Marianne Glick Continuing a Family Legacy and Creating One of Her Own

Writer  /  Kara Kavensky
Photographer  /  Brian Brosmer

29723258292_b870ca33d8_hMarianne Glick knows no stranger. Everyone she sees walk into the new offices of The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Foundation receives a warm smile and a hug. As Chairman of The Glick Family Foundation Board of Directors, Marianne is honoring her passion for helping others.

Giving has been a common theme, established throughout Marianne’s life by her mother and father. Eugene and Marilyn were so focused on giving back to the community that they have collectively changed the landscape of the city of Indianapolis.

“There are so many people who don’t have the opportunities that I have had,” shares Marianne. “As a community and as a society, we have to be able to assist others and provide opportunities to help develop their full potential in a variety of ways.”

Marianne’s mother, Marilyn Koffman, was born in Detroit. Her birth mother died during childbirth, and her birth father never returned for the baby. Marilyn was adopted when she was 6 months old. Marilyn’s adoptive father passed away when she was 10. Several years later, she and her mother moved to Indianapolis where Marilyn attended Shortridge High School. They lived in a home just down the street from a young man named Eugene (Gene) Glick. Gene was a year older than Marilyn. Their mothers were friends, and   they attended the same Temple.

After graduation from Shortridge, Gene attended Indiana University where during the summer of his senior year in 1942, he was drafted into the Army. His story is shared in Tom Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation” and in Mickey Mauer’s “19 Stars of Indiana: Exceptional Hoosier Men.”

Not long after the war ended, Marilyn needed one more person for a bridge party, and her mother suggested she “invite that nice Gene Glick over.” They hit it off and were married two years later.

“Dad worked issuing GI loans at a bank, and Mom worked at Meridian Life Insurance Co.,” shares Marianne of her parents’ early start. “Before they married, they had managed to save close to $10,000 and looked for land for building their first home. This began their business.”

Gene and Marilyn started a home building and real estate company together during their first year of marriage. Marilyn and Gene were both good salespeople. They worked together on all aspects of the decision-making. Gene was in charge of construction, and Marilyn would select and pick up the supplies. One time, she had a flat tire along Fall Creek Parkway and had to call Gene to help her. She routinely hauled a flat bed trailer behind her car and had a load of cinder block, wood and materials upon it the day of the tire incident. The work crew was waiting on those supplies but first had to fix her flat.

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As their family grew, Marilyn’s role transitioned to being at home, although she was still very much involved in the business. Marilyn would later recall in the memoir she published at the age of 85, “Once Upon a Lifetime,” that these early years were among the happiest of her life.

Giving back to the community was a constant for the Glick girls as they grew up. Marianne is the oldest and has three younger sisters. Their parents believed wholeheartedly in philanthropy. Most of their initial philanthropic involvement was centered around Jewish causes, and then in the 1970s and 1980s, they broadened their scope.

“Gene Glick, along with his wife, Marilyn, are among the most generous philanthropists in recent Indianapolis history, and that continues today in their honor,” says Mickey Maurer, Chairman of the Board of the IBJ Corporation and of The National Bank of Indianapolis.

Marianne’s first deep dive into philanthropy began with the Women’s Business Initiative in the mid-80s. She was just started her own corporate training business and became very impressed with the level of support provided to women-owned businesses thru the WBI.

By the following year, Marianne chaired their annual conference and entered into the organization’s leadership. “It was inspirational to make a difference in women’s lives,” she shares of the experience with the WBI. Thanks to her presidency of the WBI, Tom Binford approached her to lead the first women’s division of a United Way campaign. This was a first in Indiana and one of only a few in the country at that time. The following year, Marianne joined the United Way of Central Indiana’s (UWCI) Board. She was one of three women on this more than 90-member board. Marianne saw a vast opportunity in this discrepancy.

“We clearly needed more women on the UWCI board and other nonprofit boards in the city. When we asked, the men said they did not know of women qualified for board positions,” states Marianne. She worked with Ellen Annala, who had just started on United Way’s staff, to create the Women’s Leadership Program to provide training for women to serve on volunteer boards. This program is still in existence 26 years later. “Within five years, one-third of UWCI’s board was women.” Marianne is still actively involved with United Way. In 2011, she led the first annual campaign to raise over $40 million.

“If there is a cause that I am passionate about, I meet with the CEO to see if I assist in some way,” says Marianne, who is clearly not shy about her passionate commitment to community service.

In 1982, Gene began a youth employment program called Pro100. The idea behind Pro100 was to match 100 Indianapolis-area students with local golf pros. The students completed beautification projects on the golf courses and gained exposure to landscape architecture and design, construction and groundskeeping. Early origins of this program were run under the Greater Indianapolis Project Committee (GIPC), then later the Children’s Bureau.

After her father became ill, Marianne began reassessing the Pro100 program. By the program’s 30th anniversary, numbers were down to around 80 students in Indianapolis. The program had evolved away from golf courses, maintaining primarily an outdoor focus on college campus projects such as Marian University where professional development classes were offered in the afternoon to the students.

In August 2014, Pro100 became TeenWorks. In 2016, TeenWorks provided jobs and professional development training as well as assistance with college choices and applications – 325 in Indianapolis.  The Muncie chapter of TeenWorks saw enrollment increase from 20 students to 70. With a proactive stance, TeenWorks secured additional funding and is flourishing as an organization. The rebranding was just what was needed, and this all happened, thanks to Marianne’s vision coupled with an outstanding staff and board of directors.

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“The Glick family’s positive impact upon our city cannot be overstated,” says Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “From the Cultural Trail to their Housing Foundation to TeenWorks and beyond, their generosity continues to enhance lives, making our city stronger. While Marianne honors the legacy of her parents, she is a leader and inspiration in her own right.”

In addition to all of her philanthropic endeavors, Marianne is an artist. She donates quite a bit of her art to be used in silent auctions to raise money for various organizations.

“My parents were collectors,” says Marianne who has always shared an appreciation of art. Her mother’s collection of glass is on display at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-12-20-24-pmMarianne’s creative style, aesthetic and techniques have evolved over the last 10 years since she began painting. “It is an out-of-body experience to see my art properly displayed and well-lit with appropriate wall spacing,” says Marianne who is a guest speaker for the Indiana Conference for Women at the end of October.

“Marianne is a lovable free spirit with multidirectional deep talents. She can motivate you, amuse you and inspire you – a great lady to invite to dinner,” says family friend Mickey Mauer.

Marianne was a challenge for her parents when she was younger. She jokes that she mellowed out and came into her own when she reached the age of 50. Now Marianne does things every day that she hopes her parents would be proud of. “My Mom, if she could see what I am doing now, would say, ‘Gee, she didn’t turn out so bad after all. Who knew?’” says Marianne with a shrug and a smile.

The Glick Foundation builds community and creates opportunities.

For more information, visit:

genebglick.com

GlickART.com

teenworks.org 

Comments 1

  1. Dr. Phil Howard says:

    What a wonderful legacy the Glick family has left.

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