It is often said that generosity is the ultimate expression of gratitude. In the case of Medina County businessmen Nobby Lewandowski and Jack Holland, that generosity came in the form of an endowment fund that would benefit the community they loved.
In the early 1990s, the two friends began talking about how they could do something to help the county in which they had grown to be well-known. Nobby, a retired CPA, and Jack, an architect, had built a long-standing relationship with the residents of Medina County and were widely successful in their individual business pursuits, Nobby said.
"Both of us, in our own estimation, had been successful beyond our wildest imagination," Nobby recalled. "And we began speaking about how we could do something for Medina County that would outlive both of us."
Their talks led them to the idea of starting an endowment fund, which would allow their investment to grow forever and continue to benefit future generations. As a CPA, Nobby had worked with many nonprofit organizations and saw firsthand the benefits of establishing a permanent fund.
"We knew we were not big enough to do all the things we wanted on our own," he said. "So we formed an affiliation with Akron Community Foundation."
Since then, the Medina County Community Fund has improved the lives of thousands of residents across Medina County through its annual grants to a wide range of cultural, educational and health programs.
"If the Medina County Community Fund didn’t exist, there are a lot of organizations that would not be able to do all the good things they make happen," Nobby said.