How Women’s Giving Shapes a Community
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, it’s worth noting that it’s often framed around individual achievements and milestones—but it can also be a way to look at patterns, particularly how people contribute to their communities over time.
In philanthropy, one of the more consistent patterns is the role women play in shaping how giving happens. Research shows that women influence or make the majority of charitable decisions in American households. They are more likely to support multiple causes, remain involved beyond a single contribution, and approach giving as something that develops over time rather than a one-time act. Their decisions tend to reflect relationships and experience and a broader, more interconnected view of community needs.
That pattern is easy to see at a national level, and it plays out in the same way in local communities.
In Centre County, this kind of giving rarely centers on a single organization. Instead, it shows up across a range of institutions that form the fabric of the community, sustained by people who stay involved as needs change.
One way to see how this works in practice is through the people who have remained engaged over time.
Barbara Palmer and Linda Gall are two local examples. During her lifetime, Barbara was a longtime supporter of Centre Foundation, and Linda continues to carry that commitment forward—each established endowed funds at the Foundation that reflect sustained, intentional giving and active involvement across Centre County.
Barbara Palmer: A long view of community giving
From the 1980s through the early 2000s, Barbara Palmer’s philanthropy and involvement spanned organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Park Forest Day Nursery (now Park Forest Preschool), Centre County United Way, Palmer Museum of Art, and Centre Foundation. Rather than focusing on a single issue, her work reflected an understanding that no one organization carries a community on its own.
Following her husband’s passing in 2001, she remained actively engaged in the community for years to come, continuing her own leadership and philanthropic work across the region. Barbara passed away in 2019, leaving behind a legacy shaped by sustained involvement and thoughtful giving.
What set her approach apart was not just where she gave, but how she thought about giving. She also took a broader view by supporting the underlying structure of philanthropy in the region. Through funds that help sustain the operations of Centre Foundation, she invested in the work most people don’t see, including staffing, systems, and the day-to-day costs of keeping things running. At the time, most donors focused on specific programs or projects, making this kind of unrestricted support far less common. It may not be the most visible form of giving, but without it, organizations cannot function, and the work itself cannot continue. By supporting Centre Foundation behind the scenes, she made it possible to strengthen and sustain the work of nonprofits across the county, from organizations like the Girl Scouts, Park Forest Day Nursery, United Way, and the Palmer Museum of Art, to many others serving essential needs in our community.
Linda Gall: Staying engaged as needs evolve
During many of those same years, Linda Gall was building her own long-term involvement in Centre County.
After moving to State College in 1985, she became involved through volunteer work, including her early connection to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Over time, that involvement expanded across the arts, healthcare, conservation, and community services, including organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund, Discovery Space, Centre County United Way, and the Palmer Museum of Art.
Her giving follows a similar pattern to Barbara’s, but with a structure that allows it to adapt as needs evolve. Through Centre Foundation, the Blake and Linda Gall Family Fund supports different organizations throughout the year and over time, while another fund contributes to the Foundation’s long-term work. Blake and Linda’s fund supporting Community Volunteers in Medicine reflects a more focused investment in access to healthcare.
The work behind what lasts
Seen together, Barbara’s and Linda’s work reflects a shared way of showing up in the community.
Both have been active across multiple organizations, staying connected over time rather than centering on a single cause. Their giving isn’t defined by one project or moment, but by a pattern of paying attention and continuing to engage as the community changes.
Some of that work is visible. It funds programs, events, and services people rely on. Though other parts are easier to miss, it’s the consistency over time that helps ensure those efforts don’t stall or disappear.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Barbara Palmer made that decision through years of steady involvement that helped shape the community in lasting ways. Linda Gall continues to make that decision today, staying engaged, focusing on what matters, and adjusting as needs evolve. That kind of commitment is harder to see than a single act of generosity, but it’s often what makes the difference between something that starts and something that lasts.