Fairfield County Foundation Announces 2024 Don C. Wendel Legacy Award Recipients

LANCASTER, Ohio --The Fairfield County Foundation is pleased to announce that Eleanor Hood is the recipient of the 2024 Don C. Wendel Legacy Award. The Foundation presented the award at its 35th Anniversary Dinner on April 17.

“Eleanor was very instrumental in the growth of the Foundation, from her role on the Board to her support in helping us trademark our logo. She is a trusted role model for female leaders across the community and her example of tenacity, creativity and generosity will have ripple effects for generations to come,” said Amy Eyman, CEO of the Fairfield County Foundation. “We are honored to be able to recognize her commitment to our community by presenting her with this award.”

Eleanor served on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation from 1996 - 2001. She is an active member of the Ambassadors’ Club and the Women’s Giving Circle. She and her late husband, Dr. Henry Hood, established a scholarship at the Foundation in December 2016. The Henry and Eleanor Hood Fund is for graduates of Lancaster High School who completed the LHS STEM program and who have been admitted to an accredited four-year college or university majoring in engineering or biomedical sciences. In addition, Eleanor was a long-time board member for Park National Bank and was part of a small group of local citizens who started the Lancaster Festival in 1985. She served as a volunteer co-director with Barbara Hunzicker until 2000 and is currently an honorary director of the Lancaster Festival.

The Don C. Wendel Legacy Award is named for the first Chairman of the Fairfield County Foundation Board of Trustees. It is given to community members who have been instrumental in the success of philanthropy and who have made a significant contribution to our community. Previous recipients of the award include Judge Farrell Jackson, Robert Johnston, William Sitterley and Dave and June Harcum.