HANCOCK COUNTY — For the White family of eastern Hancock County, philanthropy is a family tradition.
Their family’s business success can be traced back to the late Keith White, who built the family fortune by founding a chain of convenience stores, GasAmerica Services, Inc., in 1916.
His great-granddaughter, Stephanie White-Longworth, and great-grandson, Keith White, sold the family business in 2012, and launched Pride Investment Partners, a property holding company in Greenfield, which includes an Evolution VR gaming center and Leo’s Market and Eatery.
To give back to the community that’s been good to them, the siblings, along with their spouses, created the White Family Foundation through the Hancock County Community Foundation. Their giving is primarily focused around the eastern part of the county, where they call home.
On Tuesday, the community foundation announced the recipients of the White family’s annual grants, which have gifted $25,000 to the community each year for the past nine years.
This year’s recipients include a community children’s choir, a neighborhood beautification group, and a child advocacy center, to name a few.
Selecting the winners from a long list of applicants is something tackled by two generations of White family members, often gathered around a table, just as they often are for family gatherings.
“All of our family members, including our kids, sit down once a year to go through the applications,” said Tami White, who is married to Keith.
After the initial meeting, family members are tasked with doing site visits with various applicants, then reporting back to the group a few weeks later.
“That’s when we share all the findings to select the recipients. We all vote as a family,” said White, who can’t think of a better way to come together as a family than by helping the community where they live.
“I almost feel like it’s something you have to experience to be able to actually realize what that does for you as a family,” she said.
“It’s such a great experience for everyone, and a great time for us all to be together. As a parent and aunt to all of these kids who are now grown adults, it’s so great to see them grow together. Having them involved (with the foundation) was always one of our goals.”
These days the family is growing, as the now-adult kids are gradually getting married, and their spouses join in the grant-making process.
White smiles every time she drives by an area that’s been impacted by a White Family Foundation grant, like the new agricultural mural on the corner of Main Street and American Legion Place in downtown Greenfield, or the Talitha Koum Women’s Recovery House down the street.
“It’s so gratifying and rewarding to go by and know that we were a part of that,” said White. “We feel very fortunate. It is just wonderful to see our community flourish.”
Recipients of White family funds say they’re the lucky ones.
“Funds like these are crucial. They’re absolutely essential to our programming,” said Chantel Fowler, executive director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hancock County.
The club received a $3,000 grant from the White family this year, which will help fund a before-school program in the Eastern Hancock schools.
Fowler said the grant will help the club not only maintain the program but purchase games and art supplies to serve a whole new segment of kids.
Zoey’s Place, a child advocacy center in Greenfield, also won a White family grant this year.
The center’s director, Crystal Wiley, said she and her board members feel blessed to have received the $6,000 grant.
“We were really excited to have someone from the foundation come out to see our center for themselves, so they could see first-hand the work we do with children and their families,” she said.
The board is still determining exactly how to use the funds, said Wiley, but they’ll likely be used to fund outreach initiatives to let people know that Zoey’s Place is there to help children who have been victims of crime.
Some money might also be used to purchase comfort items to be given away to the children and their families, like blankets, stuffed animals and snacks.
“The funds can help us run our day-to-day operations, which is pivotal for us,” said Wiley. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them.”
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The White Family Foundation has been supporting local nonprofits for the past nine years, giving about $25,000 away each year through the Hancock County Community Foundation. Here are this year’s recipients:
Hancock County Children’s Choir
Life-skills Mentoring and Performing Arts
$2,000.00
Friends of Recovery, Inc.
Operation Backyard
$3,000.00
Beautify Knightstown, Inc.
Teen Park Equipment
$750.00
Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County
After-School Program for Eastern Hancock
$3,000.00
Zoey’s Place Child Advocacy Center
Project, Programming, & Operations
$6,000.00
Friends of Hancock County CASA
Telling Our Story, Part II
$750.00
The Landing
Capital Improvement Painting Project
$3,500.00
Town of Kennard
Kennard Parks Safety and Seating
$3,000.00
Glen Cove Cemetery Board
Cemetery Software
$3,000.00
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