Giving back to community is what makes it community

Published 6:26 am Tuesday, November 27, 2018

By PHIL OSBORNE

Danville Schools Education Foundation

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

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Coretta Scott King

It’s Giving Tuesday. At the risk of being overly redundant, this is your chance to give back to the community or communities that have been so supportive of you in your endeavors — past, present, and future. And by communities, I don’t mean simply Danville, Perryville, Junction City or the town you call home — although they certainly qualify. I don’t think Mrs. King meant that either.

There is your church community; the community of those who share your likes and dislikes; those who engage in the same civic activities, your social community, business community; and of course, the school community that nurtured you as a child and into young adulthood.

Representing the Danville Schools Education Foundation, I naturally have a bias on this Giving Tuesday — to support the mission, vision, and values of our foundation for the enrichment of the students, teachers, and staff who play such a vital role in the development of our overall community. So please consider making a gift to the foundation. It’s easy to do. Just log on to our new website (givedanville.org) and go to the “giving” page.

Your gift — no matter the size — will make a tremendous difference in what we can do for the betterment of our Danville Schools community.

In our continuing series of introducing you to the board of directors, meet our vice president, Yvonne Morley.

Yvonne was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, but grew up in Calhoun, the county seat of McLean County in western Kentucky. She attended Calhoun High School for two years and then McLean County High School for two, graduating in 1974. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1978.

Yvonne worked a year in a political campaign, then served four years in the attorney general’s office, and another four years in the lieutenant governor’s office. After moving to Danville in 1987, she worked as the executive director of the Heart of Danville main street program, before joining the president’s office at Centre College in 1993, where she still works today as executive assistant to the president.

​Her husband, Joe, is a Danville native and a 1965 DHS graduate. Their son, McCallum, is a 2017 DHS alumnus, after having attended both Toliver Elementary and Bate Middle School.

​Yvonne has been volunteering with the foundation since 2012 and was an original member of the Dancing with the Danville Stars planning committee.

If you ever have any questions about the foundation, need a speaker for a civic or service club you represent, or just want to chat about our mission, drop me a note at phil.osborne@danville.kyschools.us

One final thought — and I admit I stole this Confucius quote from a friend on Facebook:

“If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children.”

Phil Osborne is executive director of the Danville Schools Education Foundation. Email him at posborne@danvilleschoolsfoundation.org or phil.osborne@danville.kyschools.us.