Allan Family Fund

For art enthusiast Ron Allan, Akron is a fantastic place to live. It was this community where he cultivated his love for the arts and began immersing himself in organizations that promote both art and music.

"Akron is so culturally rich," he said. "It is a place that people seek out."

As an attorney, Ron was able to use his professional talents to serve on advisory boards and committees for organizations like the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Akron Musical Association. He is also a trustee at the Akron Art Museum.

"You receive a social reward for being in the company of people who have your same artistic and cultural aspirations," Ron said.

Serving on these boards led Ron to the realization that, in order for Akron to continue being culturally rich, local arts organizations would need the support of their community. He soon discovered Akron Community Foundation and realized its potential to help him support the arts causes he cared about. Ron was so impressed that he eventually went on to serve as a foundation trustee.

However, Ron felt compelled to give more than just his time, so he set about finding a way to give his treasure, as well. In 1991, Ron and his family started the Allan Family Fund through Akron Community Foundation and have since made 400 grants to dozens of organizations in Summit County.

With the fund, Ron is able to designate money to go to the charities and arts organizations he's passionate about without ever having to write individual checks.

"You can make a one-time annual gift to a fund that you establish, and then give direction to Akron Community Foundation to dole out money to organizations you support throughout the year," he said. "It makes my giving so much easier and simpler."

In the past, Ron's fund has given grants to the Greater Akron Musical Association, United Way of Summit County, Tuesday Musical Association, Old Trail School, Akron/Canton Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and many more organizations, including the Akron Art Museum.

By donating to the museum, Ron is able to help local kids become interested in the arts through programs like "Family Fun Night," where children can create their own art projects.

"It's important to get kids engaged in art to expand their minds and to develop their own sense of creativity," Ron said. "The creativity that art and music nurture moves into other areas of their lives, too."

The museum is just one example of how Ron's grants can impact the local community. And with a family fund, the Allan family can make sure their money is going to the organizations and people they care about most.

"I regard the ability to have a family fund as a great thing to facilitate my charitable giving," Ron said. "I would encourage it across the community."

This permanent fund will allow Ron to support Akron-area arts organizations for decades to come, ensuring that future generations will be enriched by the same arts that touched him and his family.

"The arts are something that lives with you forever," he said. "Our community is what we put into it. If we want to have a healthy and vibrant community, we have to give to it and nurture it just as we do our children, our family and our home."