When South Arkansas native Glenn Freeman talks about his philosophy on giving, he begins with his roots: “Growing up, my family was poor and didn’t have much, but we were in the same boat as a lot of other people. It was not uncommon for one of us to go next door and borrow a cup of sugar.”
Freeman was raised by a proud single mother who, outside of the neighborly baking request, found it difficult to ask for help. He describes pride as a strong feeling against receiving help and an intense desire to be self-sufficient. Rather than giving in a way that creates dependency, Freeman strives to affect long-term change. He believes in creating situations where people can have access to help without asking and supporting organizations that give people opportunities to select the benefits or goods they need, such as food pantries, Goodwill Industries or The Salvation Army. Freeman also advocates for nonprofits that benefit young people, like the Ivy Center for Education (ICE), which helps high school students with ACT preparatory workshops, tutoring and mentoring programs.
But Freeman doesn’t think that kids should only be on the receiving end of gifts. He works with the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to teach the importance of leadership and community philanthropy to high school students. Freeman also mentors college men about the value of investing so that they may one day experience the benefits and impact of giving. He hopes this exposure to philanthropy will help shape their mindset and develop a broader pattern of giving in the minority community. He states simply, “If people didn’t give, there would be nothing to receive.”
Glenn Freeman is a true friend of the Community Foundation. He has set up Community Foundation funds to honor his mother and his wife’s parents, and he has served as a Southeast Arkansas affiliate board member as well as on the state board. Although his contributions to Arkansas Community Foundation are great in both time and donations, Freeman’s devotion to community service is the real gift.