Giving Back

The below gifts were given out at our first annual Ed Thomas Memorial Golf Tournament held in Parkersburg Iowa on June 19th 2010.
$5000 – Camp Koinonia
$5000 – City of Parkersburg towards the city pool renovations
$16000 –Area high school football programs
$1000 –Three scholarships to AP high school students

The below gifts were given out at our first annual Ed Thomas Celebrity Invite held in Waverly Iowa on July 8 & 9th 2010.
$10,000 –ALS
$10,000 –Gospel in Asia to build our own church in Eastern Asia
$10,000 –Iowa Hall of Pride

Ed Thomas Family Foundation Honoring Coaches Legacy Through Faith – Family - Football

Parkersburg, IA: On August 26th, 2009, in the wake of the tragic passing of Legendary Coach Ed Thomas, his wife, Jan, and their sons, Aaron and Todd, established the Ed Thomas Family Foundation (ETFF).

The ETFF was created to extend Ed Thomas’ influence and honor his legacy. In pursuit of that mission, the ETFF is taking action to make a positive impact in the local community and on a national level. On November 29, 2009, the ETFF Board of Trustees approved an initial gift of $30,000 supporting each of the three cornerstones of the Foundation’s mission.

FAITH - The lead gift of $10,000 will be given to Thomas’s local Church, the First Congregational Church of Parkersburg purposed for “sending our own” into the mission field and in support of New Life International to help local missionary families working to establish orphanages in Guatemala. This focus was especially important to Coach Thomas. In addition, this gift is purposed to provide personalized Bibles to local Aplington-Parkersburg youth through The Student Connection, a local faith based organization that ministers to youth. Adam Dohrn, Director of The Student Connection stated, “We are very grateful to the Ed Thomas Family Foundation. The word of God is one of our greatest gifts. This is a great opportunity to get His word into the hands of all of our 8th grade students at a crucial time in their development. We as a community are thankful that the Lord has put this mission on the Foundation’s heart.”

FAMILY - A second gift of $10,000 will be purposed for the Stefanie Spielman Patient Assistance Fund. Stefanie Spielman, wife of four-time pro bowler Chris Spielman, passed away on November 19, 2009 after a long battle with breast cancer. The Fund provides direct financial assistance to cancer patients who need help with non-medical needs related to their cancer treatment. “Ed Thomas was a wealthy man if we define wealth by "not how much we have but how much we give.” “Coach was blessed with a servant's heart,” stated Spielman. Spielman and his four children, Madison, Noah, Macy and Audrey reside in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.

FOOTBALL - A third gift of $10,000 will be given to the Aplington-Parkersburg Community School. This gift will fund a mural (pictured to the left) honoring Coach Thomas in the High School Gymnasium and necessary upkeep and maintenance of Ed Thomas Field and related facilities. AP Community School superintendent Jon Thompson stated, “The Aplington-Parkersburg School District is very proud of our working relationship with the Ed Thomas Family Foundation. Coach Thomas truly helped our young people become better students, better citizens and people of great character. He was a true role model for us all. We look forward to continuing Coach Thomas’ message well into the future and are pleased to know that the Ed Thomas Family Foundation will always be a part of these efforts.”