by Rebecca Howerton – Feb 28, 2019
In March of 2004, Margaret Linder Southern addressed a letter to Bob Morris, president of the Community Foundation of Greenville, requesting that an endowment fund be established in her name at her death. She estimated the value of the proposed bequest to be about $4 million. Because of her love of animals, she asked that half of the fund’s annual distributions benefit the Greenville Humane Society. She asked that the other half be given to support “early childhood education and special education services that primarily benefit children and youth because of my interest in children that I developed as a teacher many years ago.”
When Mrs. Southern died in 2012, Morris was surprised to learn that her gift had grown to $8.4 million—the largest in the Community Foundation’s history—significantly increasing its potential to touch the lives of children, animals, and the people who care for them. Following distribution of the 2018 awards, the endowment has disbursed $2.1 million to 22 organizations, and the Margaret Linder Southern Endowment Fund (MLSE) continues to shape the charitable landscape in Greenville, now and in the future.
“This is what makes endowments so desirable for nonprofits and rewarding for donors—they make annual grants in perpetuity,” Morris said. “We at the Community Foundation are delighted to announce this milestone and reflect on the myriad ways Mrs. Southern’s gift has allowed others to continue caring for children and animals as she envisioned. The wide reach of her gift serves as a reminder that forward-thinking citizens from all sectors can make choices that determine the values their community will reflect.”
Margaret Linder was born August 8, 1918, in the Sans Souci section of Greenville. She earned an education degree from Greenville Woman’s College, and married Charles Southern in 1943. The couple lived for many years in Des Moines, where Mrs. Southern taught students in elementary grades and special needs children. Her husband said she could do whatever she wanted with her teaching salary, suggesting that she learn about stocks and investing. She did, with promising results.
When her husband died in 1983, Mrs. Southern moved back to Greenville and spent a decade caring for her younger brother, Boyce, who had Parkinson’s disease. During this time, she got her first dog, a dachshund named Nancy, then another named Molly when Nancy died. These beloved pets inspired her support for animal welfare.
“Her gift was pivotal for the Greenville Humane Society and became the nest egg for a $3.3 million expansion of our facility,” said Kim Pitman, executive director. “This 14,500 square-foot space houses clinics providing low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter and vaccine services to the public; the Healing Place, where animals are treated for serious diseases; and one of the largest no-kill shelters in the Southeast. Without her generous endowment, we couldn’t have taken on such an ambitious project.”
Lesa Kastler, chair of the Margaret Linder Southern Endowment Committee and the Community Foundation board, commended grant makers and those requesting grants alike for always keeping Mrs. Southern’s wishes at the forefront of the allocation process.
“Margaret Linder Southern’s guiding directive for grantmaking was both specific and broad. As such, grants since 2013 have resulted in phenomenal impact for Greenville County,” Kastler said. “To illustrate, funding has supported operations, strategic planning, growth initiatives including scholarships, therapies, curriculum, specialized equipment, and advanced technology for classrooms.”
A glance at the full list of MLS Endowment grants gives a snapshot of some of the dedicated groups working to make Greenville an especially nurturing environment for children and animals. Below are a few of the organizations that have received large or multiple awards over the years.