Photography by Wyndham-Leigh Portraiture 

Touching Tucson

Ed and Barbara Farmilant seek to create world-class citizens from the city’s forgotten children

by Barbara R. Levy, ACFRE

 
Ed and Barbara Farmilant, a quietly dynamic couple with vision, determination, and big hearts, started creating change in their hometown, Chicago. As a resident of the city’s inner-city projects, Barbara saw and heard enough at a very young age to know she wanted to make a difference. When asked about her family’s philosophy about philanthropy, Barbara paused a moment, smiled, and said, “We didn’t have dollars to give, but we were always prepared to share our food. A pot of spaghetti or beans could always be shared with those who had nothing to eat.” Barbara considers herself fortunate because she was mentored at an early age and taught about volunteerism. What she learned stuck with her, and in later years, she went back to the projects to serve as president of the board of the Youth Center.

Ed’s parents lived through the Great Depression, and like so many others who lived through those years, they continued to live their lives with the belief that everyone has to survive, or we are all diminished. Ed served on the board of a Hull House neighborhood service center that focused on creating nonprofit businesses that provided employment, recruited people to serve on the boards, provided seed money, and then spun them off to the community.

How these experiences shaped the philanthropy of Ed and Barbara was evident as their philosophy unfolded. When the couple selected Tucson as the ideal place to retire in 1991, they carried their passion for change with them. Upon their arrival in Tucson, the Farmilants set up a charitable lead trust to fund scholarships for minority students at the University of Arizona. A lead trust provides dollars to an organization that will, after a specified period of time, return the dollars to the donor or pass them to a beneficiary. During the years when the organization is holding the trust, it may use the interest earned for a specified purpose – in this case, scholarships. The Farmilant’s gift was not just the award of the scholarship to African-American, Hispanic, and American Indian students; it was a gift of themselves. Knowing that the beneficiaries were first-generation college students, Ed and Barbara set about spending time with their young recipients, getting to know them and advising them, often providing the kind of advice parents might give a college freshman who is leaving home for the first time. The Farmilants’ involvement was the catalyst that kept these students in school and kept them motivated; it taught them how to set goals and how to develop the self-esteem to follow their dreams.

Barbara has a master’s degree in psychology and counseling. She has worked with runaway and throwaway kids and has seen the disparity and problems that exist in some social groups. “I don’t think I can save the world,” she says, “but maybe I can help someone achieve his or her dreams. Someone was there for me, and it helped.”

Several years ago, besieged by the deluge of fall fundraising appeals, Ed and Barbara realized their giving needed some direction if it was to represent their philosophy. As two people who consider themselves fortunate that someone helped them when they needed it, Ed and Barbara wanted to focus their philanthropy. They wanted to give to make a difference for those whose challenges weren’t always easy to acknowledge. “There will always be people to give to the popular causes, but we wanted to support those needs that are difficult to recognize and have a long-term payoff. We wanted the investment of our philanthropic dollars to change the future for someone who otherwise might never have had a chance.”

Barbara’s passion and skills combine to make her one of the community’s noted jewelry makers. She is rarely without her box of beads and a creative project. However, Barbara’s creativity extends beyond her artistic skill. She has created a foundation to receive the profits of her sales. In turn, the foundation dollars will go to support causes for women and children. She has turned her talent and success into support for those who need it most.

Ed witnessed what a Chicago music school did for kids and their families. He was deeply impressed with the impact the program had on kids who, upon entry, had no self-esteem, no confidence, and no dreams for the future. The school changed all of this for these students. He saw parents, mostly working poor, bask in pride for their children. He saw students struggle with the building blocks of self-esteem, growth, and hope. He knew that Tucson’s kids could also benefit from such a program.

Ed saw the fulfillment of his dream when Barbara and he enabled formation of the PRIME (Pride Radiates In Music Education) School of Music in Tucson two years ago. In the opening ceremony, Ed shared his vision, a small boy played a child-sized cello, and five-year-old students gave a violin concert. All present were moved to see promise of a dream beginning to be realized.

Ed and Barbara see the future through the mission of the PRIME school. They see these young people using music as a path toward meaningful lives. “We’re not trying to create world-class musicians,” Ed says, “We’re trying to create world-class citizens.”

Tucson is fortunate to be home for Ed and Barbara Farmilant as they build futures for others through the continued realization of their dedicated vision.