 1936 in the small British town of Spalding, Lincolnshire.  World War II colored his early childhood with air raids, gas masks, and the destruction of his home by Nazi bombs.  In Britain’s difficult post-war years, Tony attended local schools, including the selective Spalding Grammar School, which taught an academic curriculum focused on Latin, literature, and mathematics—an education that developed the intelligence, curiosity, and dexterity with language he demonstrated throughout his life. Tony also had a passion and talent for football (soccer), eventually playing in semi-professional and professional leagues with the Spalding United Football Club until injuries ended his athletic career.

From 1954 to 1956, he served in the Royal Air Force, and his squadron prepared to deploy to North Africa during the Suez crisis in 1956. President Eisenhower’s intervention ended the crisis before the deployment happened, leaving Tony with a lifelong admiration of Eisenhower for ending that “folly and nonsense.”  After leaving the Royal Air Force, Tony became a salesman for Howard Rotavator, a leading British manufacturer of agricultural machinery and implements.

In December of 1958, he married Joy V. Earth.  They were together for 61 years and had four children and subsequently four grandchildren.

In the early 1960s, Tony agreed to establish a distribution network for Howard Rotavator in the U.S. based in Amarillo, Texas. In his work, Tony honed the ability to switch between the Queen’s English and Texan twang, a skill that enhanced his effectiveness in the boardroom and on farms and ranches across the American southwest. Tony’s success in “the States,” and Joy’s and Tony’s sense of the opportunities that America offered their children, led to the decision to stay in the United States permanently.

Tony’s career moved the family from Amarillo to Wisconsin, and back to Amarillo, as he transitioned from Howard Rotavator to an American enterprise, Connally Implement Supply Company (CISCO). In 1976, he moved to Kansas and continued to direct CISCO’s sales efforts in the United States, helping to lead its employees through some of the most difficult times American agriculture has experienced. After his children were grown and leading their own lives, his business acumen allowed him to explore new opportunities, and he worked for companies in Washington State, Illinois, and Ohio, where he eventually retired.

While he lived for most of his adult life in America and admired much about its people and places, Tony never lost his Britishness.  He steadfastly maintained his accent and a quirky sense of British humor that managed to be both clever and silly at the same time.  He was a loveable character and a person of generosity and integrity.

Tony visited family in Athens over many years and lived as part of this community from 2014-2017.  He enjoyed walking at The Ridges, going to the Farmer’s Market, having lunch at the Village Bakery, and driving through the county’s beautiful scenery.

He died in December 2019 after bravely battling Alzheimer’s.  The fund established in his name aims to honor the kindness, joy, and laughter that he spread throughout his life.

To donate to this Fund, click the link below and select “David A. Fidler Fund” under the designation.

In the summer and fall of 2019, evaluators from Ohio University’s Voinovich School conducted ripple effect mapping (REM) sessions with Athens County Foundation grantees, program participants, staff, donors, and other stakeholders. This process was part of a larger effort to document the foundation’s impact on Athens County and the region, particularly in light of its shift away from being a primarily grant making organization. Participants in the process identified a wide variety of impacts generated by the work of the foundation, from serving more families living with food insecurity to creating a culture of empathy. For the purposes of this report, these impacts are grouped into the following broad themes:

Check out the full report below to see how the Athens County Foundation creates a system of impact in the community!

[googlepdf url=”https://athensfoundation.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Final-ACF-REM-report-01.27.2020.pdf” width=”100%” height=”600″]

The Athens County Foundation would like to thank the OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service’s Planning, Evaluation, Education and Research Team for being our reliable partner in research and evaluation.

Susan and Bruce Mitchell have recently chosen to donate $100,000 to the Athens County Foundation to give back to the community that has given so much to them. The Susan, Bruce, and Will Mitchell Unrestricted Fund will provide grants to the community in perpetuity.

Both came to Athens in the 1970s to attend Ohio University by way of Cleveland and Columbus. Bruce founded the Athens News in the spring of 1977 as a bi-weekly alternative newspaper. He believed in strong investigative reporting and holding those in power accountable. Susan worked as a photo editor for the publication which is where she and Bruce met.

Susan and Bruce have two sons. Bruce says his three greatest achievements are marrying Susan, founding the Athens News, and visiting all 30 Major League Baseball Parks with his boys. Bruce explained that “A key factor in our financial success over the last 40 years  has been my business partner in the newspaper Guy Philips who, along with his wife Linda, have been our partners in local real estate.”

The Mitchell’s were inspired by all those who have given so generously their time, hard work, and donations to the Athens County Foundation, and that moved them to do more. Bruce said, “We don’t have to worry about our investment in the community with the Foundation.”

Susan added, “Another thing that keeps me more generous and loving is loss. We birthed two children and lost one when he was twenty-one. I think when you are broken and experience tremendous loss, when you come back you want to give, give, give. That is where I am. You realize how a lot is really shallow and giving and  helping others isn’t.”

Susan wrapped her thoughts about the decision to start this fund with one of her favorite quotes, “Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It is not  worth a thing unless it is spread around encouraging young things to grow.” -Hello Dolly

Bruce retired after nearly 38 years as publisher of the Athens News. The Mitchell’s now spend most of the year living in Key West where Susan owns her own company, susanskeywestcondo.com, and Bruce is a part-time bicycle tour guide with Key Lime Bike Tours. Bruce summed up why he wants to give back to the community through his fund by saying “You can’t take the money with you, so why not get the great joy that it gives both of us to give to the Foundation now.”