Generational Giving

GORDON DABNEY, JR. fundholder

My father was my hero,” Samuel Gordon Dabney, Jr. says of his father, the late Samuel Gordon Dabney. “He instilled in all of us, my two sisters and myself, both the sense of responsibility as well as the importance of philanthropy and charitable giving to support and give back to the community. That’s a big part of who he was, and it’s a big part of why I do what I do.”

It’s a responsibility Gordon Dabney, Jr. has instilled in his own daughters, aged 21 and 23, who he’s recently established as administrators of the Donor Advised Fund that they’ve established. In carrying on his father’s philanthropic legacy, Gordon has been able to lean on the Community Foundation of Louisville for support and guidance.

Any question that arises, the Community Foundation provides answers. “Everybody that I’ve ever dealt with there, from setting up the first Charitable Checking Fund, to converting it later to a Donor Advised Fund, and any and all questions in between have been enormously professional, helpful, and knowledgeable. It’s the resource that I use more than anything else.”

When he reflects on the community he’s been a part of and sees the spirit of giving reflected in his daughters’ growing involvement in philanthropy, he’s encouraged. Not everyone may have the means to give substantially, but Gordon detects a common thread through- out humanity.

“I honestly believe that everybody has, as part of their DNA, the desire to help and make a difference, to contribute, to give back.”

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