When Bob and Sue Savage met at a Catholic young adult convention at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, excitement was in the air in more ways than one.
“President Kennedy had come to address the meeting, and everyone was thrilled to see him,” said Sue. Bob was certainly pleased to see the president — but he was also there for other sights. “What do young guys like to do? Drink beers and look at the girls!” he chuckled. Sue had caught his eye, and before long, marriage was on the horizon.
Bob’s energetic leadership as a student at The University of Toledo had drawn the attention of local political leaders. By the time Bob and Sue met, although he was barely out of college, he had already been elected to his first term on Toledo city council. He served for three consecutive terms from 1963 to 1969 as Toledo’s youngest councilman and leading vote-getter. But in 1969, he declined to run again. Both his family and business were growing, along with Bob’s role in the community as a business leader — including a term of service on the board of the brand-new Toledo Community Foundation when it was launched in 1973.
As the Savage’s six young children began their education, Sue continued the Savage family’s public service. Sue took on a variety of volunteer roles in their schools and at other institutions as well, including St. Anthony Villa, and most recently, the Christ Child Society and as chair of the board of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.
It was natural, then, that Bob and Sue chose a donor directed pooled fund with Greater Toledo Community Foundation to manage their regular contributions to the many schools and charitable organizations they supported over the years. “Almost all our giving is local,” noted Sue. “We chose a donor directed fund so we could specify where all the gifts from our fund would go, whether annual donations or gifts for special projects, such as the creativity lab at the downtown library branch.”
Bob has also created two GTCF funds to facilitate fundraising and support for specific causes. The Science Society Fund helps Toledo’s Imagination Station refresh its permanent exhibits, and the Distinguished Clown Corps Fund helps defray the cost of Toledo’s annual holiday parade. Both are funded by membership fees, and in the case of the Clown Corps fund, the yearly dues reserve the member a spot in the holiday parade’s clown brigade.
Bob added, “The Community Foundation gives people a convenient way to manage charitable giving, and a good place to put their money to do good work in the community. That’s what sold us on being involved at the very beginning, and it hasn’t changed — we think it’s great.”
