Sherwood Dudley, built his business and family in Chattanooga.  A longtime resident and the first Mayor of Lookout Mountain, GA, Sherwood and his wife, Susan, shared a passion for caring for the elderly, particularly the indigent.  Prior to his passing, Mr. Dudley created a Charitable Remainder Trust in which 50% of the Trust was to directly benefit a specific local nonprofit that offered care for indigent seniors in Hamilton County.  However, after the Trust was settled and arrived at the Community Foundation that specific nonprofit was no longer in existence.

Having an in-depth knowledge of the donor’s intent, the Community Foundation team worked with the donor’s family to re-route the gift to another local nonprofit serving indigent seniors.  The Community Foundation worked to connect the Dudley’s passion to purpose through the creation of a Field of Interest fund designed to support organizations caring for indigent seniors both now and in perpetuity.

The donor’s family serves on Fund’s grantmaking committee alongside Foundation staff and last year helped steward a grant to the Southeast Tennessee Area on Aging and Disability (SETD) in support of their “meals on wheels” program.  This gift proved critical as it allowed for the delivery of an additional 1,111 meals along with friendly visits and daily safety checks to indigent seniors in Hamilton County that would otherwise have gone without.  In addition, this funding also provided for the delivery of 2 bags of groceries to 114 local seniors during the holiday season.

By making his estate gift through the Community Foundation, Sherwood Dudley was able to ensure that his gift was used as intended and that his family was able participate in the process of stewarding his legacy of generosity and caring.

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