Conner Family Fund: Filling a Gap in Unicoi County

Long-time ETF fundholder George Conner was reviewing the Foundation’s latest annual report recently when he noticed Unicoi County did not receive any ETF grants in 2021 and Hawkins County only received one.

“I thought ‘maybe I can do something about that’,” George told ETF in a recent conversation. “I called Traci at the Foundation. She did some research for me, and we came up with a food pantry in need in Unicoi County. And I’d given to Of One Accord in Hawkins County before.”

“I was thrilled to receive Mr. Conner’s call; his thoughtful and intentional philanthropy is so very inspiring,” said Traci Sisson, ETF Fundholder Relationship Associate. “This is a great example of how we can help inform and work with our fundholders in service to our community.”

With the request from George, in early February, ETF granted $1,000 to the Town of Unicoi for the Manna Storehouse Food Pantry and $1,000 to Of One Accord from the Conner Family Fund.

George says establishing this donor advised fund gave him an avenue to support his community while also helping him pay tribute to his beloved family by naming the fund in their honor.

“Also, my CPA kept telling me to find some way to reduce my taxes,” George added with a laugh. “She actually got me in touch with ETF.”

“It’s good to seek charities that contribute to the wellbeing of others, and there are a lot of good charities out there,” he added.

Our fundholder services team is here to advise similarly in times when you wish to provide a charitable gift or identify ways to support a long-term philanthropic solution in the communities you care about. We’re here to help.