Honoring A Father's Legacy
Donors: Frank and Dolores Hines

Born in 1898, Frank Zajac immigrated to this country from Poland at the age of 13 years old making his way to Indianapolis. Frank made a good life for himself and his family in the paint manufacturing business. When he passed away a few years ago at age 94, son Frank Hines of Albuquerque looked for a way to honor his father as well as address his own and wife Dee's charitable interests.

Dee and Frank Hines with
student Helena Janczowska

In 1997, Frank and Dee established the Frank and Dolores Hines Donor-Advised Endowment Fund, dedicating the majority of its distribution for the first two years to support a student from Poland studying in America. In the fall of 1998, the first Frank J. Zajac Memorial Scholarship was awarded to the united Work College in Las Vegas, NM, for Helena Janczowska. From Katowice, Poland, Helena is an energetic and enthusiastic student, active in college life. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Taos and will go on to higher education after graduation from the College's international pre-university program. Frank says America was good to his father and he wanted to give back to someone in Poland a similar educational opportunity in this country.

In 1998, in addition to the scholarship, Frank and Dee were able to award a grant to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, in memory of Dee's nephew, Alex, who passed away from a rare form of cancer a few years ago in Champlain, NY, Dee's hometown. Make-A-Wish arranged a tri for Alex and his family to visit Disney World. This year Frank and Dee will support three nonprofit organizations through grants. As the Frank and Dolores Hines Endowment Fund grows, so will the amount available for distribution in grants to their favorite charities.

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