While Terry Kahn never set out to be a hero to students and teachers in Washington Township, that is exactly where his posthumous generosity has landed him.
This past spring, the Washington Township schools foundation was honored to receive a $500,000 gift from Mr. Kahn’s estate to expand our grants endowment, renamed the Ginny Hacker and Terry Kahn Grants Endowment. This incredible gift is our organization’s most significant single donation to date, and its impact will be far-reaching, making an additional $25,000 available annually to teachers through the WTSF grants process.
Mr. Kahn did not know the Washington Township community, and we, sadly, did not have the opportunity to know him. However, we strongly relate to the value he found in being active in his community and deeply respect the self-initiative he took while alive to support local grade school teachers in his south-side community.
The connection between teacher support and desire for careful stewardship drew his estate to explore school foundations around Indianapolis as potential beneficiaries of Mr. Kahn’s frugal lifestyle. In turn, the top-notch grants process, long history of proven grant support, well-established business practices, and priority to strong donor stewardship made the Washington Township Schools Foundation one of a handful of Indianapolis organizations selected to carry on Mr. Kahn’s legacy!
Terry Kahn probably never imagined his modest lifestyle’s impact on generations of Washington Township teachers and students. Regardless, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to honor his charitable legacy by supporting exceptional MSDWT educators and learning environments in perpetuity.
About Terry Kahn
Terry was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Tucson, Arizona with his parents and sister. College took Terry to the University of Southern California where he earned his Undergraduate Degree and Master’s Degree in Public Administration as a double graduate. Upon graduation, Terry enlisted in the U.S. Army serving his Active Duty in Vietnam and then as an Officer in the Reserves. Following his military service, Terry began his 27-year career with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His career took him to New Orleans, Louisiana, Nashville, Tennessee, and eventually to his home in Indianapolis, Indiana where he retired as the Chief of Human Resources.
Terry loved being active in the Indianapolis community, especially as a volunteer for the Indiana Sports Corp. He was a friendly and familiar face at Indiana Sports Corp. events for decades. He was also one of the original board members of The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis, Inc. which is a grant-making Foundation formed in 1985 from the sales proceeds of Metro Health HMO. He participated on this very active board for over 20 years, significantly impacting many local health organizations and causes. Terry was a long-time resident of the southside of Indianapolis and took the self-initiative to provide classroom supplies to teachers and students at the local grade schools in his community. Terry, being a loyal local sports fan, enjoyed having season tickets for the Colts, Pacers, and Butler basketball teams.
Terry lived an incredibly modest lifestyle and he was notoriously frugal. There are too many examples to share here to explain how frugal he truly was. He was also a very generous soul, and he would be extremely proud that his charitable legacy will benefit many local organizations. The recipients will be charged with not only forwarding their important missions but honoring Terry with the careful stewardship of his accumulated nest egg.