Bringing the right people together to get the job done.
It’s what Diane Ledford with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation said was one of the greatest attributes for Les Garner in his work with the foundation, a job which he is stepping down from this year.
Les served for 16 years as Cornell College’s president previously, and there he provided leadership to three capital campaigns raising more than $129 million and constructing or renovating many of the buildings on the campus today. He has spent the last 14 years working with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation and their philanthropic work of supporting the non-profits in Linn County.
Les and Katrina were also instrumental in supporting the communities of Cornell and Mount Vernon for the future, providing initial seed money to establish two community betterment funds for Mount Vernon and an endowed fund for Cornell College.
“These community betterment funds will provide perpetual support for Mount Vernon, but to Les and Katrina, they’re much more than that—they are a blueprint for how we can inspire collective action in Linn County’s nonmetro communities,” Ledford said. “They have also established the Garner Family Fund for Cornell College, which will continue their long history of supporting this historic institution.”
It’s an impact that the Ledford and the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation knows will have a lasting impact in Linn County and beyond.
“What can I say other than wow,” said Mount Vernon mayor Tom Wieseler. “We’re excited for the community betterment funds seed money that has been established that will help local non-profits grow to meet the future challenges of the community.”
Jonathan Brand, Cornell College president, noted that Les Garner gave him pretty big shoes to fill when he stepped in after Les’s departure.
“One of my first interviews with a critical member of the Cornell College staff was their hope that I would be just as successful as Les was in his time as president,” Brand said.
Brand also noted that the philanthropy of the Garners followed in the Wesley Methodist tradition – that instinct to leave communities in better shape than when you found them.
“The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Mount Vernon and Cornell have all become better places due to the Garner’s philanthropy and guidance,” Brand said.
Les noted when he originally came to interview for the president job at Cornell College, they were leaving their North Carolina community as plants were starting to bloom in the spring down south.
“Arriving in the Cedar Rapids International Airport and driving from there to the City of Mount Vernon, passing fields of black dirt getting ready for planting season to begin, I really wondered if this was the right fit for me,” Les said. “Katrina looked at that rich, dark soil, though, and wondered how soon she could plant something in it.”
And that, Les noted, is what happened. The Garners made Mount Vernon their home, putting their own roots down in these communities, drawn in by the welcoming nature of the community and the exceptional students at Cornell College who continued to amaze them academically and in extracurricular activities.
“Mount Vernon opened us with welcome arms and became our home,” Les said. “I could not imagine a better community to have raised our children.”
Les said that his work was only made better by being blessed to work with such strong communities.
The members of the Mount Vernon Community Betterment Fund’s inaugural community include (from left) Peter Rian, Colette Nakielski, Amanda Rhomberg and Taryn Kuntz. They are pictured with Les and Katrina Garner (center) and Mount Vernon mayor Tom Wieseler (right) ahead of the ceremony honoring Les and Katrina Garner.