Carolyn Martchenke made it her life’s work to empower her community through philanthropy and plans to continue that legacy beyond her lifetime.
Carolyn moved from Ohio to Fort Worth in 1963 after securing her first nonprofit development job at the Circle T Girl Scout Council, now the Girl Scouts Texas Oklahoma Plains. Over the next three decades, while raising five stepchildren, she worked for nonprofit organizations such as All Saints Episcopal School, Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail, Nolan Catholic High School, AIDS Outreach, the Samaritan House and Prevent Blindness Texas. A successful fundraiser, Carolyn co-founded the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fort Worth Metro Chapter in 1980 with Robert Cargill, Bill McDaniel and others. She also served on myriad local nonprofit boards, including Meals on Wheels and Wings of Hope.
Though she retired from the nonprofit field in 2007, Carolyn continues to be community-focused. During her estate planning process, Carolyn turned to the North Texas Community Foundation for assistance with planned giving. Investing philanthropic resources to better the community is paramount to the grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of eleven. By naming the Community Foundation as a beneficiary in her will, Carolyn is ensuring that the work of the nonprofits she is most passionate about will endure for generations to come.
“It’s important to me to invest here because my family is here—this is our home, our community,” Carolyn Martchenke.
Carolyn devoted her career to building nonprofit capacity. Now through the Traupe-Martchenke Family Fund, Carolyn is entrusting North Texas Community Foundation with her legacy of nonprofit leadership and her commitment to helping those in need.
