Keeping History Alive: Voices of Philanthropy Awards Grant to County Historian

This unrestricted grant shows the group’s interest in strengthening local efforts to preserve and share DeKalb County’s history. The County Historian’s work helps keep community stories accessible to residents, schools, and future generations.

Mary Hollabaugh Diehl shared that her role does not come with a standing budget and that unrestricted support makes a real difference in her ability to continue this work. 

“So much of what I do depends on donations and community support. An unrestricted gift allows me to put resources exactly where they’re needed, whether that’s preservation work, educational programs, research materials, or moving important local history projects forward. The trust these students have shown means more than I can adequately express,” said Mary Hollabaugh Diehl

This contribution highlights the students’ commitment to recognizing what matters in their community and supporting work that has lasting impact.

“Supporting the history of our county is important to us at Voices. We want to ensure that our history will be around for generations to come. The work of the county historian accomplishes these goals and so we wanted to help out in any way that we could,” said Abby Thomas, Voices of Philanthropy president.