“In a quiet sort of way, my father trained us to give back through our Dayton Foundation fund, by showing us how the Becker Electric Company Family Fund has invested in community projects he wanted to get behind,” Thomas J. Becker said. “And as our family has been blessed over the years, we were taught always to put something back into our community.
In 1984, with shares of stock from his family’s business, Thomas E. Becker established the John A. Becker Electric Company Family Fund through The Dayton Foundation, in honor of his father. Since its inception, the fund has distributed more than $700,000 to nonprofit organizations.
This philosophy of giving back was passed down through the generations when Thomas J. Becker, who, along with his siblings, established an endowment fund through the Foundation in his parents’ name after their passing. The fund pays tribute to Thomas E. Becker, an active community volunteer and president of Becker Electric Supply from 1960 to 1995, and Marianne Becker, a longtime volunteer at Miami Valley Hospital. More than $1.2 million in grants have been awarded to date from the Tom and Marianne Becker Family Fund to support organizations that focus on faith-based programs, continuing the Becker family’s tradition of giving back for years to come.
“Dad strongly believed that what you give always comes back to you. We've tried to share this with our children as well,” Thomas J. Becker said. “Thanks to our Dayton Foundation funds, our charitable legacy will live on for future generations.”