For Bob and Susan Smith, Cabarrus County is more than a place to live. It is home to the people, organizations, and causes they have supported for decades, and the community where they chose to build a lasting legacy of giving.

The Smiths have called Concord home since 1986, when they moved here for Bob’s work in the airline industry after years of traveling the country through the U.S. Air Force. What they found was a community that felt like a true hometown.

“The people,” Bob says simply, when asked what makes Cabarrus County great.

Susan adds that when they arrived, Concord was still very much its own small town. “It had its own heritage and personality,” she says. The proximity to Charlotte, the mountains, and the coast was a bonus, but it was the character of the community that made them stay.

Married for more than 53 years, the Smiths have woven themselves into the fabric of Cabarrus County through service, leadership, and philanthropy. Susan was the first woman president of the Concord Rotary Club and owned the Black Eyed Susan Gift Shop from 1990 to 2000. She later worked in Student Services at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and currently serves on the Cabarrus Arts Council Board of Directors. Bob has served on the RCCC Foundation Board, and together they have volunteered with or served on boards for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County, United Way, and the Old Courthouse Theatre. They are longtime members of First Presbyterian Church of Concord.

Bob and Susan have been very intentional about investing in their community. Over the years, they have supported many local nonprofits as donors, volunteers, and board members. They are deeply familiar with the missions and impact of these organizations and want to see their work continue for generations to come.

That commitment led them to establish the Bob and Susan Smith Community Investment Fund with the Greater Cabarrus Foundation.

The Smiths already had a fund through the Foundation For The Carolinas, but after learning about the Greater Cabarrus Foundation, they saw an opportunity to support the community foundation serving the county they call home. They wanted their giving to be focused specifically on Cabarrus County and the organizations rooted here.

After meeting with GCF Director of Development Robbie Furr, whom Susan already knew through their shared service on the Cabarrus Arts Council Board, they quickly began the process of opening a new fund. The accessibility of the Foundation’s staff, the convenience of the local office, and the Foundation’s hands-on approach made the decision easy.

“We liked what the Foundation is doing, especially its work with nonprofit boards,” the Smiths shared. Their own experience serving on boards made GCF’s focus on board training and capacity building especially meaningful.

Rather than making one-time or lump-sum gifts to local agencies through their estate plans, Bob and Susan wanted to create a sustainable, long-term solution for giving. By establishing a designated, endowed fund, they ensured that their support would continue well beyond their lifetimes.

With a designated fund through the Greater Cabarrus Foundation, donors can create a named fund that provides perpetual support to specific organizations or causes they care about. Donors have the flexibility to change the designated agencies during their lifetime, allowing the fund to adapt as organizations and needs change. The principal of the fund is invested, and only the earnings are distributed annually, allowing nonprofits to receive dependable funding year after year while the foundation handles all administration and grantmaking.

Through their fund, Bob and Susan are able to choose exactly which organizations receive grants generated by the fund’s earnings.

“These are organizations we have served and supported for many years,” the Smiths explain. “This fund is really a continuation of what we’ve been doing for a long time and a way to make sure it continues.”

Their generosity extends beyond Cabarrus County as well. Over the years, Bob and Susan formed a close bond with an international exchange student from Romania who lived with them during high school. They remained part of his life through college, marriage, and parenthood, even traveling to Romania to celebrate his wedding. “When his child was born, his mother said that child had three sets of grandparents,” Susan recalls. “That meant so much to us.”

For Bob and Susan Smith, giving back is deeply personal. It is rooted in relationships, service, and gratitude for a community that has given them so much.

Through the Bob and Susan Smith Community Investment Fund, their impact will continue, supporting trusted local organizations and strengthening Cabarrus County for generations to come.