Mission: “Making a Difference in Children and Youth Overcoming Obstacles and Embracing Opportunities”
Founders: The Anthany and Eunice Beatty Family Foundation at Blue Grass Community Foundation launched in October 2007, when the first African-American Chief of Police in Lexington, Kentucky, Anthany Beatty, Sr., retired from his law enforcement service and career. As Co-founders of the Beatty Foundation, Anthany and his wife, Dr. Eunice Beatty, a first-generation college student, earning three degrees from the University of Kentucky, and completing a 30-year collegiate faculty and administrative career, wanted to continue serving their community. Their goal for the Foundation, to make a difference in the lives of young people, encouraging them to overcome obstacles and embrace opportunities!
Anthany and Eunice are native Lexingtonians, born into lower socio-economic urban area families. Lexington, Kentucky is where their life-stories began. Their stories have numerous accounts of obstacles and opportunities, which they willingly share with the young and the old, when explaining the Beatty Foundation mission. Experiencing unconditional love, guidance, and support from family, friends, childhood neighbors, teachers, and church played a huge role in what Anthany and Eunice label as being rich with family, friends, and faith. They credit past generations for teaching, disciplining, and mentoring them to always “make a positive difference”. During their adolescent and adult years, Anthany and Eunice realized, understood, and experienced differences which today they describe as real obstacles in life they had to overcome (the doors that were closed, and some doors blocked or locked). And, they also discovered opportunities in life (the necessary preparation to go through open doors, and the persistence to oftentimes remove the roadblocks or find keys to unlock the doors). Anthany and Eunice are ordinary individuals, who have faced and overcome numerous obstacles, and embraced numerous opportunities in life, defining to a significant degree who they are today. Anthany and Eunice have two sons (Anthany, Jr. and Embry) who understand and share the philosophy of the Beatty Foundation mission, and together they are encouraging grandchildren, Brandy, Bryson, Kennedy, Peyton, and Embry James, to do the same.
Achieving: The Beatty Foundation (AEBFF) initiates, partners, and collaborates to help younger generations make a positive difference in themselves and others. AEBFF supports children and youth who are overcoming obstacles, and/or embracing opportunities and new experiences–making a positive difference.