Paul and Patricia Brewer

Paul and Patricia Brewer grew up in families of modest means, Paul on a dairy farm in West Branch and Patricia in Davison. They both worked hard in school and became the valedictorians of their graduating classes. That achievement earned them four-year tuition scholarships to Michigan Technological University, where they met. They each received degrees in Mechanical Engineering and left school debt-free.

The Brewers moved to the Boyne City area in 1997. They love the small town feeling and sense of community in the area, the friendly people, and the natural beauty of the region.  Since then, the Brewers have given to their community by volunteering their time and talents to help local organizations.  Patricia was very involved in a nonprofit that helped local children, they were a foster family for three years, they dedicated four years to the FIRST Robotics program at BCHS, and Patricia did a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service To America) at Char-Em United Way. They have also volunteered for other school and community projects and have more recently focused their involvement on the historical education efforts of the Northern Michigan Antique-Flywheelers Club, where Patricia heads the museum and serves as the board secretary.

“It is important to make a positive impact on our community,” says Patricia. “We give more of our time than our money now because it connects us to the community and we get a greater feeling of making progress toward a better future.”

The Brewers feel that the financial help they received through scholarships made a significant impact in their lives.  They want to pass that opportunity on to others. “We can all make a difference to help provide opportunities to others,” Paul explains. The Brewers believe the Charlevoix County Community Foundation is well positioned to administer the scholarship they will establish through their estate plan and achieve their goal of helping others get an education without significant debt. With their gift, the Brewers hope to pay forward the home town impact that others provided to them.