At the Adams County Community Foundation, our job is to build a permanent charitable endowment for Adams County. We call that endowment the Fund for Adams County. It generates the resources that fuel our community grants, initiatives like the annual Giving Spree, and advocacy on donor-related legislation.
But one of the most rewarding parts of our work is the opportunity to learn from donors themselves.
When donors create charitable funds at the community foundation, they bring more than generosity. They bring expertise, lived experience, and a unique perspective on the needs of our community. With 350 charitable funds, we’ve learned about everything from agriculture and education to affordable housing, recycling, animal welfare, and poverty reduction. Every donor teaches us something.
Right now, I’m working with a donor whose experience has brought renewed attention to the needs of students in transition programs for young adults with developmental disabilities ages 18 to 21. These programs help students develop independent living, vocational, and community engagement skills as they prepare for adulthood after high school. Students learn in real-world environments, volunteer in the community, and gain practical experience that helps them thrive beyond the classroom.
This issue resonates with me personally. My niece participated in a similar program after high school, and I remember the frustration of watching communities enthusiastically support multimillion-dollar athletic facilities while special education programs struggled to secure basic resources. She was fortunate to live in a district that helped her transition successfully into adulthood and college life. Not every family has access to those opportunities.
The donor I’m working with grew up with a sibling with special needs and later worked part-time as a paraprofessional — often called a “para” — supporting students in a transition classroom, including his own family member. Through that experience, he gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges these students, teachers, and families face every day.
When you love someone with special needs, you quickly learn how often accessibility and opportunity are overlooked.
That experience helped shape him into a thoughtful and determined advocate for transition education resources. Although he now teaches at another school, he remains deeply connected to his hometown’s program and committed to helping it grow.
What impressed me most was how he approached the work. He didn’t arrive with assumptions or demands. Instead, he sat down with the program director and listened. He asked her to identify the program’s greatest needs and combined her insights with his own experience in the classroom.
The resulting wish list was practical, thoughtful, and deeply human: fencing, tables, and adaptive outdoor equipment to encourage physical activity and engagement; updated technology to replace decades-old equipment; and vocational tools that could help students explore entrepreneurship and employment skills.
Then he got to work building support.
What started as a modest $2,500 fundraising effort has now surpassed $10,000. Just as importantly, he has elevated awareness about a community need that many people rarely see or fully understand. He has encouraged others to think differently about special education, independence, and opportunity.
At the community foundation, we often say philanthropy is about more than dollars. It is about people sharing their knowledge, experiences, and values to improve the lives of others.
Working with this donor has reminded me that some of the most important lessons come from individuals willing to turn personal experience into public advocacy. His goal is not simply to provide money for a program. It is to create opportunity, dignity, and visibility for students who deserve the chance to thrive.
That kind of philanthropy strengthens an entire community.
Ralph Serpe is President & CEO of the Adams County Community Foundation. He serves on the board of the Adams Economic Alliance and the National Standards Board for U.S. Community Foundations. He can be reached at 717-337-0060 or rs****@***********cf.org.