Dealership Donates $400K To The Community Foundation Of HoCo

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Apple Ford, a car dealership in Columbia, has donated $400,000 to the Community Foundation of Howard County, which raises, manages and distributes funds to support Howard County nonprofits.

“We’re proud to give to the Community Foundation, recognizing its history in the community, its mission and its effectiveness facilitating philanthropy and supporting worthwhile needs,” Chip Doetsch, president of Apple Ford, said. “We wanted to support the foundation’s endowment to help fuel their budget in perpetuity, so they can continue to connect the philanthropic community and keep support flowing to where it is needed the most. It’s an easy cause to get behind.”

Apple Ford’s donation supports the Next 50 Campaign, a permanent endowed fund at the Community Foundation of Howard County created to support the primary mission of the foundation as it moves into its second half-century. The fund was established in 2019 in celebration of the foundation’s 50th anniversary with a goal to raise $1 million to support the endowment.

In recognition of the lead gift by Apple Ford, the Community Foundation will designate its new home as The Apple Ford Center at Athol Manor.

“This gift is one of the largest donations the foundation has ever received, and we are excited to announce this as we launch this campaign,” Beverly White-Seals, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Howard County, said. “A former member of the foundation’s board of trustees, George Doetsch has long been a trusted supporter of our efforts. We truly appreciate the Doetsch family’s and Apple Ford’s continued commitment to philanthropy in Howard County.”

The Community Foundation of Howard County will move its offices from Little Patuxent Parkway to historic Athol Manor located at 6680 Martin Road in Columbia this fall. One of the oldest residential properties in Howard County, Athol Manor was built from 1732 to 1740 as a clergy house and is being renovated into offices and public gathering space for the foundation. Brightview Senior Living facilitated the donation of Athol Manor, located at the new Brightview Senior Living of Columbia location, to the foundation and funded the building’s renovations.

“We’ll be making one of the most significant moves the Community Foundation has made in its lifetime, making Athol Manor our new home,” White-Seals said. “We’ll be centered right in the middle of the Howard County community and better able to continue to thrive and support families for the next 50 years and beyond.”