Supporting the vitality of Indiana’s rural communities

One of the cardinal rules of mobile phone use: ignore calls from unknown numbers. But for Michael Wilcox, assistant director and program leader for community development at Purdue Extension, answering a random call was the serendipitous connection that led to the new Downing Endowment for Community Vitality.

On the other end of the line was John Gardner, who represents The Jean and Bernas Downing Charitable Trust. The trust was looking for additional ways to help build thriving rural communities in Indiana, and thought that Purdue Extension might be the right partner — but the trustees needed to learn more.

When Wilcox met with them, one trustee mentioned his familiarity with Purdue Extension’s work with homemakers, such as teaching people to make an apple pie. Wilcox acknowledged that legacy, telling the group, “We do that, but it starts with the soil test in the ground, where a potential farmer is thinking about starting an orchard. And then we walk them through the different varieties they should consider planting based on the market and the soil and the climate and so on. So, we start there before the apple pie is ever made. And once the apple pie is made, we help you with food safety. We help you with the marketing of the pie. We help you get connected with your local farmers market and with your branding,” Wilcox recalled.

“And the more I was making the connection from the soil test to the planting of the trees, to the cultivation and pruning of the trees to harvesting the apples and the post-harvest process and so on, you could just see their eyes widen as they realized that Purdue Extension is comprehensive,” he said.

The founders of the charitable trust, Dr. Jean F. Downing and Bernas (Sharp) Downing, both grew up in rural communities. Jean was born in Shelby County, Indiana, in 1918, earning his BS from Purdue’s College of Science in 1941. He later completed a master’s degree from Indiana University and a PhD from Penn State University before working for Eli Lilly and Company at the Greenfield research labs from 1953–1983, residing in Morristown, Indiana, until his death in 2002.

Bernas, born in 1933 in Union County, Tennessee, was the first female to obtain a master’s degree in animal husbandry from the University of Tennessee. She also worked at Eli Lilly and Company, where she met Jean, and they were married for 40 years. Bernas was active in the Morristown community before moving closer to family in Tennessee prior to her death in 2014.

The Downings believed in serving their community and did so throughout their lives and in their wills, giving back philanthropically through the Downing Charitable Trust. They were inspired by the legacy of Eli Lilly, their employer, friend and grandson of the company’s founder. Along with his father and brother, Lilly founded the Lilly Endowment in 1937.

Part of the endowment’s more recent philanthropic legacy is the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative. One of GIFT’s goals was to support the growth of community foundations across Indiana that would enhance the quality of life in their respective communities. When the initiative began in 1990, only 12 counties had community foundations; now all 92 counties have a community foundation or affiliate fund, and play an important role to address community priorities, working with local and regional partners, often with support from the Lilly Endowment.

The trustees of The Jean and Bernas Downing Charitable Trust were the conduit for the Downings’ vision. “They spoke passionately about where the opportunities might be in rural Indiana, but where the capacity might be lacking to realize those wants and dreams and desires,” Wilcox said.

The trustees, including Gardner, had been looking for the right partner, and saw that community foundation projects that thrived often included Purdue Extension as a partner.

“The trustees of the Downing Charitable Trust had previously collaborated with various community foundations throughout the state,” said Gardner. “Through our interaction with the community foundations, we became aware of the deep and sustained role Purdue Extension plays in the vitality of Indiana’s rural communities. That experience convinced us that a gift to Purdue Extension would be the most effective way to ensure that the Downing Trust’s funds would provide meaningful and impactful assistance to these communities.”

Purdue Extension’s work in four key areas — 4-H youth development, health and human sciences, agriculture and natural resources, and community development — supports areas of community vitality that matter most to the trustees, including capacity building for grant writing and nonprofit boards, health and wellness initiatives, food security, childcare and housing.

Purdue Extension acts as a catalyst and facilitator, helping communities gather data and conduct an action planning process. “Purdue Extension doesn’t make decisions for people,” said Wilcox. “We help people make decisions based on the science and research that we do here at Purdue. Our hope is that they will come up with projects where they can learn by doing.”

The establishment of the $5 million Downing Endowment for Community Vitality will also help Purdue Extension continue to offer its resources across the state. “We are forever grateful to the people at the Downing Charitable Trust for their generous gift, which will make a significant impact throughout Indiana, while also helping to secure the future of Purdue Extension in perpetuity.” said Angela Abbott, interim associate dean of the College of Agriculture and director of Purdue Extension.

The projects funded by the Downing Endowment for Community Vitality will honor the spirit of the family’s trust. “I would want the Downings’ extended families to be able to come to these communities and see the tangible difference that was made due to their generosity,” Wilcox said.