A Pillar of Generosity

CFNEIA

July 6, 2018

Pauline Barrett was a pillar of generosity in the Cedar Valley. The impact of her giving, along with that of her husband Dr. Sterling Barrett, has rippled across the community they loved.

In 1994, Pauline established the Pauline R. Barrett Fund with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa as part of her giving portfolio after serving on the Board of Directors. Now, after her death in January 2018, the impact of her fund will grow and her legacy of philanthropy will live on.

"Pauline loved the Cedar Valley. She understood she had been blessed and wanted to give back in a way that would impact many lives and make her community stronger," said Dave Amend, Trust Officer and Advisor to Pauline Barrett. "Her work and positive experiences with the Community Foundation during her lifetime showed her how she could keep her generosity alive even after she was gone."

During her lifetime, Pauline enjoyed making grant decisions, saying of the Community Foundation, “I believe in it. It is a good way to cut the hassle and make giving easy.”

She believed the Community Foundation helps in a unique way by providing grants to diverse community needs, not just one cause.

The Pauline R. Barrett Fund will increase the Foundation’s ability to support those diverse needs by contributing grant funds to the Foundation’s Black Hawk County discretionary process. The grant process provides needed funding to organizations serving the community she loved.

Through thoughtful planning and incredible generosity, Pauline Barrett’s vision of creating a stronger Black Hawk County by giving to nonprofits doing the most good will be carried out forever.