Remembering our dear friend Howard Hedinger

Our good friend, Howard Hedinger, passed away on February 15, 2019.

I’ve known Howard most of my life.  He was a good friend of my dad and a part of our family.  I have pictures of my brother and I as kids hanging out with Howard and my dad. 

Howard set such a high standard of giving back to the community and had a powerful influence on so many lives through his philanthropy.  He loved investing in youth and meeting the kids in our program.  During his last Academy Program visit last November, Howard encouraged our students to “be helpful.”  If they only knew just how helpful the man sharing the message had been to our community.

Howard was involved in the Maurice Lucas Foundation since our inception and has been one of our greatest supporters. In 2017 he partnered with us to start the Maurice Lucas Foundation Howard Hedinger Scholarship Program.  We are honored to provide the Howard Hedinger Memorial Scholarship to every graduate of our Academy who meets the eligibility requirements through high school. Many of our students will be the first in their families to attend post-secondary education.

Howard’s son, Huston Hedinger, and Huston’s wife, Natasha Hedinger, both serve on the ML2020 board. This group of young, professional, community-minded supporters engage the next generation and expand donor cultivation while actively supporting the mission of the Maurice Lucas Foundation.

People are always amazed at how much Howard did for our community. I feel blessed to have known him. The Maurice Lucas Foundation and the youth we serve have been — and will be — blessed by his support.  We will continue to encourage our students to “be helpful” and will cite Howard’s life-long example of helping others as a premier example by which to live.