Foellinger awards $1M to Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
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The Foellinger Foundation is awarding a three-year, $1 million grant to the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation department in celebration of the foundation’s 65th anniversary.
The foundation is a private, charitable organization founded in 1958 by Helene Foellinger, former publisher of The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, and her mother, Esther Foellinger.
The foundation supports the department’s Foellinger Outdoor Theatre, originally built in 1949 as a gift from Helene Foellinger in memory of her father Oscar Foellinger. The foundation also funds the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, which opened in 1983 with a gift from the foundation.
“These funds will allow us to continue to address key improvements at these two signature facilities,” Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Steve McDaniel said in a news release. “We are deeply thankful for Helene Foellinger’s vision of giving back to the community and the ongoing support of the Foellinger Foundation to ensure this legacy continues for future generations to enjoy.”
The Foellinger Foundation has donated more than $5.4 million to the two venues since 1997.
“We are pleased to carry forward the Foellinger family’s tradition of supporting these important cultural establishments in our community,” Foellinger Foundation Interim President and CEO David Bennett said. “As the Foundation celebrates 65 years since its creation by Helene and Esther Foellinger, this gift is both a continuation of their family legacy and a celebration of the community their family has called home since 1836.”