A Healthy Commitment
Peggy Snyder was in a quandary. She and other Southington parents had a great idea – one that would eventually become the Southington Science and Mathematics Initiative, an educational enrichment fund at the Community Foundation – but they needed sage advice from someone who knew Southington, understood its needs, and was committed to its welfare.
Who else to turn to but Andy Meade?
“At the time we needed guidance,” says Peggy of their fledgling initiative. “Andy has such a broad understanding of the town’s needs. He and his wife are just the most wonderful people.”
Andy and Fran Meade have been enriching people’s lives in Southington for decades. From the time Andy was setting bowling pins at the old Southington YMCA more than 50 years ago; to their joint involvement with the Southington Jaycees, Mary Our Queen Church and numerous other organizations; to Andy’s long-time business and political career in town, the name Meade has been synonymous with Southington.
The Meades have long understood the impact that genuine commitment can have upon a community. Fran calls her husband, the retired president and CEO of Lori Lock, Inc., in Southington, former chair of the Town Council and a board member with the Community Foundation, a “natural leader. Andy has always had an innate sense of responsibility.
“Over the years, when anyone new came into town, they always called Andy for advice,” Fran says.
There is no better example of the Meades’ lifelong commitment to community than their involvement with the YMCA.
Andy started there as an eight-year-old and became a board member as an adult. He was on the YMCA Building Committee that oversaw a recent $5 million expansion – funded in part by the Community Foundation.
When the Community Foundation changed its name and expanded its focus to include Southington and Plainville several years ago, Andy Meade was a natural choice to join the board and help maximize the Foundation’s reach into Southington.
“This Foundation can do wonderful things for our community; its role in the YMCA project is a perfect example,” says Andy, who along with Fran has established a charitable trust that will benefit the Foundation’s work in Southington in the future. “There are more needs in our community than ever before, and the Foundation will be an important part of meeting them.”
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