Donor Spotlight

Donor Spotlight

Jo Ellen Diehl Yeary | Generosity rooted in pride, remembrance, dedication to home

Learn more

Dave & Bev Paxton | Using Their IRAs to Invest in Their Community

Dave and Bev had long made contributions to the Holy Trinity Parish and School, but through conversations with their professional advisor, learned about the IRA Charitable Rollover. The IRA Charitable Rollover allows individuals to make tax-free contributions directly from their IRA to tax-exempt, charitable organizations annually after age 70 ½ , providing people like the Paxtons more options for their charitable giving. The IRA Charitable Rollover allows the Paxtons to impact the Holy Trinity School and local Somerset community without increasing their taxable income and meeting minimum distribution requirements of their IRAs. That is why they decided to create the Holy Trinity School Endowment Fund.

Over the next five years, both Dave and Bev will make $5,000 gifts annually to grow the Fund to $50,000, all while inviting others who hold the Holy Trinity School and Somerset close to their hearts to contribute as well. In partnership with the Holy Trinity Parish Council, grant dollars will be used for items, programs, and activities that support and promote the school. These dollars will allow the school to expand as it grows, while continuing to serve ongoing needs and maintenance upgrades.

Today, the Holy Trinity School serves students from Somerset and the surrounding area in preschool through eighth grades. “Even though the school is small, it is so important to the whole community,” shared Dave.

With strong school leadership, Holy Trinity has been growing in recent years to serve students from the Somerset community of varying backgrounds, regardless of Catholic faith. The next generation of Holy Trinity students even includes Dave and Bev’s grandson, Perry.

Holy Trinity School students receive a strong academic foundation, leading to strong academic achievement and successful careers for generations of Holy Trinity students, allowing them to pay it forward to subsequent generations of students.

Dave and Bev also have a deep gratitude for local emergency responders in their community. In 2013, Dave and Bev lost their Somerset home to a fire; the local Reading Township Volunteer Fire Department was integral to saving the Paxton’s belongings. A few years later, Dave was having breakfast with a member of the Reading Township Volunteer Fire Department when he started feeling unwell. The Volunteer Fire Department EMT took Dave to a local hospital, where they discovered Dave had a heart attack, helping save his life. After losing their home to a fire and benefitting from emergency medical care, the Paxtons have a great appreciation for local emergency responders and the need to support those services in the future. That is why Dave and Bev decided to make specific continuity plans to ensure the funds stay local by supporting the Reading Township Volunteer Fire Department. By specifying Fund continuity plans, the Paxtons will ensure the Fund they created will continue to impact the Somerset community far into the future in powerful ways.

“We always considered ourselves to be ordinary – not wealthy or influential,” noted Bev. “The Holy Trinity School has had so much to do with the success that we’ve had and we wanted to recognize that in some way.” By working with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) and the local Community Foundation for Perry County (CFPC), the Paxtons will able to give back to Holy Trinity School and Somerset community in a lasting way.

“You have to go out and get started on doing something you’ve wanted to do,” said Dave. “We never thought this would be something we could do – create a Fund to support Holy Trinity School – but we are thankful we can use the resources we have to do something for the community,” shared Bev.

To learn more about the Holy Trinity School Endowment Fund, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/HolyTrinity. To discuss how you can support your local school or community please call 740.753.1111 or email info@ffao.org.