Betty L. Davis Fund I

The Betty L. Davis Fund is one of three funds which memorialize its namesake, wife of Marion jeweler and philanthropist, Jerry Davis. This fund was created in 2005 jointly by Jerry and the staff of the Marion Area Counseling Center, of which she was a long-time friend and employee for more than 30 years. It is a designated fund which supports MACC, specifically staff training and development.

The Davis’ charitable roots can be traced to Russia, Poland and Latvia. Jerry Davis’ grandmother taught him about charity by example by the “pushkas,” tin charitable containers, which were somehow attached to the hot water tank in her kitchen. She always urged the family to carry food to the less fortunate. The family motto was “to leave the community better than you found it.”

Betty’s father came from Varklan, Latvia, when he was 17 years old. After traveling around the country, he settled in Marion, where he enlisted during World War I. He was the first president of Temple Israel and was responsible for it being built. Betty’s mother was one of the first members of the Council of Jewish Women.

The other Davis Funds support the Marion League of Women Voters and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Community Food Pantry in Marion, organizations important to Betty.