From the Legacy Fund President’s Desk

-by Tom Kilian, Jr.

As summer gives way to fall, and most organizations throughout the community begin planning for their year-end (Or at least they should be), I thought it was time for a more personal introduction. As the newest member of the Legacy Fund family, I’m humbled and honored to be a part of such a dynamic forward-looking organization that serves Hamilton County.

As the son of successful, hard-working parents, philanthropy and social issues were always top of mind in our house. In fact, from an early age we were taught the rule of thirds: give a third, save a third and spend a third. I’m not sure I’ve been able to maintain this rule throughout my adult life, but I certainly remember the lessons and values it taught me and my siblings as children. My wife, Jennifer, and I have two beautiful girls, 7 and 11, and they too know the rule of thirds.

While all buckets are critical to bring balance to the force (Yes, I just made a Star Wars reference.), I am excited to focus on the giving bucket in my day-to-day work. It’s that bucket that is often the hardest for people to execute, yet is usually the most satisfying.

The idea is quite simple: Ask yourself where you believe you should commit your time, talent, and treasure, strategically, based on intrinsic value and the idea of helping those with less while making our community stronger.

Over the course of the last 26 years, Legacy Fund, the community foundation serving Hamilton County, along with its partners, have invested its time, talent and treasure throughout the county. Today, Legacy Fund has three primary focuses: college readiness and success, family success and inspiring places. In order to maximize our footprint throughout Hamilton County, Legacy Fund has partnered with community organizations on specific leadership initiatives embedded within these pillars. Our most recent initiatives include Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program, an in-school intervention program designed to keep youth out of the criminal justice system, and Reaching Resources, a program of Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County that provides seniors access to a variety of programs and services with one call to one place. Please feel free to contact me for more information on either of these initiatives.

So, what’s next for Legacy Fund? How do we continue to create opportunity and provide all residents of Hamilton County access to the American dream? Over the course of the next 12 months I will be discussing this with the community and writing about various barriers we face—Issues of personal mobility, affordable housing, mental health and connecting our waterways, to name a few.

I invite you and your families join me in being a part of the next generation of Legacy Fund, your community foundation of Hamilton County.


Join Legacy Fund for a renewed and re-energized celebration of community giving in Hamilton County.

The 9th annual Celebration of Philanthropy will feature elegant dining at Ritz Charles, an opportunity to learn about Hamilton County not-for-profit organizations and the debut of the Legacy Fund Community Pillar Awards, honoring individuals, organizations and corporations doing visionary work to solve pressing challenges; build opportunity and equity; and create a brighter future for our community.

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