05/22/2026
When Jeff and Kay Wagner moved to Midland from Toledo nearly 30 years ago, they were looking for a new opportunity. Jeff’s career in healthcare administration brought their young family north, and Kay, a nurse by background, remembers how difficult it was to leave behind family, familiarity, and a support system while raising three young daughters.
But what began as a career move quickly became something much deeper.
“It was the best decision, I think, we ever made,” Kay said. “We raised the three girls here, and one of our daughters is still here locally with her two children and is very active in the community. It’s been a great, great community to us.”
For the Wagners, supporting the Midland Area Community Foundation grew naturally from that sense of gratitude. They had always believed in giving back to the places they called home. Jeff described it simply as “just part of what we do.” They gave to churches, community projects, the United Way, and other efforts that strengthened the place around them. But their connection to the Community Foundation deepened when Kay began volunteering on the grants committee.
“I think it was really my grant involvement and Jeff’s scholarship review work that we began to learn more about what this foundation stood for and the many possibilities it provides,” Kay said. Over time, Kay’s service grew from grants committee volunteer to trustee and board chair. Through that involvement, the Wagners saw the Foundation not only as a place to give, but as a trusted vehicle for long-term community impact.
Kay called the Foundation “rock solid” and said it created a meaningful structure for their family’s philanthropy. It gave Jeff and Kay a way to talk with their children about giving, generosity, and responsibility.
“This gave us a structure to have a conversation with the kids,” Kay said. “The younger generation is philanthropic in their own way. The MACF provides the conduit to connect generational philanthropic philosophies to ensure sustainable giving now and into the future.
That structure matters to the Wagners because they see philanthropy as both personal and practical. It is about caring for the community today while building something lasting for tomorrow. They appreciate that the Community Foundation allows people to give in many different ways, whether someone contributes $5 or $5,000.
Kay said the Foundation’s diversity of giving opportunities is one of its greatest strengths. “It speaks to the person that only wants to give $5 to someone that wants to give $5,000,” she said. “It doesn’t matter, because there are so many different options and opportunities.”
Jeff has also seen how the Foundation’s reach can extend beyond traditional expectations. Through his mission work in Guatemala with HELPS International, he learned that local donors could contribute through the Community Foundation to support global work tied to Midland volunteers and Midland churches.
“Although it’s Community Foundation, the community is the folks who come together for a cause,” Jeff said. “Through the Community Foundation, we’re able to then dictate and transfer it. That’s very impressive to me, that this community foundation will do that.”
For Jeff and Kay, Midland’s size is part of its strength. It is small enough to feel connected, yet large enough to offer meaningful opportunities. Jeff loves the rail trail, the Community Center, the arts, and the easy access to water and recreation. Kay is drawn to the way people in Midland help others move ideas forward.
“To me, it’s the opportunities,” Kay said. “If you want it, you can access it, and there’s going to be somebody who will mentor you or work with you to try to make your dream come true.”
At the same time, both Jeff and Kay are clear-eyed about Midland’s challenges. They know there are families facing poverty, children struggling with housing and food insecurity, barriers to transportation, child care, internet access, and opportunity. Jeff especially thinks about children born into difficult circumstances.
“They can’t help the situation they’re in,” he said. “Their abilities to learn, get food, and maintain shelter may be very difficult.”
That balance of pride and responsibility is what continues to inspire the Wagners. They believe Midland has extraordinary assets, but they also believe those assets must be used to lift everyone. Their passion lies in affording others the same opportunities they have had by helping families struggling to make ends meet, ensuring all have access to education, and in keeping our children safe and healthy. Looking ahead, Kay dreams of a more vibrant downtown and riverfront, with more restaurants, gathering spaces, and activities for all to enjoy. Jeff hopes the community continues to support families and children who need help most.
The Wagners may have arrived in Midland as newcomers, but they are planted here now. Their daughters still call Midland home, even though they live in other cities. Their grandchildren are growing up here. Their giving is rooted in gratitude for what Midland has given them and hope for what Midland can become.
As Kay put it, “The community was so good to us. How do you pay it forward? How do you make that community the same if not better for future generations, so it’s there for them too?”
