Joe Barton has been closely involved in the LGBTQ Community Fund since its inception. He served as the chair of the Fund for three years. Last year, he played a leading role as a volunteer organizer of the LGBTQ Community Fund’s 10th anniversary celebration. For Pride Month, we asked him a few questions about his work with the Fund as well as his life and career. We hope you enjoy the following Q&A.
How did your LGBTQ identity shape your experiences growing up and starting your dental practice in Jacksonville?
When I started my practice back in 1986, I was very closeted about my identity at first. I did not feel comfortable being outward with my LGBTQ identity in the community. It took about 8-10 years before I felt the growth of the practice and the reputation that I had established within the community allowed me to really feel comfortable. From that point forward, I enjoyed being a role model of a small business owner and really felt like my family, friends, and guests in the practice embraced me for who I was and for my talents.
How did you first get involved in the LGBTQ Community Fund? What has inspired you to stick with it?
When I was first approached to be on the initial committee to help establish a model for the LGBTQ Community Fund, I was very excited because I had already been exposed to the need in our community for grant giving in the LGBTQ community. The impact of the grants on people’s lives in Northeast Florida is what has motivated me to continue the work to build the fund.
The Fund started as a collective giving initiative, where annual memberships supported grantmaking. Now, the annual grantmaking is sourced from the endowment. Why do you think it’s important to continue growing the endowment?
The main goal is to continue the LGBTQ Community Fund in perpetuity. The only way to do that is to build the endowment so we can continue to provide grants every year. Currently, the need exceeds the amount of money we can provide grants for, so building the endowment will help address this need.
The most common way estates are planned is it is left up to remaining family members to distribute monies. There is a great opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the LGBTQ community by allocating a portion of any remaining estate to the fund. This has had an overwhelming positive response so far in our community.
Looking back on ten years of the Fund, what makes you the proudest?
As I reflect on the impact of the fund over the years, what has made me the proudest is hearing the stories from all the individuals of all ages about what the grants have done for them personally. We have really helped numerous individuals gain a sense of pride and inclusivity in our community by the grants we have giving over the past 10 years.