The purpose of the Woods Foundation is to provide benefits for
charitable, educational and other pursuits through grants to
nonprofit and governmental organizations, primarily those located in
Logan County. Today, the foundation is run by a four-member board of
directors.
The organizations supported through various grants and gifts
provided by the Woods Foundation read like a who's who of nonprofit
and philanthropic services in Lincoln and Logan County. A partial
list of the local organizations that have been blessed by the Woods
Foundation includes Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Oasis Senior
Center, Christian Homes, St. Clara's Manor, Habitat for Humanity,
Community Action, Lincoln/Logan County Food Pantry and Together for
Lincoln.
A significant focus of the foundation is education. For each of the
past two years, the Woods Foundation has given over $300,000 to
Logan County schools for technology improvements. LCU has been a
regular benefactor over the last 15 years, receiving grants for the
exterior renovation of the Hargrove auditorium, the Jessie C. Eury
Library renovation, technology and miscellaneous needs, and most
recently, a matching grant for the school's new minibus.
"There is no doubt in my mind that LCU and the community have
received an enormous blessing in the vision and generosity of the
Woods family and the astute management by the board that oversees
the operation of this foundation," said Dr. Ray as he presented the
award. "It is this type of organization that deserves recognition
for LCU's annual Lincoln Community Leadership Award. I ask everyone
to join with LCU in applauding their work here, in Lincoln, and the
entirety of Logan County."
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The Woods Foundation was established in 1998 by Robert J. Woods
and Joan Jarrett Woods.
Robert Woods was born in Carlinville but grew up in Lincoln,
graduating from Lincoln Community High School. He earned his
bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1942 and served three
years as a map reader at the end of World War II. He earned his law
degree from the University of Illinois in 1949. With that law degree
in hand, he returned to Lincoln to establish a practice with his
father, focusing on real estate matters, estate planning, wills and
trusts.
He met Joan Jarrett in Bloomington, and they were married in
1951. She was born in Bloomington in 1918, graduated from the
College of William and Mary in Virginia, and returned to Bloomington
to work as a librarian. They had been married for 47 years when he
died in February 1998. Mrs. Woods died in December 2006.
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Established in Lincoln, in 1944, LCU's mission is to equip
Christians to serve and lead in the church, the workplace and the
world. Today, LCU offers a variety of degree programs for
undergraduates, graduates and seminary students. Classes are offered
on campus, at other sites and online. To learn more, visit
www.lincolnchristian.edu.
[Text from file received from
Lincoln Christian University] |