Technically, Marc and Lynne Craft are retired, but truly they are quietly working to help others build their dreams. No, they’re not swinging hammers. They are investing in the lives of students working toward a better future.
The couple has established a scholarship through the Marshall Health Network Foundations for students at St. Mary’s School of Nursing. It may not make sense on the surface since Marc is a retired certified public accountant and Lynne is a retired paralegal, but it was a very deliberate choice. The couple, who have now been married 47 years and live in Georgetown, Kentucky, simply remembered what they needed and wanted as young adults and are providing it for others. For Marc it was education. For Lynne it was the dream of becoming a nurse. “We just wanted to help some others,” Marc said.
“It’s hard sometimes.” Lynne, who was born at St. Mary’s Medical Center, answered an advertisement to be a nursing assistant there and loved it. It sparked her dream of wanting to be a nurse, but life had other plans. She married and had a son. A job transfer led them to Charlotte, North Carolina. Eventually she made her way to the Lexington, Kentucky, area and found herself as a single mother working at Good Samaritan Hospital. Nursing school, according to Lynne, was just never a viable option. “I just didn’t have the money and couldn’t manage it,” she said. “I got into the legal business and retired after 31 years. The opportunity just never presented itself. It was sort of a dream dashed, but I had a good career. I always remembered that St. Mary’s was a great place to work, and I was mentored well. So, I just kind of put myself in that position of single mothers who are smart but have no opportunity. It’s just a way to help.”
Marc, a native of Ashland, Kentucky, always valued education and appreciated the help he received multiple times along the way. He remembers working at Ashland Oil while going to school at Ashland Community College (now Ashland Community and Technical College). He had a car wreck during his sophomore year, breaking his pelvis in the accident and couldn’t work. He went to ACC President Robert Goodpastor and told him his predicament. “He said, ‘Do you have money for books?’,” Marc said. “I told him I did, and he said, ‘then I’ll take care of the rest of it.’ And he did. I don’t know if he paid for it or what he did, but that has stayed with me all my life.”
Marc later went to the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University and was fortunate to receive scholarships and help that paid for the bulk of his education, so he didn’t have to begin life in debt. “I just want to be able to help some people,” he said. “It’s so much more expensive now, and if I can help some people, I’d like to be able to do it.” That’s how the couple decided to establish the scholarship as part of their estate planning. They have been able to help students attend St. Mary’s School of Nursing as well as a few other educational institutions.
Marc has spent many years affiliated with The King’s Daughters and Sons Foundation, which has given him a lot of time, knowledge, and interest in doing charitable work. The full amount the couple agreed to donate isn’t fully satisfied at this point. However, it’s in their wills to ensure that it will be taken care of in the future. “I’m a big believer in education,” Marc said. “I see a lot of kids in poverty and family situations where they just need help. Some have borrowed money up to their ears and are stuck in so much debt it’s hard to manage. I just want to help give them some opportunities to improve and the ability to start life debt-free.” Lynne said it’s satisfying to be able to help others.
“There are just so many women with children struggling—single mothers,” she said. “I just think we should help where we can and for as long as we can, until we can’t. We have seen some young women who have been given the scholarship, and it’s heartwarming to know you’re helping someone who needs it.” The Crafts understand how hard it can be to get life started on the right foot and have just made it their mission to make it easier for some people who need a break. They hope it inspires others. “Any possible way you can be of help to someone, you should just do it,” Lynne said.
