Medina County Community Fund celebrates 25 years

In December, the Medina County Community Fund celebrated its 25th anniversary. We want to take this opportunity to recognize the importance of our founders and the generosity of the businesses and residents of Medina County that have contributed to our success. 

In the early 1990s, two Medina County community leaders began talking about how they could give back to the county in which they lived and worked. Nobby Lewandowski, retired CPA, and Jack Holland, architect, built a long-standing relationship with the residents of Medina County and were widely accomplished in their individual pursuits. As a result, they wanted to do something to give back to Medina County.

Their talks led to the idea of starting a permanent fund, which would allow their philanthropic investments to grow forever and benefit future generations. As a CPA, Lewandowski worked with many nonprofit organizations and saw the benefits of establishing a charitable endowment fund. They worked to find a proven organization to help protect and grow their efforts.

What had been a dream for two Medina County visionaries, became a reality in 1994. With a mission to improve the quality of life for all Medina County residents, the Medina County Community Fund became a permanent endowment of Akron Community Foundation.    

A quarter of a century later, the fund has grown to more than $980,000 and has awarded more than $570,000 in grants back into the community. MCCF continues to work as a catalyst to fund local nonprofit organizations that improve education, health, community service, and arts and culture within Medina County. 

Over the years, many Medina County residents have served as members of our advisory board, volunteering their time to assist with our annual meeting, grantmaking assignments, fundraising activities, and other efforts to grow MCCF.

We want to thank all past and current MCCF advisory board members for your dedication to our fund. We are always looking for enthusiastic community members to join our advisory board and continue our history. For more information on becoming a board member or volunteering with MCCF, contact co-chairs Bill Heck at bheck@zoominternet.net or Brian Gale at bgale@idimages.com.