We are thrilled to announce that our 2020 Heart of UA Award winner is Mary Ann Krauss. Established in 2019, the Heart of UA Award goes to those who demonstrate significant, long-term involvement with one or more Upper Arlington organizations. “It is hard to imagine a more deserving honoree for this award,” says UACF Executive Director Tracy Kirby Harbold. Mary Ann was nominated for the award by UACF Board Jodi Patton and Emeritus Board Member, Ginny Barney.
“Mary Ann Krauss is the epitome of what it means to be a public servant,” says Dr. R. Glen Miles, Senior Minister of First Community Church. Mary Ann is a longtime supporter of the church and serves as a board member of First Community Village. “She is willing to do whatever it takes to see that needs are met with excellence.”
Mary Ann tirelessly supports a variety of organizations in Upper Arlington and Columbus. She is a member of UA Rotary and has spent countless hours volunteering in UA and in Columbus. She has served on the UA Board of Education, UA City Council and helped create the Upper Arlington Community Foundation. When it came time to raise the $1 million dollars to build the Amelita Mirolo Barn, Mary Ann was a lead fundraiser. She has also served on the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County.
Among Mary Ann’s enduring achievements in Upper Arlington:
- In 1983, she started fundraising for what would become the Burbank Early Childhood School. Many community members and leaders did not see a need for childcare centers in Upper Arlington, but Mary Ann knew that many women during that time were going back to work and needed this service. In 1985, after significant contributions from the UA Board of Education and the City Council, the center opened with three teachers and 18 children. The school currently serves hundreds of families and holds full preschool and kindergarten classes.
- In 2002, Jane Davis Ferger, through her relationship with Mary Ann, made a pledge of $2 million to support a ballot initiative to build a community center in Upper Arlington. After making her first payment to the Columbus Foundation, the ballot issue failed, and Jane asked Mary Ann to use that money to “do something good for UA.” The UA Community Foundation was established with Ferger’s gift.
This just scratches the surface of the contributions Mary Ann has made to our community. To learn more about Mary Ann, check out this City Scene profile of her. And mark your calendars for Raise the Roof 2020 on May 8th, where we will celebrate our generous donors and present Mary Ann with the 2020 Heart of UA Award.
About the Heart of UA
This annual award recognizes the cumulative philanthropic and volunteer efforts of an individual, family or family foundation who, over a period of five or more years, demonstrates outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles in the community. Our inaugural recipient was the Huffman Family.