The new board chair of the Community Foundation of Henderson County talks about Hendersonville’s young people and philanthropy in tough times.

by Jess McCuan . photo by Rimas Zailskas

Finally, young people have arrived in Hendersonville. Jana Humleker can see them now when she’s out for dinner downtown. But they weren’t always there, she says. Humleker, 52, has lived in Hendersonville with her husband Bill since 1983, and they’ve seen the city through many changes. Among them is an influx, in the past ten years or so, she says, of young people and families. Now, the challenge for her organization, the Community Foundation of Henderson County (and all organizations and businesses, really), will be to reach out to those young people and help them take leadership roles.

Humleker, who took over as chair of the Community Foundation’s board in July, has been a board member since 2004. The foundation, which funds everything from scholarships to food pantries to public art, has a total of about $66 million in assets, which dipped to a low of about $50 million after the recent market downturn.

What’s toughest about leading a foundation like yours in a down economy? I think in this economic environment, people are more mindful of the dollars they have to donate. But the concerns of the community are as great as ever they were. Some people don’t have the same dollars to give, but they still have time.

What else does Hendersonville need besides more young families and jobs? I have been reading a lot in the newspaper about the need to improve our parks. And, recreation activities for kids… We have the Hands On Museum and the skate park. We’ve made great strides, but it would be nice to pay more attention to families… In bigger cities, you see more green spaces.

What’s been most surprising to you during your time on the board?The most dramatic thing for me is realizing the needs of the entire community. Until I came on the foundation board, a lot of what I did was arts-related. It’s a real eye-opener. You take a look at the needs all around. Of course, everybody reads the newspaper, and you hear about various programs, like the backpack program. We have kids that are going home for the weekend from school and have no food all weekend. Working here, I truly and fully understand more of the needs—and it changes your outlook.

For more info about the foundation and its programs, check out www.cfhcforever.org.