This is part of our Cardinal Way project on promoting civil discussions. See also “If you want change, you need new ideas” by Lynchburg City Council member Jacqueline Timmer, and fill out this short survey to tell us what you think.
At the April 22 Lynchburg City Council meeting, Ward I Councilmember Jacqueline Timmer suggested that volunteerism and private donations could replace public funding for community amenities such as the public pool and public library. Her comments came during a debate over a proposed tax cut that would reduce the city budget to the point where core services like road maintenance and emergency response may remain, but all else is in question.
Mayor Larry Taylor responded directly. “Thank you, Ms. Timmer. Roll up your sleeves. I got a job for you. I want you to go over to James Crossing, clean the pool out, open it up.”
His message was clear. You cannot privatize the public good.
As someone who has spent the past two decades raising money in the nonprofit sector, I can speak from experience about the limits of private philanthropy. Donor dollars are often guided by individuals and their interests. While many individuals and foundations are extremely generous, their giving usually reflects personal passions and relationships. Luckily, often these gifts support underserved populations or underfunded infrastructure. But private support can be unstable, and its priorities change over time due to economic factors, newly identified community needs and the passage of time.
Fundraising is a constant balancing act. Nonprofits must secure funds for and engage volunteers for projects that excite donors while also advocating for services that support people the donor may never know. This balance takes time, strategy and professional management. It is unrealistic to believe that the City of Lynchburg, with the proposed tax cuts, will develop or hire the expertise needed to manage this level of donor and volunteer stewardship for public infrastructure.
That is why public funding is essential. Public goods must serve everyone and do so consistently. They cannot be reserved only for those who happen to attract philanthropic interest. I know this not just from my professional life, but from personal experience.
In the late 1990s, I worked as a lifeguard at Miller Park Pool. I witnessed how important that pool was to hundreds of children and families during the summer months. These were families who could not afford private club memberships. For many, the pool was more than a place to cool off. It was a gathering space, a safe place and a source of joy. Suggesting that this kind of amenity could or should be sustained through private gifts reveals a misunderstanding of its role in our community.
It also overlooks a painful truth. Lynchburg, like many American cities, has a history of closing public pools in response to court-ordered integration. Rather than allow Black residents equal access, many municipalities shut down their pools. Some were filled with concrete. Others were left to decay. The message was unmistakable. No pool at all was preferable to a shared one.
Today, public pools and libraries are more than services. They are symbols of belonging. They represent who is welcome, who is valued and who is considered worth investing in.
Councilmember Timmer recalled visiting a “nice library” as a child. What she failed to acknowledge is that the library she visited existed because it was publicly funded. It was not created by generosity. It was built through civic will. The same is true of the pool she now proposes to maintain through donations and volunteer hours.
But what happens when private generosity disappears? What happens when donors choose a new cause instead of inevitable repairs for a pool in a working-class neighborhood? Quality of life for all cannot be completely outsourced to charity and volunteer labor. Philanthropy can support the public good, but it cannot replace it.
The real question facing Lynchburg is not whether donors or volunteers care. They absolutely do. The question is whether every resident in every neighborhood matters. And we must answer that question not with sentiment from the dais, but with policy.
Geoffrey Kershner is chief executive officer for the Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg.
