It’s often said that people are judged by the friends they keep.
If that’s true, than the Oxford Public Library is in very good company and most fortunate to have such generous friends as Don and Colette Chadwick.
The Chadwicks were recently selected by the Oxford Public Library Friends (OPLF) to be co-recipients of the coveted and prestigious “Friend of the Year” award for 2003.
“It’s an honor,” said Colette of the award. “Not in our wildest dreams” did either she or her husband imagine they would win this.
According to OPLF President Connie Miller, the Oxford couple was chosen because of the “tremendous” financial generosity they have shown the library over the years.
“Community institutions such as the Oxford Public Library cannot hope to grow and flourish without the spirit of philanthropy,” Miller said. “No one exemplifies and embodies that spirit more than Don and Colette Chadwick. Their generosity toward the library has been both astounding and inspiring.”
“This is the first time the Friends have honored a couple in this way,” Miller noted. “I couldn’t imagine a more deserving couple than the Chadwicks.”
Since 1999, the Chadwicks have donated a total of $12,645 to the library, both through the Clark Fund and from their own pocket.
“I think a community library is an important institution that deserves our support,” Don said.
The Chadwicks serve as directors of the Clark Fund, a private philanthropic foundation established in 1972 by the late Walter Clark, founder of Champion Enterprises.
The Fund’s original three trustees were Clark, Henry George and John Chadwick (Don’s father).
In 1995, the Chadwicks assumed trusteeship of the Fund. Today, Colette serves as president, Don as vice president/treasurer and Clarkston resident Elise Richey serves as secretary.
Prior to their leadership, Don said the Fund was primarily focused on contributing to large national charities and organizations.
However, after they took charge, the Chadwicks shifted the Fund’s donations to Oxford, Orion and Clarkston causes, “specifically those supporting kids.”
Since then, the Clark Fund has contributed approximately $30,000 per year to worthy causes such as Youth Assistance, Rotary Club of Oxford (of which the Chadwicks are members), St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Haven and Lighthouse.
The Chadwicks even established a Clark Fund Scholarship in which one graduating Oxford High School senior each year receives $2,500 for college.
“We like to keep the donations within the community,” Colette said.
The Oxford Public Library is one local cause that has benefitted greatly from the Clark Fund.
In 1999, the Fund donated $2,000 to the library to match what the OPLF had raised through its annual Storybook Gala.
“They asked me the night of the 1999 Gala how much we had raised, then told me the Clark Fund was going to match it and wrote out a check for $2,000,” Miller said. “They asked me that night not to make any announcements about what they had done. They wanted to keep it a secret. That’s the true mark of charity ? giving without seeking public recognition.”
The Chadwicks again showed their generosity to the library in 2002, when the Clark Fund donated $8,645 to have a flagpole and monument erected in front of the Pontiac St. building to commemorate “those who lost their lives in the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.”
Don said it was the monument was an opportunity to provide something “symbolic” for the community and the flagpole was “something the library actually needed and lacked the funding for.”
But not all the Chadwicks donations to the library were via the Clark Fund. In 1995, the couple donated $2,000 toward the construction of a fire place in the library’s main reading area.
“I enjoy the library,” Colette said. “We try to go to most of the programs.”
“All my life I’ve been going to libraries and associating with librarians,” Don said.
The Chadwicks’ children, Casey, 14, and Christopher, 13, also spend time at the library working on school projects.
“It’s a wonderful source for research,” Colette said.
The Chadwicks will be officially honored as Friends of the Year at the OPLF’s 7th Annual Storybook Gala Friday, May 9 at Devil’s Ridge Golf Club.
The Chadwicks will receive their names engraved on a plaque which is on permanent display at the library, complimentary Gala tickets, a life membership in the Friends and an engraved photo album, according to Miller.
Miller said the theme for this year’s Gala is “Mystery and Mayhem,” which she described as a “who done it with an Oxford twist.”
Formal invitations will be sent out in March.
However, the Gala is open to everyone so those wishing to purchase tickets can call Miller at (248) 969-0658.