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Top philanthropist gives with 'open mind and loving heart'

Phyllis Rothrock, right, receives the 2016 Richard C. and Vina L. Sauer Award from Sauer Recognition Committee Chair Shirley McGee.

Phyllis C. Rothrock’s charitable giving ranges so widely that it seems to cover every facet of need in the community, from infants to the elderly, from health care to housing, even to gardens.

A longtime donor to many charities in Henderson County, Rothrock was named the 2016 winner of the Richard C. and Vina L. Sauer Award during the annual luncheon of the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
“Although she would emphatically deny the compliment, she and her late husband are pillars in our charitable community who always embraced numerous causes with an open mind and a loving heart,” Shirley McGee, the Sauer recognition committee chair for the foundation, said. “By creating a legacy of giving that will support this community now and forever, she is the true embodiment of philanthropy.”

Rothrock devotes "endless hours and unwavering dedication" to charitable work, McGee said. "Everyone who meets her sees a reflection of kindness and empathy," she said. Her giving "is purposely and is intended to be in perpetuity."

She and her husband started an unrestricted endowment at the Community Foundation, meaning the money wold be available for needs that may be yet unknown. When asked why they had up the fund, they responded: The needs and opportunities in the community are many and varied and I thought the fund should have the maximum flexibility to dispense funds for the overall enrichment of the community."

Rothrock has donated to the Children and Family Resource Center, United Agenda for Children, the Pardee Hospital Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Council on Aging, Boys and Girls Club and the Blue Ridge Community Health Services and Bullington Gardens.

"It could be said that this individual's most valuable gift would be the passion shown in each and every endeavor while engaging others," McGee said. "She shares her love of community and charitable interests with friends and community members, welcoming them into discussions about local issues and areas of concern. Her acts of charity are like ripples on calm water that continue to move people and events, leaving love in the hearts of every person she meets and a legacy that will patiently continue giving."

Rothrock thanked the foundation and her fellow donors in the audience, which filled the dining room at Kenmure Country Club.

"I'll have a hard time living up to the things they said about me," she said. "Our community is enriched because we have the Community Foundation."

Named for Richard C. and Vina L. Sauer, who left a $1 million donation to the Community Foundation, the Sauer award honors a philanthropist who has shown great leadership in the community. Past winners were Ruth Birge, Thos. R. Shepherd, Mary R. Garrison, Dr. Stuart and Carola Cohn, Marian P. Lowry, Teddi Segal, Robert and Doris Eklund, Dr. Kathleen McGrady Family, Jeff Miller, Duane and Peggy McKibbin, Dot Marlow, Dr. Colin Thomas, Frank Byrd, Tom and Sue Fazio, Eleanora Meloun, Marcia Caserio, William "Bill" F. Stokes, Jr., William E. "Jamie" Jamison, Kermit Edney, Morris Kaplan, Kenneth Youngblood and Frank Wyttenbach Ewbank.