Randy Brewster wasn’t someone who liked to be in the spotlight. His wife Jennie defines him as a “behind the scenes guy.” Following his untimely death in 2021, Jennie established an endowment fund through the Henry County Community Foundation which will go towards supporting Victory Lane.

Randy and Jennie have family members who have special needs, so they understood the needs of families who are navigating life with a child who has disabilities. They also understood how these families and Partner families (those who do not have children with special needs) could mutually benefit from the friendships and connections that happen through Victory Lane.

“Randy always had a big heart for giving, but when Victory Lane got started 10 years ago, his first comment was, ‘We need to help if we can,’” Jennie explained. “Randy encouraged me to join as a board member when it was needed. He never complained when he had to eat supper alone on the nights I went to board meetings. He was all in for Victory Lane which made it easy for me to be also.”

Randy rarely talked about all the various tasks he took on for Victory Lane. He helped supply campers and golf carts and was willing to do what was needed, even during an epic storm that hit during one of the 2019 summer camp sessions.

“The night we got a phone call during camp that the campground was flooding from a torrential downpour, he immediately responded with, ‘let’s go help,” Jennie recalls. “He joined several other men who spent hours into the night pulling campers to dry areas. He even pulled campers that were not part of Victory Lane to dry land. This is what he did, helped the community and people.”

This legacy of helping others inspired people to want to give in his honor when he passed away. Jennie turned to Jennifer Fox at the Henry County Community Foundation to set up a memorial endowment to honor her husband.

“When we as individuals have a nonprofit we support while living, we can write checks, which allow us to keep that work going,” Jennifer Fox, Director of the Henry County Community Foundation. “Upon our death, that support stops. However, if a donor creates a fund at the foundation while they are living or through their estate plan, their support will last beyond their life, forever, through endowment funds.”

Jennie has this advice for people who experience the sudden loss of a loved one: “First, pray about it! The night Randy passed I immediately turned to God for guidance. Second, seek guidance from the professionals. Third, remember to make focus on honoring your loved one. It is very important to me to honor Randy, keep his memory alive, and do what he felt was important.”

Jennie often wonders if Randy might be a little embarrassed if he saw how important he was to others. She appreciates how this fund will continue to do what Randy would do if he were here. Her hope is that the fund will continue to bring joy to children and families and show them God’s love in the process.

“I didn’t have the ability alone, but the group of people who reached out to me did,” she shared. “When lumped together, it will have the ability to impact so many more families each year. Randy was loved and through this love, generosity bloomed in his honor. It warmed my heart!”

To donate to the Randy Brewster Memorial Fund, donors can go to www.henrycountycf.org and make an online donation, or send a check or cash to the Henry County Community Foundation at PO Box 6006 New Castle, IN 47362. Please make checks to the Henry County Community Foundation and write “Randy Brewster Memorial Fund” in the memo line. This growing fund will then give back to Victory Lane annually. Thank you in advance for continuing Randy Brewster’s legacy of giving.