For Kris Molnar, giving back has never been about being recognized. It’s about recognizing what she has been given. 

As Kris and her husband became more financially successful, they found themselves with more opportunities to give. But the desire to give was there long before they had the means. 

“My heart has always been there,” Kris said. “As my husband and I have been able to be more successful financially, we had more money that we could set aside for giving. And it’s something that we inherently both always have wanted to do.” 

That philosophy has shaped the way Kris gives, including her longtime support of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley. After serving on the Foundation’s board and seeing its work firsthand, she came to trust that her dollars could be used where they were needed most. 

But for Kris, philanthropy isn’t about a name on a fund or recognition for a gift. In fact, many of her gifts have been anonymous. 

“I have a personal mantra not to make myself memorable,” she said. “It’s not about money. I don’t want somebody to say, ‘Did you see what Kris did?’ I don’t need that. I just need to be known for being the person that I expect myself to be.” 

At the heart of Kris’s philanthropy is a simple belief: when we benefit from a place, we have a responsibility to give something back. 

“If we benefit from something, we need to say thank you by either doing something to help directly or giving our money to help others do that for us.” 

That’s Kris’s why.