For Greg “Buddy” and Rebecca Yancer, supporting the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Wave Maker’s Society is deeply personal. Their giving is not rooted in a desire for recognition. It is rooted in lived experience, second chances, and a shared belief that when a community helps carry you through difficult seasons, you look for ways to help carry others.
Greg and Rebecca’s philanthropy journey began long before they considered themselves philanthropists.
Rebecca grew up in Breckenridge, spent 16 years working at Big Boy in Midland, and now resides in Sanford. For her, Midland County has long felt like home. But her understanding of community support changed profoundly after the devastating 2020 flooding damaged her home.
Rebecca was one of the residents who received support to rebuild. At the time, she did not know much about the many partners involved in long-term recovery efforts. She simply knew that people showed up when she needed help most.
“I was given so much,” Rebecca said. “It was always a goal of mine to figure out a way to give back because I was given so much.”
That experience stayed with her. It shaped the way she saw generosity, not as something reserved for the wealthy, but as a response to gratitude. After her own life had been impacted by the kindness of others, giving back became a promise she carried with her.
Greg’s path to giving was different, but it was guided by the same sense of gratitude.
After struggling with substance use, Greg found himself at a breaking point. A single father of five, he entered the court system and was given the opportunity to participate in a recovery court program. While in jail, community members brought a recovery meeting inside. That moment changed the direction of his life.
For the first time, Greg heard a message of recovery. For the first time, he felt hope.
Through recovery court, coaching, accountability, and the support of people throughout Midland County, Greg began to rebuild his life. He eventually became a recovery coach and started helping others who were walking through similar challenges. What began as a desire to give back slowly grew into something much larger.
Greg had worked in construction for much of his life, but after entering recovery, he saw the trades differently. He watched men try to rebuild their lives while returning to work environments that often did not allow time for recovery, counseling, parenting, or personal growth. He started taking a few men with him on weekend jobs and noticed something powerful happening on the roof.
They were not just working. They were supporting each other.
That experience helped inspire what became Community Construct, an organization that provides employment, support, and encouragement for people in recovery and people working to overcome barriers from their past. Since its beginning in 2019, the organization has employed more than 100 people and created a workplace where personal development is part of the job.
The work has grown through community connections, nonprofit partnerships, and the generosity of people who believe in second chances. Whether it is cold-weather gear, a breakfast bar for workers, or someone simply sending a check to help, Greg and Rebecca have seen how small acts of generosity can ripple outward.
Greg says Midland County has continually shown up for him.
“I bet you there hasn’t been a month that has gone by in 12 years that somebody hasn’t given me something in this community,” he said.
That is why being Wave Makers resonates with them.
The Wave Maker’s Society initiative supports unrestricted community investment through the Midland Area Community Foundation. Those flexible dollars allow the Foundation to respond to the community’s most pressing needs, whether that means helping after a disaster, supporting human service organizations, investing in long-term solutions, or addressing emerging needs.
For Greg and Rebecca, that flexibility matters. Their own lives have been shaped by a wide range of support: flood recovery, recovery court, housing challenges, employment opportunities, nonprofit partnerships, and the everyday kindness of neighbors. They know firsthand that community needs are not always simple, predictable, or easy to categorize.
“I think we both were given second chances,” Rebecca said. “So we don’t really have one thing that we want to give to. Let’s just give back to everything. So wherever that reaches, it reaches.”
Greg feels the same way. He believes in the Community Foundation because he has seen its impact across many parts of Midland County. Joining the Wave Maker’s Society allows him and Rebecca to give without needing to decide which single issue matters most. They trust the Foundation to steward those dollars and put them where they can do the most good.
For them, the appeal is simple: flexible giving creates flexible help. And flexible help is what allows a community to respond when people are rebuilding or simply trying to find the next step forward.
Greg and Rebecca’s story is a reminder that philanthropy is not only about the size of a gift. It is about the heart behind it. It is about gratitude becoming action. It is about people who have received support choosing to become part of another person’s support system.
Through the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Wave Maker’s Society, they are helping create ripples of generosity that can reach across Midland County today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
