MISSION STATEMENT

The Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation, in keeping with the legacy of its founders, and in conjunction with the Field & Main Bank, is dedicated to educational, artistic, and charitable needs focusing largely on the Henderson, Kentucky community.

CORE VALUES

In all we do,

we honor and celebrate our founders' legacy. Their belief in "giving back" inspires us to be responsible stewards of the foundation's resources and to do our work with compassion and respect.

We value education;

its power to transform lives, inculcate good citizenship, and improve communities adds intrinsic value to the human experience and creates self-sufficient, productive, and responsible citizens. We believe a vibrant democracy requires that a good education be accessible by all.

We value the arts

as integral to the human existence and as essential components of a complete community.

We are committed

to ethical decision-making, transparency, fairness, inclusiveness, diversity, and the public good.

We will identify

creative and strategic opportunities to make a difference.

We value our heritage

as a family foundation. Family involvement will remain a vital element of foundation governance.

 
 

A History, A Legacy

 
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Foundation founder Raymond B. Preston served as a Lt. Senior Grade in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II and worked briefly for General Chemical Company. Ray and Hattie Preston married in Henderson in 1940. In 1947, he and two partners founded PB&S Chemical Company. Miss Hattie was the company's first accountant, but her most important contribution was to be her husband's "sounding board" and confidante. 

In 1951, Ray was called back into active service in the Korean War. After his discharge in 1953, he returned to Henderson and grew the business into the 10th largest chemical distributor in the nation by 1989, when he sold it to Brenntag.

Ray became chairman and majority owner of Ohio Valley Bank in 1987 and was an owner of several other small businesses in Henderson and Palmyra, Indiana. Preston was involved in many community organizations.

In 1990, Preston formed the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation.

Since its formation, the foundation has given away more than $11 million to worthwhile organizations, primarily in the Henderson and Western Kentucky region.

 

How We Work

 
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What We Fund

The Preston Family Foundation is committed to educational, artistic, and charitable needs focusing largely on the Henderson community. We focus on initiatives that transform lives, promote good citizenship, and create self-sufficient, productive citizens.

We look look for programs, which:

  • promote the arts and education.

  • promote ethical decision-making, transparency, fairness, inclusiveness, diversity, and the public good.

  • make a difference in people's lives.

  • make the larger Henderson community a better place to live, learn, and work.

  • are measurable with stated goals and objectives.

  • demonstrate effectiveness and innovation or great potential.

  • can be eventually self-supporting or show evidence of long-term viability and impact.

Funding Percentage

 

Where We Focus

Since we are a foundation created in the Henderson community, we are committed to promoting that vibrant community.

 

What We Do Not Fund

We do not generally support capital proposals, endowment campaigns, religious activities, commercial ventures, direct service programs, or scholarships. 

Because demand far exceeds the Foundation’s ability to respond, the Foundation:

  • does not generally accommodate fundraising or donor cultivation events, sponsorships, walks, runs, golf outings, school or neighborhood specific events.

  • does not purchase raffle tickets or tables for fundraising events or support courtesy advertising.

  • does not make grants to individuals, to religious organizations unless they are engaged in qualified programs benefiting the entire community, to political causes or candidates, or to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, familial or marital status, or national origin.

  • does not give to other private foundations or to endowments, preferring to support projects and programs directly rather than through other grant making organizations and programs.

Who We Are

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Board of Directors

Our family foundation works to continue the legacy that Ray and Hattie Preston started. The Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation was established in 1990 by Ray and Hattie Preston.The Board of Directors is made up of the Preston children as well as their 3rd and 4th generations.

Connie Walaskay
President/Chairperson

Charles Evans
Vice President/Vice Chairperson

Jennifer Preston
Secretary/Treasurer

Scott P. Davis
Administrative Manager

Andrea Payne
Recording Secretary

Bart Critser
Director

Charles Morgan
Director

Leigh Anne Preston
Director

Viki Brigham
Director

Viki Walaskay
Director

Emily Critser
Web Developer