In honor of our centennial, we are proud to share the incredible client stories that we’ve had the honor of supporting over the course of the last century.
In 1919, our story begins with the vision of George F. Rand, President of Marine Midland Bank, who asked his attorney Edward H. Letchworth to visit Cleveland to learn about its community foundation. George was inspired by the concept of a community foundation that would bring together individuals with various charitable interests to collectively address the needs of the community, and brought it home to his beloved Buffalo. But he likely did not envision how that community foundation would evolve through the generations—or did he?
“I really do not know what motivated Big George except for his love of Buffalo and his community spirit, and that translated to my father and then to me,” Calvin Rand, late grandson of George F. Rand, said in 2015. George’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, many of whom are still involved in charitable giving through the Community Foundation today, credit George’s vision, as well as his son’s decision to start the first endowment at the Community Foundation in honor of his parents.
By carrying on George’s wishes with the creation of the Mr. and Mrs. George F. Rand Fund, his son made it possible for hundreds of others to give back in the same way. The good the Rand family has done for our community is immeasurable. “Hopefully, 90 years from now, my great-grandchildren will be sitting here talking about how my great grandfather’s vision became real in 1919,” said Jayne Rand, great-granddaughter of George F. Rand. It is paramount to George’s family that the concept he envisioned, and trusted in, will live on for generations. His fund is still relevant today, and will continue to be for generations to come, through its support of the changing needs in our community.
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