A Legacy of Impact

Community engagement , systemic change , and transformative impact are the fundamental goals of the T . L . L . Temple Foundation , which made a generous $ 5 million gift in May 2016 in support of a new birthing center for CHI St . Luke ’ s Health Memorial in Lufkin .

For more than 50 years , Temple Foundation trustees have carried on the work of Georgie Temple Munz , who created the private family foundation in 1962 in honor of her father , Thomas Lewis Latane Temple , an East Texas lumberman . He founded the Southern Pine Lumber Company , which later became Temple Industries .

Munz had one simple wish for the people of deep East Texas . “ She wanted to use her money in the form of this foundation to , very simply , improve the human condition and quality of life ,” said Buddy Zeagler , former executive director . “ And , the Temple family in general has had a multigenerational involvement to carry on that legacy .”

In addition to honoring their long history of support for the health system now known as CHI St . Luke ’ s Health Memorial in Lufkin , the Temple Foundation focuses on funding impactful initiatives and working directly with community stakeholders to develop transformative programs that can change lives .

Their Impact Lufkin program is a perfect example

T . L . L . Foundation Growth and Focus of their mission in action . With a relatively small gift , the Temple Foundation is working with residents of north Lufkin to create a community program that connects them to vital services they both need and want , including health care , tutoring , job training , and more .

“ You can ’ t go in there and tell a community what they need ,” said Laura Squiers , deputy executive director . “ They know what they need , so we listen first and act second .”

At the root of the Foundation ’ s commitment to transformative initiatives is one belief : when one community prospers , everyone prospers .

“ The reality is we live in a small community ,” says Squiers . “ We ’ re all neighbors .”