Building A Solid Foundation

One of the most important mitzvahs, or commandments, in the Jewish faith is the mitzvah of tzedaka—giving back to those in need. Arthur and Stephanie Blank established The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995 as a way for their family to give back to the community, and over the last sixteen years their foundation has diligently worked to better communities across the nation, and especially in Atlanta.

To date, the Blank family and their foundation have donated more than $250 million towards early childhood health and education, the arts, parks and greenspace, and initiatives that help improve circumstances for low-income families and children.  The Blank Foundation was one of the first donors to the Atlanta Beltline, a project that will build parks and trails along a historic railroad corridor to connect 45 Atlanta neighborhoods.  The foundation has also supported the Georgia Conservancy’s Blueprints for Successful Communities urban planning program.

“It’s important to have a balance between growth and development, green space and parks,” said Arthur.  “People need a positive place where they can come together.”

The Blank Foundation’s contributions have not been limited to financial support.  Every year, they host an “All Associates Day,” when employees from each of Arthur Blank’s businesses in the Atlanta area spend a day volunteering in the community.

“Our associates really look forward to the opportunity ‘All Associates Day’ provides for us to give back to our local community,” said Penelope McPhee, president of the Blank Foundation. “It’s a day when associates from across our businesses who don’t routinely see each other can come together for a great cause—it’s one of the highlights of our year.”

The Foundation’s beginnings

When Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus outlined their idea for The Home Depot on the back of a napkin in 1978, they not only set out to build a company that would offer a broad product selection, low prices and excellent customer service, but also a company that would truly value its people, both customers and employees.  That approach, along with a number of other core values, produced a company culture they labeled “bleeding orange.”

“‘Bleeding orange’ means investing in employees and being present and accounted for in your community,” said Blank in his 1999 book, Built From Scratch.  “To give back to those less fortunate…not [to] stand on the sidelines.”

Blank and Marcus opened their first two stores in Atlanta in 1979. Within a decade, The Home Depot had opened 118 stores and earned more than $2.7 billion in sales, making it one of the fastest growing retailers in American history.  Even with The Home Depot’s success however, Blank and Marcus never abandoned the idea of “bleeding orange.”  During their tenure, The Home Depot donated more than $133 million to communities around the nation and its associates volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours of their own time in the community.

The Blank Foundation continues that tradition.  Arthur, Stephanie and the foundation’s family trustees have given much of their own time to the Atlanta community over the last sixteen years, and their personal interests and outreach have guided much of the Blank Foundation’s charitable giving.

Stephanie, an advocate for children’s health and well-being

Stephanie has served on numerous boards and committees around the city, but she is best known as an advocate for children’s health and wellness.  Although the Blank Foundation had always championed initiatives for children, with motherhood came a new perspective.

“Even with all of the resources and education I had, [parenting] was still so overwhelming,” said Stephanie in a 2010 “Points North Magazine” interview.  “I kept wondering, how does a single, teenage mom with no resources do this, no less effectively.”

Stephanie’s efforts have been focused on children and families who lack the resources she was afforded.  She has been deeply involved with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation for the last 12 years, four of which she served as the foundation’s board chair, and she founded Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) to address early childhood education issues throughout Georgia.  Stephanie also worked with Laura Turner Seydel and former Georgia Conservancy President John Sibley to found Mothers & Others for Clean Air, which works to improve air quality for Georgians through education, public policy advocacy and the involvement of mothers, teachers and medical professionals.

“Stephanie is one of those people who could just write a check, and she does do that in a significant way,” said Laura Seydel. “But I think Stephanie’s strong suit is that she’s passionate about the cause she supports. She puts herself into every project, and she wants to make sure that her investment is used in the most efficient and effective manner. She gives up time, talent and treasure.”

Arthur, bringing philanthropy and community together

In early 2002, Arthur purchased Atlanta’s NFL team, the Falcons.  When he took over the team, Arthur established one overriding goal: bring a Super Bowl championship to Atlanta. But he also made three commitments to Falcons’ fans: to put a perennially-winning product on the field, provide a great game-day experience and to have a winning team off the field and in the community.

In his first year as owner, Arthur made improvements to parking, tailgating and entertainment. As a result, season ticket sales increased 100 percent from the year before—an NFL record.  The franchise also had its first season-ticket waiting list and went on to sell out 56 consecutive games.  The Falcons ended that season with a 9-6-1 record and a Wild Card spot in the playoffs, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round.  The franchise reached a historic milestone in 2009, when the Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-10 to finish the season with a 9-7 record and their first back-to-back winning seasons in the team’s 44-year history.

Arthur fulfilled the final commitment he made to his fans partly through the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (AFYF), which focuses on the healthy development of youth in Georgia.  The AFYF has grown into the largest team-funded foundation in the NFL and has awarded more than $18 million in grants to more than 800 non-profit organizations.  The foundation’s signature program, Falcons Fitness Zones, has encouraged more than 10,000 children each year to become active and play outdoors.  In addition, Falcons’ players, coaches, staff and cheerleaders are some of the most active volunteers in the NFL, contributing an average of 3,000 hours of their collective personal time each season.

“Mr. Blank’s contribution to football is tremendous, and yet he still makes it a priority to have an outstanding impact in the community as well,” said Atlanta Falcons fullback, Ovie Mughelli.  “I am particularly impressed and inspired by his engagement in environmental stewardship, but there’s so much more that he does in both his business and personal life.  Mr. Blank is an example to all of us.”

Recognizing the Impact

It is the genuine demonstration of tzedaka that has helped established The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation as one of the most respected charitable organizations in the nation.

The Georgia Conservancy will be honoring the Blank family and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation as Distinguished Conservationists at ecoBenefête on October 13 for the tremendous impact of their work to enhance communities and the quality of life for Georgia families.

“Through their foundation, Arthur and Stephanie have chosen to give back to our community, to our state, to our world,” said Pierre Howard, president of the Georgia Conservancy. “They give not only of their treasure, but also of their time and commitment. They do not spend all of their time thinking of how to get more, but of how to give more.”

There’s no doubt The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will continue to play a central role in improving the quality of life of Georgian’s and their communities—after all, as Arthur’s favorite t-shirt proclaims, “There is no finish line.”