Q: Martha, tell us about the Korrect Foundation in Honor of N. Ivan Patterson.
A: Korrect Plumbing, Heating & Air was founded in by my father, N. Ivan Patterson, and his business partner, C. Edwin Hunn in 1950 and continues to be a closely held family business. We opened this fund in 2014 as a way to honor my father and his 65 years in business. Until his retirement, my father lived his entire life within two miles of Korrect's office. Both he, and my mother, Clara, have lived their lives giving to others, and being God's steward is their purpose.
Q: Your parents have been a great influence in your desire to give.
A: Yes, my parents influenced me the most by living a giving life. Growing up, my five siblings and I were very active in our church and in giving and helping others in the school and community. Our home always was open to others, from neighbors next door to visitors from other countries, including two exchange students. Even at age 89, my father continues to donate platelets and blood at the local blood bank, sell roses for the Kiwanis Club and raise funds for numerous initiatives.
Their gifts of time, talent and treasure have left a lasting, positive impression on me, and seeing the impact of how they have helped others was a key part in establishing the Korrect Foundation in Honor of N. Ivan Patterson.
Q: How are grants from the foundation awarded?
A: As a family-owned and operated business dedicated to the community we serve, our caring staff members volunteer with many local organizations, as well as go on mission trips outside the United States. Grants from the Korrect Foundation are awarded upon request by our employees, which allow Korrect to give to the organizations that are important to them. This achieves two goals: helping those in need and encouraging our employees in their desire to give.
Q: Your husband, Coley, also comes from a family of entrepreneurs, correct?
A: Coley owns and operates Business Telephone Systems by Dimension, a business started in 1971 by his parents, Helen and Ed Logan. Like me, he had opportunities to gain experience working for a family-run company many years before his first employment in 1980. We met when he sold and installed a telephone system at Korrect Plumbing, and we've been married for 12 years.
Q: You and Coley also opened a Charitable Checking Account through The Dayton Foundation. How is The Dayton Foundation helping you to help others?
A: The Dayton Foundation has been an outstanding service for administering our charitable giving. We can write one check and the Foundation will distribute grants to the organizations of our choice as we request. They verify that all the organizations are truly nonprofits.
The Foundation has been excellent. Their staff always answers our questions, handles requests and does things in a timely manner. We are able to keep better records of our giving, since we only have one place we have to send a check. We also have the option of setting up regular transfers from our personal checking or savings account into our account and making regular grant distributions, which helps with regular giving and saves a lot of time.
Q: What inspires you in your personal giving?
A: First, I believe God has given me all things, and I'm his steward to help his people. No one is excluded. I just can't do it all by myself. Second, seeing my father take the initiative to raise money for lots of different needs has given me the vision to do the same. The impact that this has made is unbelievable. For Coley, his passion, influenced by his loving parents, is to do for others some of the things that they are not able to do for themselves.
Q: What would you say to others about giving to the community?
A: Giving is a way of sharing in the lives of others and making a positive impact in the community. There are many people who have dreams of helping others but don't have the financing to achieve their goals. We are able to see these goals achieved and people in need helped at the same time. A person never knows what tomorrow might bring. It may end up that your gift is returned to you in a time of personal need.
Q: How would you complete this sentence, “My giving makes me feel____”?
A: … like I'm passing on the blessings I have been given. God is the owner of all things, and I'm here to be his steward.
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