A letter from board member Mary McGowan Swartz
Dear Friends,
My uncle Bill, William G. McGowan, was my dad’s older brother. He set up the foundation in the regions where his brothers lived, with the goal of doing the most good in those particular communities. Where I live, in Kansas City, the McGowan Fund runs deep, and I’m grateful to be able to present grants and give aid to local foundations in our area. Having the ability to support my community in this way and be a part of our foundation feels specifically like an honor, not simply a privilege. Just because your last name is McGowan doesn’t mean a gift is just bestowed upon you. There is an understanding that carrying the name McGowan means working for something greater, and I place a great emphasis on the word work—as did my uncle Bill.
We must do our due diligence, and it’s a lot of work. By the time a grant is given, I’ve spoken with the organization, and I’ve done a site visit. There is a lot of paperwork and research that goes into this. We have to learn about what the organization does and what it needs, and we also we have to understand their research and their philosophies. We have to see a strong track record, and we want to know which other trusted foundations have also backed the work being done. On top of this work we do with the grantees, there are board meetings to attend and on average four trips a year to take for the foundation. Our whole board is deeply committed, which is what it takes when you’re also a working board, meaning we all have jobs on top of our responsibilities to the Fund. I work four days a week, and I’m a very hands-on grandparent. I have 10 grandchildren under 5 years old! We carve out time from our already busy lives to carry on this legacy and it is our honor to do so.
I think our work ethic is part of what makes our board unique, and I hope we can always do it this way. I’ve been a part of the board almost since the beginning, having gone to meetings since 1996. I think often about what a great gift my uncle gave us. I get to work closely with my cousins, and I relish the time spent with them. We work very well together, which has taken both time and growth. We’ve never really argued; our parents taught us well—you respect your cousins and your elders.
Food scarcity and struggles in education are the largest issues I’m seeing in our community, and that mirrors what all of us on the board are seeing all over the country right now. But there are organizations we’re partnering with who are making great strides and leading the fight toward change. Catholic Charities is one of them, and it’s an organization that’s important to me. I was raised in Kansas City, and I was born Catholic. Catholic Charities currently has 30 programs in 21 counties; they are a big presence in Kansas City. Catholic Charities is dedicated to the research, and what they do, they do very well. They’ll spend years if necessary trying to understand the best way to start a new program before creating it, going in with a full base of knowledge and achievable goals. And they always keep us, the McGowan Fund, in the loop, so there are no surprises. They too work hard and treat each program participant with care, dignity, and respect. Last year, they gave away 2.2 million pounds of food, but they do more than feed people. They assist with jobs, mental health care, training, and skills.
We partner with very good people—grantees who meet their outcomes and help their communities grow further than they (and we) often could have even hoped. Growing our connections with these good people is the privilege. Together we’re making a difference through thoughtful work and care, and I’m sure my uncle Bill would be proud to see the ways we’ve grown and managed what he left us.
Sincerely,
Mary McGowan Swartz