A Tipp City man’s generosity is helping those who need it most
This past spring, longtime Tipp City resident Larry Brown decided to give back to an often underserved segment of the population in a big way.
He established a new endowment fund through the Tipp City Foundation called the Larry Brown and Cherie Beck Fund for Persons with Disabilities. He said the idea came to him after reading about other funds in the foundation’s annual report but, more importantly, it was also a way to honor his late wife. “I grew up rather poor but have always appreciated the help and opportunities that came my way, and left me feeling that this should be repaid,” Larry said. Each year the fund will award grants to RT Industries and Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities, organizations that help people with disabilities thrive within the community. Larry, who was a teacher by trade but a musician by passion, knows a lot about RT Industries because he often performs there. “It was very touching to see and feel the friendship and response of individuals who face challenges beyond what many of us experience,” Larry said. “During a session, some might take a microphone and enjoy being the star, while others would accompany them on percussion instruments.”
RT Industries is a non-profit provider of services for people with disabilities. Their mission is to help people achieve personal success by developing skills to confidently work, interact, and thrive in the community. They prepare people for employment and provide on-the-job support. RT Industries supports more than 300 adults and more than 40 school-aged students each year within Miami and surrounding counties. The Larry Brown and Cherie Beck Fund for Persons with Disabilities will make unrestricted awards annually and forever to RT Industries and Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities "Riverside." Larry decided not to restrict how these organizations will use the money; it will be up to their leadership to decide where the need is greatest each year.
Larry says he learned about the Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities from friends. “Having adult friends of my wife's family, some of whom experienced disabilities, I came to appreciate their special qualities and the joy it was to share their company,” Larry said. “Some had musical and other talents. I will always remember the brother and sister, JD and Mary Lou. JD played drums and Mary Lou was quite gregarious. Cherie and I picked them up one time to take them to her parents for a party. On the way, Mary Lou was talking nonstop. Finally, JD spoke up and said, ‘Mary Lou, let the man drive the van.’ Cherie and I got a big kick out of that.”
Larry Brown grew up in East Tennessee and moved to Ohio in 1968 after graduating from Tennessee Tech. He met his wife, Cherie Beck, after moving to the same apartment complex and bonding at the mailbox over his guitar playing. They were married in 1970, just three months after meeting. They were both teachers and they were both advocates for helping people. “As a teacher, part of my responsibility was working with students with various disabilities. I came to appreciate and love what they accomplished,” Larry said.
Larry retired in 2007 from the Bradford Exempted Village School District, where he taught special education and advanced studies. Cherie died in 2022 at the age of 75, and while she never saw this generosity come to life, Larry says she would have loved it. “My late wife, Cherie, would have been pleased as well as very supportive of a fund meant to aid those individuals with disabilities. In fact, Cherie's mother, who led a Girl Scout troop in the 1950s, started what may have been the first inclusive troop in Ohio, which included girls with disabilities. They wore the same uniforms and participated in the same activities together as girls without disabilities,” Larry explained.
Larry and Cherie first moved to Tipp City in 1977 to buy a historic house in town. In 1984, they moved into a second historic home, which Larry still lives in today. They loved the less-crowded atmosphere and historic nature of Tipp City. “We enjoyed meeting and making friends with a number of wonderful people in an attractive, lively, unique environment,” Larry said. “Those were among the things we valued most in Tipp City.”
Those who know Larry are not surprised by his generosity. Heather Bailey, a board member for the Tipp City Foundation, explains how the fund came to be. “When I met Larry the first time, I asked myself, ‘How does such a big heart fit into that trim body?’ He knew that he wanted to create an endowment fund, but he wasn't sure what purpose would best reflect interests that he and Cherie shared. There were many to choose from. He contemplated where he finds joy and where he sees unmet needs. It was through that lens that he realized that he wanted to focus on people with disabilities,” Heather said.
If you want to follow in Larry’s footsteps and set up an endowment fund, it starts with a confidential conversation with Heather. “Like Larry, every one of our endowment donors decides a fund's purpose by asking themselves, ‘What would make the community a better place?’ I will not say anything to sway their thinking, unless asked,” Heather said.
Right now, there are 67 endowment funds through the Tipp City Foundation. If you are interested in learning more about setting one up, reach out to Heather by calling 937-528-2482 or email info@tippfoundation.org.
