Please join the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio for our I’m a Child of Appalachia Celebration, which will highlight a remarkable year in giving, including the recognition of this year’s I’m Child of Appalachia Honoree and Chaddock Philanthropist of the Year Awardee, as well as a special announcement of a game-changing investment in growing philanthropy and creating opportunities for our communities.

The event will take place on Saturday, November 9 at the Franklin Park Conservatory’s Grand Atrium, located at 1777 East Broad St., Columbus, OH 43203. The event will begin with a reception at 6PM followed by dinner and the program at 7PM.

Seating is limited. Please RSVP with the names of any guests and any dietary restrictions by October 30, 2019 to RSVP@ffao.org or 740.753.1111.

Information about parking and directions is available here and is followed by a conservatory map; the Grant Atrium is located in the Conservatory Building.

We are pleased to announce this year’s I’m a Child of Appalachia Honoree and Chaddock Philanthropist of the Year Awardee.

Ken Taylor, a longtime partner of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, received this year’s Chaddock Philanthropist of the Year Award. 

Ken Taylor is the third generation of his family to lead Ohio CAT. As President of Ohio CAT, Ken carries on his family’s business legacy as well as the Taylor family’s tradition of philanthropy.

Under Ken’s leadership, Ohio CAT has been making a difference through corporate contributions, matching gift programs, and innovative approaches to supporting employees’ volunteer efforts. And in 2014, Ohio CAT announced a $1 million gift to FAO which supported our Initial Philanthropic Offering and directed $100,000 in matching funds to each of our Pillars of Prosperity.

Just this year, each Pillar met its match — and we are now one step closer to our vision of creating an abundance of opportunity across Appalachian Ohio’s communities.

Kyle Zimmer, co-founder of the nonprofit social enterprise First Book, is the 2019 I’m a Child of Appalachia Honoree. 

Kyle was born in Zanesville, Ohio and, while volunteering at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C. in 1992, realized that the kids she was working with had no books in their lives. So, she set out to
co-found First Book, which provides local schools and community programs serving under-resourced communities with a steady supply of the brand-new, high-quality books they desperately need.

Under Zimmer’s leadership, First Book has built the largest and fastest growing network of schools and programs serving children in need, with an additional 1,000 educators signing up each week.

First Book reaches an average of 5 million children each year across 30 countries, and supports more than one in three of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need.

First Book has partnered with and invested in FAO as a means of investing in the children of Appalachia. Through our partnership, we will connect educators across our service area with thousands of dollars in free brook credits and hundreds of free book kits, and deepen our knowledge of what the region’s educators need to produce tailored resources.