Studer Community Institute

‘A special heart to help children’

February 23, 2015
/ Joe Vinson
/ community-dashboard

Last year, Sandy Sansing and the Sansing Foundation donated $100,000 to Manna Food Pantries. They also gave $100,000 to the Arc Gateway. And another $100,000 to Gulf Coast Kid’s House. These were large, high-profile donations, but the Sansing family has been giving generously to charitable causes for decades, much of it to Christian organizations overseas. A few years back, they made a conscious decision to start doing more local giving. “We still do things nationally and internationally — like building orphanages in Africa, distributing bibles in China, a lot of those things,” Sansing says. “But we’ve tried to focus more locally.” While most of Sansing’s philanthropy over the years has been “very quiet,” he says that’s changing, too. “In the last year or two, several of the organizations have asked to publicize it, in an effort to let other people know that there’s local people giving money to their organizations — and spur interest that other people may give, too,” Sansing says.

Blessed in business

Best known for his car dealerships, Sandy Sansing started his career selling computers in the 1970s. “This was back in the dark ages, when computers were almost as big as a house,” Sansing said. In 1975, he and a business partner decided to start their own company. “I had saved $2,500 from bagging groceries at the Jitney Jungle on 12th Avenue, and he had a wife with a little job, so we decided to embark on our own,” he said. “We worked very hard and were very lucky, and we ended up selling the business in less than five years.” Sansing used the profits from that sale to buy a Chevrolet dealership from Bob Salter. He was successful despite not being a “car guy.” “I can’t quote you the transmissions or the horsepowers,” he said. “But I think God’s blessed me with some business common sense and putting some good people together, and that’s how I got into the car business.” He believes his success in business came with an obligation. “When you feel blessed, you have an inherent desire to help other people,” he says. “You want to give back to people who may not have been quite as blessed.” He points to a verse in the New Testament, Luke 12:48, that says, “From those to whom much is given, much is required and expected.” “God calls us to be cheerful givers, and I want to be found faithful,” Sansing said.

Finding a passion

Much of the Sansing Foundation’s local philanthropy has been directed to children’s causes. The three large donations to the Arc Gateway, Gulf Coast Kid’s House and Manna reflect that. “I have a special heart to help children, and the people who are involved with ARC are so wonderful,” he says. “We’ve been giving to Gulf Coast Kid’s House for many years, because we believe in it.” “Manna was a new one to us,” he says. “We knew they had a tough time with the flood. There’s a serious need for food in this community, as in all communities, and a lot of the people in need are children.” After Sansing and his son, David, met with Jay Bradshaw, Manna’s board president, to learn about the organization’s needs and the controls and procedures they have in place, they decided, “this is something we need to do.” But Sansing emphasizes that charitable giving need not be limited to major donations. Three decades ago, he was inspired by WEAR anchor Sue Straughn — “a hero to me and to many people in this community” — to get involved with Communities Caring at Christmas, a program that helps indigent children receive Christmas presents. Each year, the effort provides presents to almost 10,000 children and families along the Gulf Coast. More recently, he also became a sponsor of Cram the Van, which provides school supplies to children whose families can’t afford them. “These are two programs where it doesn’t take much,” he says. “Little things go so far. “If everyone were to find a passion — and my passion won’t be somebody else’s passion — and every one of us tried to do something to help somebody, it’s amazing what could be done," Sansing says.

Investments bearing fruit

Another focus of the Sansing Foundation’s giving is education. He has been involved with the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for many years, and through the efforts of his daughter, Stephanie White, they have recently become more involved with Take Stock in Children, which provides mentorships and scholarships to at-risk students. Sansing has also continued sponsoring the spelling bee that Bob Salter started 40 years ago. “One of the greatest joys, other than hugging my grandkids, is seeing the fruit of our investments in others,” he says. Although he has helped fund more than 1,000 scholarships to Pensacola State College and University of West Florida students over the last 15 years, Sansing recalled two individuals in particular. “I met a nice lady who said, ‘I’m divorced, my husband left, I’ve got three little children, and the scholarship that I got from you enabled me to become a nurse. I can now support my family.’ And she broke down crying.” Another young man contacted him after graduating from Florida State with a degree in electrical engineering. He had started his post-secondary education at PSC with a scholarship Sansing had provided. “In his note he said, ‘I’d have never been able to have gone without your help,’” Sansing says. “It brings tears to my eyes to think we had a small part in that.” Sansing says these personal stories are inspiring to him, and he hopes to be able to give for many years to come. “We can’t change the world, but we can help one person at a time," Sansing says. “We’re just thankful we live in a community where there are so many good people doing so much, and we want to do our part.”

Back to Blogs

‘A special heart to help children’

Blessed in business

Finding a passion

Investments bearing fruit

Recent Posts