In keeping with Mr. Cole’s personal giving, the Foundation makes numerous scholarship awards each year. This is by far the largest amount of money that we extend.
With all the lakes in the region, the Foundation saw a need for our young people to learn to swim. So in 1974, the Foundation helped to found the Cole Center Family YMCA.
The Foundation has also contributed to numerous capital projects on Purdue Fort Wayne’s campus. The most recent ties the school together with Ivy Tech and the River Greenway Trail.
The Foundation continues to be proud to help the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, one of the top zoos in the United States.
The Foundation has partnered with the Nature Conservancy to help protect sensitive habitat and water ways. Douglas Woods is The Nature Conservancy’s largest nature preserve in northeast Indiana at 1,500 acres. The site has picturesque lakes, mature forests and clear running streams like Fish Creek. The preserve provides essential habitat for birds like great blue herons and reptiles such as Blanding’s turtles, which are endangered in Indiana.
The Foundation also likes to fund innovative programs. Garrett High School has implemented a new Career Development Program to help students explore their options.
Olive B. Cole Foundation, Inc. 