When asked where he learned to give, without hesitation Bill Beddingfield answers, “My mother”. Bill has fond memories of watching (and sometimes helping) Florence Beddingfield, care for others. She was particularly concerned for women and children who were in need or who had experienced abuse. Mrs. Beddingfield founded Cobb County Emergency Aid Association (known today as Center for Family Resources) and was instrumental in establishing a plethora of other organizations and programs: the Cobb County Battered Women’s Shelter, the Shelter for Abused Children and the Cobb County Thanksgiving and Christmas programs, among others.
Self portrait of Florence Beddingfield
Charitable giving is important to Bill, who recently retired from ING Capital, and also to his wife, Nina, who has been by his side for 40+ years. Bill and Nina recently opened a charitable Giving Fund (also known as a donor-advised fund) with Cobb Community Foundation to help make their giving easier. Their first grant from the fund was to Kennesaw State University (KSU) for the Florence B. Beddingfield Memorial Art Scholarship. This scholarship not only honors Bill’s mother but helps students, particularly non-traditional students, who wish to attend college later in life. “This is the path my mother took after her retirement,” Bill says, when she fulfilled her dream of obtaining a Bachelors of Arts degree from KSU in 1989.
Bill and Nina continue to be involved in the KSU College of the Arts. The couple has met scholarship recipients each year (albeit virtually during COVID-19) and share that they find it “so rewarding to see the scholarships awarded to such deserving and talented students.” They are also committed to continuing their support for Center for Family Resources, helping ensure that the organization’s impactful work in the community continues well into the future. Bill and Nina’s contributions will extend far beyond just themselves, as they will be involving their son, Ryan, a high school teacher, in their giving – passing down Florence Beddingfield’s charitable legacy to the next generation.
At Cobb Community Foundation, your legacy starts now, whether you are starting a family or in your retirement years. If you are interested in giving back to community nonprofits, or finding out more about the work they do and the needs they have – please go to Cobb Community Connection to search local nonprofits by location, population served, or causes addressed. If you are a CCF fundholder or would like to find out more about opening a Giving Fund, please contact Barbara Garner at barbara@cobbfoundation.org or call (770) 859-2359.
