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Foundation gives thanks to retiring Jody Bacon

Portage Country Club gathering on Tuesday to honor executive for 18 years of service to Akron

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Monday, Jul 07, 2008

Jody Bacon was introduced as executive vice president of the Akron Community Foundation 18 years ago during the group's annual meeting.

She will say her goodbyes on Tuesday in that same venue: the 11:30 a.m. annual meeting at the Portage Country Club.

''I thought it was appropriate to leave the same way that I came,'' said Bacon, who will officially retire as president on July 31. ''I am so appreciative to the people in the community for being so welcoming to me and the message I've taken to them about philanthropy.''

Bacon became president of the foundation in 1992. Under her leadership, the foundation's assets have grown from $17 million to more than $140 million and the staff blossomed from a part-time secretary and an answering machine to a 10-member team.

Former board Chairwoman Kathryn ''Kitty'' Dindo said Bacon has become the face of the foundation.

''Jody has made the Akron Community Foundation what it is today. Her leadership and unwavering commitment to the foundation has been phenomenal,'' Dindo said. ''Jody is just an amazing person in this community. Not only has she done tremendous work with the foundation, she has been an ambassador for Northeast Ohio.''

Bacon has served on the boards of the Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Roundtable, WKSU and Leadership Akron. The Mount Pleasant, Mich., native is a graduate of the leadership program and recently was board president.

She has been honored with numerous
awards, including the 2008 Community Service Award from the Rotary Club of Fairlawn and the 1998 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award. In 2005, Inside Business magazine named her one of Northeast Ohio's Power 100.

Mark Scheffler, executive director of Leadership Akron, said Bacon's ethic of stewardship shines in everything she does. Bacon will continue to serve on the Leadership Akron board for the next year.

''You can't go anywhere in this community without seeing something positive — the art museum, neighborhood programs — that the Akron Community Foundation didn't have some role in,'' Scheffler said. ''She has taught me a lot about the importance of relationships and how to cultivate them. She has an insightful perspective that has been very valuable to us in the Akron community.''

A bigger challenge

Bacon came to the foundation and the Akron area from Jackson, Mich., where she was executive director of the Jackson Community Foundation and of the private Hurst Foundation. It wasn't until she arrived at her new post that she discovered she had a bigger challenge than she had anticipated.

''The foundation was short on policies and procedures — something that I assumed was already in place,'' Bacon said. ''So, in addition to getting to know the community, I had to immediately start working to put the policies and procedures in place.''

While developing guidelines for the foundation, Bacon studied the community and began to plan for raising local awareness of philanthropy and building the foundation's assets.

''The Akron area is a very generous and caring community in terms of financial contributions and volunteerism,'' Bacon said. ''My emphasis was making people more aware of how their contributions make a difference in the lives of people in the community.''

The Akron Community Foundation was established in 1955 with a $1 million gift from the estate of B.F. Goodrich executive Edwin C. Shaw to improve the quality of life in the Greater Akron area. Since its founding, more than $70 million has been awarded.

Proud legacy

Former foundation board Chairman and Roetzel and Andress attorney George Sarkis said Bacon is leaving a proud legacy. Sarkis also headed the seven-member search committee for the foundation's new president and chief executive.

Sarkis said that among the highlights of Bacon's tenure are the growth of the foundation's endowment, the increased awareness of the impact of philanthropy in the community and the construction and expansion of the foundation's home on Cedar Street.

''Jody went out and raised the money for the building in the community so that no assets of the foundation had to be used,'' Sarkis said. ''The result is a building that is debt-free and being used by other nonprofits in the area.''

Some of Bacon's accomplishments include the establishment of the Millennium and Women's Endowment funds. The Millennium Fund, a partnership with the Akron Beacon Journal, provides grants to support programs that work to improve the lives of children. The Women's Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993, supports the educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of women and girls.

New president

John T. Petures Jr., the foundation's new president and chief executive, said he is grateful for all that Bacon did to champion the foundation's work.

''She has built relationships, initiated partnerships and developed a strong board and staff. She has left the foundation in very good standing,'' said Petures, who has been on the job for a month. ''We will continue to build on her legacy by increasing the awareness of the role we have in developing a better quality of life for residents and expanding the impact of the investments we make.''

As the work continues at the foundation, Bacon, 70, will take the next year to relax and determine what she will do next. One of the decisions she will make is whether to stay in Akron or return to her home state of Michigan.

''I was hired to raise the visibility and the assets of the foundation. I am leaving knowing that I have achieved that goal and more,'' Bacon said. ''I am grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of the growth of the foundation and I thank the community for all of the support it has given me. My life has unfolded very nicely and I'm sure the next adventure will be pleasant as well.''

 

Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.

 

Jody Bacon was introduced as executive vice president of the Akron Community Foundation 18 years ago during the group's annual meeting.

Get the full article here.


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