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Mary Allison’s legacy continues through children’s fund, event
Mary Allison’s memorial to her daughter Molly, which began more than 125 years ago, continues to do good things for the students of Putnam County.
Each of the eight Putnam County elementary schools annually receives a sum of $1,000 from the Mary Allison Children’s Trust Fund. Teachers and counselors at each school determine how the money is spent and it can be used for any purpose as long as it benefits the students of their respective schools.
The fund also provides financial assistance toward healthcare, education and welfare for the students.
Every year, school administrators, trust fund members and members of the board come together at a luncheon sponsored by Wabash Capital and Tri-County Bank and Trust Co., at the Area 30 Ivy Gallery (with lunch prepared by the Culinary Arts Class) to celebrate the success of the fund.
“It is in this room that the real stories of what the trust fund means are told by the people who get to see and live the experience,” Trust board member and president Jim Jackson said. “It may seem like a small thing -- a pair of glasses, a filled prescription, fees for a field trip, lunch -- but it is very large to a child and his or her family.”
Administrators from the schools often tell their own stories during the luncheon.
“This is such a helpful resource to the students,” Megan Smith from Tzouanakis School said. “We were able to assist with back-to-school clothing, heating bills, medications and school supplies, just to name a few.
“This takes the burden off of the children so they may be able to concentrate on their studies.”
Central Elementary Counselor Corey Brackney told the group how much she appreciates the flexibility of the funds because of the variety of needs for the children. She stated the funds were able to bring a student’s lunch account current so that he could eat the regular lunch with his friends.
With tears in his eyes, he gave her big hug and said “thank you.”
The fund doesn’t just help individual children -- but entire families. In the past, funds have been used for heating bills, medications and even for providing clothing to a family in time of disaster.
Bainbridge Elementary Principal Rodney Simpson summed up the effects of the fund, saying “how grateful the staff and students are to Mary Allison because we are able to fulfill the needs of children that we may not otherwise be able to fill.”
The Mary Allison Children’s Trust came about from the sale of the Mary Allison Children’s Home in 1980 to a non-profit organization.
The orphan home was originally created by Allison following the deaths of her grandchild and daughter in 1887 and 1888, respectively. During this era, homeless children were usually sent to work on the County Farm.
As a memorial to her daughter, Allison created a corporation to manage the Putnam County Orphans’ Home which opened with the housing of seven children.
The institution was housed in several locations over time, eventually ending up at the old Lockridge Home in 1922 on West Columbia Street in Greencastle. It soon became known as the Allison House.
After decades of housing needy children, the home finally closed 70 years later in 1992. Although the residence no longer houses children, the legacy of the Mary Allison’s Trust continues to this day through the current program of providing each of the county’s elementary schools with funds to help children in need.
Money is raised through contributions and an annual golf outing with Wabash Capital and Terre Haute Savings Bank are the financial overseers of the trust.
Trust patrons include Wabash Capital, Tri-County Bank and Trust Co., Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church, Jim Jackson, Pearl’s Landscaping, Walmart Distribution, the Greencastle Rotary Club and HMSB Insurance. Trust partners include York Automotive, JoAnn Linn, Delta Theta Tau sorority and Greencastle Kiwanis.