Judy and Tommy Lewis came to The Community Foundation in July 2000, armed with a vision and the idea of creating a legacy for Judy’s mother, Edna Thomas. Edna had been an outstanding parent and, as a result, Judy felt a fitting tribute would be a Fund to endow an annual fall lecture series focusing on raising healthy children and giving parents the tools to succeed. The annual fall lecture series continued for 14 years, serving an average of 225 parents each year.
In 2014, Judy chose a new focus for the fund, aiming to serve mothers and children in the Edgehill community of Nashville, Tennessee. Edgehill is an area which currently has no daycare or child development programs available for children ages 0-4 and great need.
The Edna Thomas Fund has been serving in the Edgehill area in conjunction with Edgehill UMC’s Director of Neighborhood Ministries, Nancy Crutcher, since 2015, offering a monthly gathering that includes lunch, grocery gift cards, programs for mothers and grandmothers on topics ranging from self-care to early childhood development, and parenting. The infants/toddlers have healthy developmentally appropriate play time while the moms and grandmothers are learning.
