A Heart For Community

When the attacks of 9/11 happened, Tom Johnson was living and working in London, England, at a banking job that had him traveling all over the world. Tom had worked in the World Trade Center. He had always planned to return to Somerset in Perry County, where he grew up and his father had been the mayor, but hadn't yet found the time. In 2001, however, he decided it was time to slow down and return to his hometown and his family to see how he could make a difference.

When Tom arrived in Somerset, he set to work immediately, joining community organizations and writing grants for the Village of Somerset to help it get stimulus funding. Over time, he has become the Mayor of Somerset and a volunteer with the Community Foundation for Perry County, all of which has led to his commitment of a gift in his will to his Perry County community.

"Even when I was overseas I wanted to make a planned gift that would benefit the community I was from," said Tom. "The only vehicle I had was my will, but my goal was a permanent endowment so it would be around for the community's benefit for a longer period of time."

When Tom arrived in Perry County, he realized that the county was not receiving nearly as many resources as other areas and he saw that it was in part because of the philanthropy gap. He soon learned that others wanted to start a community foundation for the county as well, so, together they reached out to FAO to launch the Community Foundation for Perry County. With this foundation, everyone with a heart for the county would have a permanent and lasting way to invest in Perry County. For Tom, that has meant leaving a gift in his will so he can continue to make a difference in Perry County for generations to come.