Dr. Jean Langan has been a Professor of Art at Miami University for 15 years, and a teacher in the field of art for 24 years. She and her husband, Michael Heins, bought a condo on Brookville Lake in 1998, and liked it so well, they moved to Brookville in 2003.
Jeannie and Mike enjoy entertaining friends in their home. Jeannie said that although she would tell guests that there was no need to bring anything, many times they felt compelled to bring a gift for her and Mike. She went on to say, “By my 55th birthday, I felt I’d received enough generous gifts to last a lifetime. It was now my turn to give back.”
Even though she loves gifts, Jeannie felt she wanted to give the money somewhere where it would make an impact. Community and art have been the focus of her career. Dr. Langan came up with the idea to tell guests that in lieu of gifts for her and her husband, she would accept donations for an endowment fund that she planned to establish.
It did not take long for Jeannie and Mike to collect more than enough money to establish an endowment. A passion for art and a commitment to their community prompted them to use the collected funds to establish the SMART (St. Michael Art) Endowment Fund in the Franklin County Community Foundation. The purpose of the SMART fund is to provide support to the St. Michael School art program for supplies, equipment, display costs and special projects.
Jeannie and Mike continue to enjoy spending time with friends. They do so now, knowing that the gifts that they have collected will benefit a wonderful cause, helping to support art classes for children.