
The story and the givers behind the fund
Through piano lessons, gifts of classical music albums and more, Catherine Lahmers instilled an appreciation for music and the arts in her daughter, Nancy, from a young age. And, over time, this appreciation for arts and culture has grown into a passion they both share and cherish deeply.
“I thought it was important for my children to engage with music and the arts because you can enjoy your life so much more when you learn to see the beauty in plants and paintings and books,” said Catherine.
That’s why when Nancy Lahmers resolved to do something to honor her mother, she decided on a gift that would flow from their shared passion for the arts, and that would also speak to her mother’s spirit of kindness and generosity. So, Nancy established the Catherine M. Lahmers Arts & Culture Fund for Appalachian Ohio at FAO, which supports Appalachian Ohioans in pursuing and accessing arts and cultural opportunities.
Nancy was able to establish this fund thanks in part to matching dollars from Ohio CAT, which helped kickstart FAO’s Pillars of Prosperity to create opportunities across arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environmental stewardship, and health and human services.
Another factor that helped Nancy honor her mother was the ease of making complex gifts to community foundations like FAO. Nancy established the Catherine M. Lahmers Fund through a gift of appreciated stock. She received a tax deduction on the full market value of her appreciated stock while eliminating the capital gains tax that would otherwise have been assessed from the sale of her stock.
“The stock transfer was really, really easy to do,” Nancy said. “I just called my stockbroker and said, ‘Transfer these stocks to FAO.’ If I’d sold that stock, then I would have had to pay maybe 30 percent in taxes. So, FAO got more money than I otherwise would have been able to give, and, as an added bonus, I didn’t have to pay any taxes on the stock growth.”
And thanks to this gift, Catherine is able to see her love for the arts spread far beyond her own children as the fund in her name meets the region’s greatest needs and opportunities in the area of arts and culture. In this way, the Catherine M. Lahmers Fund will help all the children of Appalachian Ohio lead richer lives through opportunities to appreciate the beauty in the world around them
Support the Catherine M. Lahmers Arts and Culture Fund for Appalachian Ohio
Gifts to the Catherine M. Lahmers Arts and Culture Fund for Appalachian Ohio are tax-deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, royalties, insurance beneficiaries and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs.
To mail your donation, please designate the fund and mail to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, 35 Public Square, Nelsonville, OH 45764.
Donations can be made online by designating the Catherine M. Lahmers Arts and Culture Fund for Appalachian Ohio when donating.