This is why we give: The Mooty family
David Mooty’s family history inspires his commitment to helping Minnesotans outside the metro area have equal access to opportunities.David’s father John was born in Adrian, attended the U of M, and became a prominent lawyer and business leader in the Twin Cities. David’s mother Ginny, who was valedictorian of her South Minneapolis high school, also attended the U of M and helped instill the value of education in their family. That value has grown more important to David and his wife Lauren, especially as they learned more about the needs of rural families.
“It was easy to identify education as a focus for our philanthropy,” David says. “It’s important for youth all over the state to get the fundamentals, and the rural community has a pressing need for assistance.”
They chose to reflect their commitment by directing gifts from Mooty family foundations to create three distinct funds in CEHD: the Ginny and John Mooty Family Scholarship to support undergraduates, the Mooty Grow Your Own Teacher Fund to support teacher education students, and the Mooty Literacy Training Fund to support CAREIALL. Each one has a preference to benefit individuals from, or working in, southwest Minnesota, especially Adrian and Worthington.
In addition to their wonderful generosity to CEHD, David and Lauren have also invested through Mooty family foundations in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences by establishing a fund named after Sam Haroldson, a retired speech pathologist, who helped David during a difficult time in his life. This fund will support future practitioners in speech pathology and will support youth who cannot afford or access individual therapy services. This includes youth in rural Minnesota, who will have an opportunity to meet remotely with speech pathologists from the U.
The Mootys urge current students to look into different interests. “The college experience allows you to leave your comfort zone and try new things, which will help you discover your passion,” Lauren says. “If you can find your passion, you’ll be happy and successful.”
Thanks to these gifts, more rural Minnesotans will benefit from expertise at the U and have the chance to explore their passions as they advance their education.
—ANN DINGMAN