Each year, The Columbus Foundation recognizes donors, nonprofit organizations, and others who are strengthening and improving the community through acts of service, generosity, and philanthropy. In early September, during the annual Celebration of Philanthropy, The Columbus Foundation welcomed donors, nonprofit leaders, and community members to celebrate the honorees of the 2024 Philanthropy Awards.
The Columbus Foundation also announced a historic commitment to the community—a $55 million endowed scholarship fund made possible by an incredible gift from the late Mary E. “Betsy” Rueb, who was posthumously honored with this year’s Harrison M. Sayre Award. Betsy’s transformational gift represents the largest endowed gift in The Columbus Foundation’s 80-year history, and is the largest known endowed gift to a multi-university scholarship fund in Ohio.
The Harrison M. Sayre Award – 2024 Honoree
Betsy Rueb
Given in honor of Harrison M. Sayre, The Columbus Foundation’s founder and 25-year volunteer director, The Harrison M. Sayre Award recognizes leadership in philanthropy in central Ohio. For her immense generosity and historic gift to the community, Betsy Rueb was named the 2024 honoree of The Harrison M. Sayre Award.
Originally from Tiffin, Ohio, Betsy moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University, where she met her husband, Floyd. Together, Betsy and Floyd built a home in Upper Arlington, where Betsy continued to live after Floyd passed away in 1983. Betsy, who deeply loved children, was described by a close friend as being big-hearted, generous, and charming. She also learned how to do her own investing, and 30 years ago approached The Columbus Foundation with a planned gift commitment to the Foundation’s scholarship program.
After many years of living simply and investing wisely, Betsy passed away 2023, leaving her assets to The Columbus Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund to support promising students throughout central Ohio who may lack financial resources to continue their education. Through the fund, Betsy’s legacy will live on, improving the lives of students and their families in perpetuity.
Ann Fisher, former host of WOSU’s All Sides with Ann Fisher, recently sat down with Clark Kellogg, Chairperson of The Columbus Foundation Governing Committee, and Angela Parsons, JD, CAP®, Vice President of Donor Services at The Columbus Foundation, to discuss Betsy’s remarkable $55 million gift and its monumental impact on the community.
The Columbus Foundation Award – 2024 Honoree
The Center for Healthy Families
Created in 1986, The Columbus Foundation Award recognizes organizations that have made a difference in the quality of life in our community. This year’s Columbus Foundation Award was presented to The Center for Healthy Families. Founded in 2007, The Center for Healthy Families is dedicated to elevating the agency of girls and young women—including pregnant and parenting teens and young adults—to have healthy, thriving lives by surrounding them with a network of care and support.
Through its family-centered approach, The Center for Healthy Families supports young people through multiple dimensions of life, including graduating high school and accessing post-secondary education; developing supportive, healthy relationships; finding safe, secure, and stable housing; giving birth to healthy babies; and preparing for the workforce. Through initiatives like The Black Girls’ & Young Women’s Collective, The Center for Healthy Families also provides Black girls and young women a space to share their challenges, express their hopes and ideas, develop their leadership skills, and build community among peers.
As part of the award, The Center for Healthy Families will receive a $100,000 unrestricted grant from The Columbus Foundation.
Recently, The Columbus Foundation sat down with Toshia Safford, President and CEO of The Center for Healthy Families, along with two of the organization’s participants—Bethany and Binta—to learn more about how The Center for Healthy Families is transforming lives and building healthy families.
To learn more about The Columbus Foundation’s Philanthropy Awards, including past honorees, click here.
