Long before Neil and Annmarie Hawkins became supporters of the Midland Area Community Foundation, their relationship began with community service.
The two met in a church basement in Boston, working on community outreach. Annmarie had come from the Bronx, while Neil was originally from Asheville, North Carolina. Career changes eventually brought them to Midland, where they would spend most of their adult lives and raise their two daughters.
For Annmarie, who had familiarity with big cities, Midland took a bit of getting used to.
“I did not really get Midland for a long time,” she recalled, laughing about having to learn that smiling and waving to strangers was simply part of life here.
But raising a family helped her discover something deeper about the community.
“No matter what your interests, no matter what your need, you usually can find a group of people either already working on it, or people drawing together to address something that hasn’t been directly addressed before,” Annmarie said.
That idea, people drawing together, has become a recurring theme in the Hawkins’ relationship with Midland and with the Community Foundation.
Their involvement stretches back decades. One of their memorable early connections came in the early 2000s, when they established the Deborah Lynn Hawkins Special Educator Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of their daughter Deborah. The scholarship supports those pursuing careers working with children with disabilities, including special education teachers and therapists. For years, the Hawkins’ made a point of meeting scholarship recipients and introducing them to Deborah.
“It’s a way for our family to give back to this community,” Annmarie said. “Deborah benefited directly from all the specialists at the ESA [Educational Service Agency] and from Midland Public Schools personnel, and we wanted to encourage local students.”
Over the years, their relationship with the Foundation expanded. Neil served on the grants committee and later the Board of Trustees. The couple established a donor-advised fund and regularly partnered with the Foundation to support projects throughout the community.
That history made their decision to contribute to the Wave Maker’s Society, supporting unrestricted grantmaking that allows the Foundation to respond to Midland County’s evolving needs, an easy one.
“I trust the Community Foundation,” Neil said. “If they said they needed to do this and that having a few people give early would help, I was happy to do it just because of the trust I have in Sharon and in the Community Foundation. They don’t ask us to do much, so when they ask, I tend to listen.”
For Neil and Annmarie, that trust is about more than making a contribution. It is about knowing their philanthropy is part of something larger.
The couple has frequently looked to the Foundation as a partner when supporting new ideas, including the Friction Theatre and arts programming in Midland. Annmarie said having the Foundation involved helps demonstrate that a project has support beyond any individual donor.
“We always feel that partnership with the Foundation is an important part of the process of supporting something new in town,” she said. “We don’t ever want to just go off in one direction. We always want to come to the Foundation to make sure there’s also community support behind these kinds of projects.”
That philosophy mirrors the purpose of the Wave Maker’s Society: individual generosity becoming collective community impact.
Looking ahead, the Hawkins’ hope that the same collaborative spirit continues to strengthen the community they have called home for nearly four decades. They particularly hope Midland continues advancing opportunities and representation for people with disabilities while nurturing a diverse, thriving arts community.
For both Neil and Annmarie, making waves has never been about acting alone. It is about trusting the community, finding the right partners, and helping create momentum that carries far beyond a single gift.
