Editor’s note: The celebration of local philanthropy by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Mahoning-Shenango Chapter is set for Nov. 14 at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center in Boardman. The Business Journal is highlighting this year’s National Philanthropy Day honorees in a series of stories.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – This year’s Legacy Award recipients are the late David and Benita Penner.
The Penners were nominated by Courtney Lockshaw, financial resource development director for the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
“They were quiet in their philanthropy. I’m not sure people really knew of their generosity in the community,” she says. “They were phenomenal human beings.”
After serving in the Army for two years, David Penner, a Youngstown native, joined his family business, Penner Furniture, and married Benita in 1963. In 1971, he transitioned to the insurance industry.
David Penner died in 2019, followed by his wife the next year.
The Penners were staples at the Jewish Community Center, Lockshaw recalls. David would work out at the center almost every day, with his wife joining him occasionally.
“He was always quiet, but he had a presence about him,” she remembers. Seeing the children at the campus’s early learning center and during summer camp “would put the biggest smile on his face.” He would high-five the kids and get to know them, making sure that they knew they were appreciated.
According to the nomination materials, the Penners, in partnership with the Youngstown Area Jewish Foundation, established three funds with an initial combined investment of more than $3 million to go into effect after their deaths. The funds include Benita’s Lion of Judah Endowment, the David & Benita Penner Endowment, and the Penner Family Endowment.
Both Penners were also very involved in their synagogues and wanted to break the cycle of poverty though early childhood education, Lockshaw says.
Breaking the cycle of poverty through enhanced access to high-quality early childhood education, from birth through kindergarten, is the goal of the Penner Family Endowment. It’s a means of fulfilling the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world, according to the nomination materials.
Since its launch in 2023, the endowment of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation has distributed more than $370,000 in grants to local organizations in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys.
Since its inception, the David & Benita Penner Endowment has distributed nearly $138,000 locally and nationally. Benefitting organizations have included the federation’s annual campaign, Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom, Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom Brotherhood Society, the local SCORE chapter, Bet Elazraki Children’s Home in Israel, Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley and Heritage Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation.
Lion of Judah brings together philanthropic Jewish women around the world who care deeply about the Jewish future. Benita Penner established the endowment to ensure her level of giving to the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation continued after her death.
“I think the Penners would be so excited to know that their legacy is living on in these dollars,” Lockshaw reflects.