The Donald L. and Lois H. Stafford create an endowment for the Humane Society of Pulaski County.
Donald and Lois Stafford grew up in Giles County and moved to Fairlawn in Pulaski County soon after they were married. There they raised their son, Chris, and daughter, Cindy, while Donald worked as an instrument mechanic at the Radford Arsenal and Lois worked at a local textile mill before becoming a bank teller. Both were active in their church and gave freely of their time and talents to make sure that the needs of family, friends, and neighbors were always met. While neither attended college, they understood the importance of education and worked hard to ensure that their children would become college graduates. Most importantly, they were kind, loving, and generous people and they passed on those values to their children.
Chris recalls how the family had a dog for as far back as he can remember. Later in life, his parents channeled their love of animals into support for the Humane Society of Pulaski County. Based in Dublin, the Humane Society helps place animals with caring families via its rescue and shelter programs, fields over 300 calls per month from residents seeking assistance for their pets, and works to reduce pet overpopulation via its spay/neuter program. “I believe that their passion for animal welfare was a natural extension of their concern for others, especially those who are the most vulnerable in our society. They made regular financial contributions to the Humane Society and would also bring donations of needed supplies such as dog food to the animal shelter,” Chris shares.
After his parents both passed away, Chris and his wife Kim, who also reside in Fairlawn, resolved to honor their lives and their kind and generous spirits through an endowed fund, the Donald L. and Lois H. Stafford Endowment. For Chris and Kim, partnering with the Community Foundation to honor his parents was an easy choice, “We are very familiar with the Community Foundation of the NRV and we have been regular donors for many years. It was important to us that this endowed fund be managed by an organization that demonstrates integrity, stability, and trustworthiness. The Community Foundation meets all of these criteria.”
Approximately thirty of the Foundation’s endowed funds are so-called designated funds, providing ongoing support to a specific organization of the donor’s choosing. The Foundation invests and grows the fund, allowing the organization to focus on its mission while benefitting from a stable, annual funding source. Anthony Woodyard, executive director of the Humane Society, sees the fund as a critical ongoing resource for his organization, “The Humane Society relies solely on the kindness and generosity of donors in order to carry out our mission. We are grateful to the Staffords for establishing the Donald L. and Lois H. Stafford Endowment as the Humane Society of Pulaski County will reap the benefits of this generous endowment in perpetuity.”