Pauline Barrett was a pillar of generosity in the Cedar Valley. The impact of her giving, along with that of her husband Dr. Sterling Barrett, has rippled across the community they loved.

"Pauline loved the Cedar Valley. She understood she had been blessed and wanted to give back in a way that would impact many lives and make her community stronger," said Dave Amend, Trust Officer and Advisor to Pauline Barrett. "Her work and positive experiences with the Community Foundation during her lifetime showed her how she could keep her generosity alive even after she was gone."

During her lifetime, Pauline served on the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and saw the impact it created through generosity and grantmaking, saying of the Community Foundation, “I believe in it. It is a good way to cut the hassle and make giving easy.”

She believed CFNEIA helps uniquely by providing grants to diverse community needs, not just one cause.

In 1999, Pauline established the Women's Fund with CFNEIA with a gift of $50,000 to support organizations making a difference in the lives of women and girls in Black Hawk County. This fund supports the grantmaking of the Women for Good program, which has granted more than $250,000 since the fund's creation.

Pauline also established the Pauline R. Barrett Fund with CFNEIA as part of her giving portfolio. Today, the Pauline R. Barrett Fund supports the Foundation’s ability to support those diverse needs by contributing funds to its Black Hawk County discretionary process.

Both funds support grant processes that provide needed funding to organizations serving the community she loved. Now, after her death in January 2018, the impact of her generosity will grow, and her legacy of philanthropy will live on.

Through thoughtful planning and incredible generosity, Pauline Barrett’s vision of creating a stronger Black Hawk County by giving to nonprofits doing the most good will be carried out forever.