Ed and Charlene Friedman provide hope

Charlene Friedman, and her late husband, Ed, are second-generation philanthropists with a strong history of giving back.  Like Ed’s parents, Sid and Helen, Charlene and Ed had strong ties to the Centre County community and to supporting those who live there.

Their commitment to helping others inspired them to leave a gift with Centre Foundation that will help people survive and rise above poverty.     

“We thought, what could we do to address crisis in families and the cycle of poverty and give people the tools and skills to allow someone to recover, have hope, and eventually a level of success for themselves,” said Charlene.

By establishing this endowment through a bequest, Ed and Charlene knew they were leaving their gift in trustworthy hands.

“That decision was because of great respect for the Foundation,” said Charlene. “They are respectful of the goals of individual donors. A decision was made to put these funds in the hands of an organization that has a proven track record that we could trust.”

This endowment means that Ed and Charlene will have an impact on the community for generations to come.

“It’s about what small part we can play in assisting families in the community to prosper and to meet their basic needs. For us, meeting those needs in a time of trouble is a way to help lift the community as a whole,” notes Charlene.

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