11 Jul Fund Focus: The Mark and Jill Miles Family Community Fund
Please enjoy this interview with Jill Miles, co-founder of the Mark and Jill Miles Family Community Fund.
MADILYN CALLOWAY: When and why did you establish the Mark and Jill Miles Family Community Fund?
JILL MILES: We started the fund last year, in 2024, and we had been thinking about starting a fund for a few years. It just seemed like the right time, and with the Lilly match, our money was able to go a lot further, so that was a nice bonus.
MC: What do you hope to gain from the establishment of this fund?
JM: I have been on the Board of both the Miami County and Northern Indiana Community Foundations for several years, so I know what wide of an impact that the Community Foundation makes in our area. Mark and I are really happy to be a small part of the positive impacts happening in Miami County. We just really wanted to be a part of that going into the future, and while we have a smaller fund, you have to start somewhere. I’ve seen how the YMCA has benefited from the Community Foundation. Right now, I am the President of the YMCA Board and I’ve been on that board for a long time as well, so I have seen that money go to such great use. I’ve also seen Community Foundation funds go towards Rediscover Downtown Peru, and how much that has helped those projects. I mean, there are so many things that the money has gone towards. It’s hard for me to even list all of that because there have been so many. So, it was just a great way for us to put our money somewhere that we know will do good for every year.
MC: What are some things you wish more people knew about philanthropy?
JM: I wish they would first learn more about the Community Foundation, and how much it does and in all the different ways it helps. They can start by looking at the website, and also the newsletter that comes out by the Miami County Community Foundation. I wish people would start reading those things more and I think they would be shocked and so impressed to learn how much impact they have had over the years. The money that is invested through them just keeps growing, so I think people would be shocked to know how large those funds have gotten. So, I wish people would check out the website, that is probably the easiest way. Once they do that, I think it would be great if people would start to think, even a little bit, about starting their own fund; and if not, then by donating to an already established fund. You don’t have to put a ton of money in to start a fund. Start small, and it’s a really great way to have your money to keep working in your own community.
MC: What do you love most about your community?
JM: It has to be the people. My husband and I have lived on the West Coast in California and Southwest Florida, so we have seen what it is like to live in different places. So, to come back after 20 years, it is the people. The people here are good-hearted people, they care about their neighbors, and they want to help each other. We love that about living here and we are proud that we both work in the community. We love being here. I think that the quality of life in Miami County and the other counties here are so much better than most places in the world, and I think a lot of times people take it for granted. We just love living here because of the people, so that would be my answer.