2008 Annual Report - Greater Worcester Community Foundation

The Auburn Foundation
Small grants engage neighbors in enriching their community
Grants put promising ideas to work. Small grants
can put many good ideas to work. That is the idea behind
the Auburn Foundation, a field-of-interest fund created
by Arthur and Martha Pappas to enrich life in their
hometown.
The couple lives in the 1905 Victorian farmhouse where
Arthur was born, just a half-mile from Martha’s childhood
home. Fifteen years ago, they returned to Auburn from
Boston. A pioneer in the field of sports medicine, Arthur
was for two decades the chief orthopedic surgeon for
the Boston Red Sox and chair of the Department of
Orthopedics at the University of Massachusetts Medical
School. Martha obtained a doctorate in education and for
20 years was a teacher in the Sudbury Public Schools. Back
in Auburn, she joined the boards of several nonprofits,
including Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
Foundation’s distribution committee. “We’re very pleased
with the way our fund works.”
An advisory committee of Auburn residents selects grant
recipients. “The committee represents a cross section of our
entire community and knows its varied needs,” says Martha.
The average size of the grants is about $2,700. Each benefits
Auburn residents, and many inspire gifts of other kinds.
A grant of $1,500 helped Cub Scout Pack 53 buy a used
trailer for its Adopt a Fire Hydrant program. Visiting the
town’s elementary schools, the 20 Cub Scouts recruited
hundreds of students to join the program. Each participating
family agreed to clear snow from one of the town’s 400 fire
hydrants throughout the winter. “It was a small grant,” says
Martha, “but it had a huge impact on our town.” “And a
huge impact on those kids,” adds Arthur.
In 2002, Martha and Arthur brought their idea of a fund
for Auburn to the Foundation. “The staff helped us find
the best way to fulfill our wishes,” says Martha, chair of the
Promising ideas are multiplying now that Auburn has
its own fund. “All of these small grants strengthen the
foundation of our community,” says Arthur.
Arthur and Martha Pappas put great ideas to work in their hometown
through grants from the Auburn Foundation.
A
ll of these small grants strengthen the foundation of our community.
Arthur Pappas
4 Greater Worcester Community Foundation 08 ANNUAL REPORT