Pictured: John and Marianne Moyer, courtesy of Manatee Community Foundation.

On Valentine’s Day I cannot help but reflect on the core meaning of the word philanthropy – from the Greek word philanthropia, meaning “love of humanity,” derived from philos, meaning “loving,” and anthropos, meaning “human,” or “mankind.”

In 2023, I had the privilege of meeting a most loving and daring couple: John and Marianne Moyer. Their love for the community was reflected in every action while they were with us, and in their legacy once they departed. And their hobbies included activities only the truly adventurous jump into like scuba diving, hang-gliding, flying their 1947 Cessna, and exotic travels.

They plumbed the depths and heights of life, literally, and they were well-loved as they loved others. When they passed away within a year of each other, they left a void in our community that can never be filled.

But John and Marianne also left a legacy. They cared about education, especially literacy and technical learning. Before they passed, they asked a forward-looking question I wish everyone would ask. When we’re no longer here, what support will our community need? As part of their estate planning, the Moyers created an endowment at MCF: the Moyer Foundation Fund.

Endowments are highly practical. The original gift is invested, it grows over time, and it benefits the community forever, in anonymity, or in celebration of the donor’s intent for community impact. In the Moyers’ case, they targeted two areas for continual support. The first is education, with a focus on grade-level reading and technical learning.

I appreciate their strategic choice: investments in our youth yield the deepest results over time, and technical training provides tangible opportunity in employment. And, endowed gifts like the Moyers’ provide flexibility, which allows MCF to channel their investments to fund the most pressing needs within these areas of focus and to best respond to our community’s emerging needs. They Moyers will change lives—forever.

This long view shows up in other segments of our community. For example, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County recently established its own endowment at MCF, acknowledging that early learning depends on sustained commitment rather than one-time funding. Endowments give organizations ongoing funding to reduce reliance on public funds, and space to plan and adjust, to keep good staff, to improve programs without having to reset every time public funding shifts, and to take necessary and measured risks to serve better and serve more. For a fast-growing county like ours, having that unrestricted support makes all the difference between maintaining operations and elevating them to new heights.

The Moyer Foundation Fund also supports the ongoing work of MCF itself. When donors support a community foundation’s work, they give staff flexibility to respond as needs shift. At MCF we steward many different funds, each with specific intent, and we also carry responsibility for the bigger picture. That flexibility helps us carry out our main function—to help people extend their values well beyond their lifetime—and to do it well. This way, when disaster strikes, or we have a chance to create a solution for a systemic community challenge, we have the funding to move forward with creative solutions.

The Moyers knew they could not imagine every challenge our community would face, so they looked for a partner that could ensure their legacy would not only be protected, but that it would build something durable to enhance our region as it evolves.

The Moyers inspire us to broaden how we think about giving. Not every gift needs to respond to the urgency of the moment. Some gifts aim to strengthen the foundation beneath the work, so future leaders and educators have room to act. Endowments make that possible. They carry a personal imprint, reflect what someone cared about during their life, and extend that care forward for the people who come.

The Moyers loved their community, and life’s adventures. And I know they are smiling from heaven as they witness how their forethought and generosity open doors for others—forever.

Veronica Thames is the CEO of the Manatee Community Foundation.

Pictured: John and Marianne Moyer, courtesy of Manatee Community Foundation.