Jack Summerall Community Corporation, Inc.

Several years ago, members of the Summerall Family celebrated the dedication of the Jack Summerall Community Center in Baxley, Ga. Members shown include (I. to r.) the late, Elaine Brown, the late Jacquelyn Johnson, Cynthia Calloway, Lucinda Webb-Allen, the late Bill Shepard and the late Mildred Shepard. The Summerall family reunion presents scholarships to its members, but also formed a corporation that is building a  new home for the community center. 

 "It's a great thing for our young people to know that they have the support of their family," Stephens-El says. "They need to know they have the backing of their community and 

the backing of their family." 

The family contacted attorney Olivia H. Stoner, who specializes in creating generational wealth. Stoner explained to the family the process of establishing a scholarship corporation and other charitable nonprofit organizations. The IRS heavily regulates non-profit organizations, so a form must be submitted and approved; an organization can be incorporated only after all IRS qualifications are met. Once incorporated, the money received cannot be awarded only to family members but must be made available to the public. Family members benefit when they donate money toward the scholarship fund because they receive tax breaks, but there is also the benefit of the scholarship award that carries the family name. 

"[The Lowe Family's] objective was to create a nonprofit, private foundation to provide scholarships, not just for themselves, but as a symbol of legacy from the family," Stoner says. 

There are many other families who have ideas similar to the Lowes. The Jack & Mariah Summerall Family Gathering is a reunion held in Baxley, Ga. (Appling County), by the descendants of former slaves Jack and Mariah Summerall. 

Herman Stevens Jr., the reunion's current president, says that the family presents a scholarship to members, but also lends its name and efforts to a corporation that gives back to the local Appling County community.  

The idea came from Summerall family member Lawanda Jackson, an Appling county native who says that she felt a sense of "despair and hopelessness" when she returned for visits. "The high school dropout and teenage-pregnancy rates were high in the community," Jackson says. "The nearest movie theater may be I00 miles away. There is no positive outlet for the kids. We needed to offer some service within the community." After discussing Appling County problems with family members, local residents and Baxley mayor Steve Rigdon, the family founded the Jack and Mariah Summerall Corporation so that they could apply for state and federal grants to help the Appling County community. 

Stevens says the family corporation previously had rented a building and used it to tutor children in area. Through family funds, the family purchased the property and is currently working to get a community center built on the land. "The worst thing is to pass through this life and leave nothing behind," says Jackson. "Our family believes that God brought us this far ... and we have to give back." 

The Summerall Family Gathering and the National Lowe Family reunion are just two of the many family reunions that realize the economic and business potential of combining family resources. While enjoying the laughter and memories that reunion festivities bring, these families also have established a way to give more to one another and also give back to their communities. “It’s important to remember where you came from and where you're going," says Jackson. "You have to leave a legacy behind."