Jonathan Hardy’s personal story is proof that every philanthropist paves a unique path in making a commitment to giving back.

Hardy, 73, is a retired social worker from Columbus, Ohio, who has called the Alamo City home for more than 30 years. From an early age, he had always felt a calling to serve his fellow man in some way – which is what ultimately led to his decorated career in social work.

The inspiration for his calling came from a powerful source close to home: his mother, Bertha Hardy.

“My mother, who just had a high school education and never really traveled extensively … embraced ideas that were endemic to social work,” said Hardy. “She had an ability to assess situations well and intuit solutions, especially to those less fortunate … to affect change.”

With a foundation of ideals instilled in him by his mother, as well as strong belief in his faith, Hardy dove headfirst into the vocation that would become his lifelong work. His career allowed him to work in different communities and in different capacities.

From working in administration to private practice in the mental health arena to overseeing treatment programs and serving in school systems, Hardy’s career was rewarding and all-encompassing.

His social work allowed him to work not just in the U.S., but also in Africa, which became a personal passion of his. Through it all, Hardy also had another source of inspiration by his side.

“I was fortunate that, when my late wife Sylvia and I were married in 1978, we both shared similar values,” Hardy explained. “We melded our particular gifts and that made for a wonderful 44-year marriage.”

An almost divine inspiration drew the Hardys from their native Ohio to San Antonio. After years of feeling the “call of the wild” of the Southwest, Hardy took his family on a lengthy vacation and fell in love with the city.

The couple and their two children (the Hardys would ultimately become grandparents seven times over) then made it official, starting a new life in the Alamo City.

“You don’t obviously enter into [a career social work] for lucrative financial purposes, but you can make a good living,” he explained. “Between profession and my wife who worked in the corporate world, we were able to steward our resources to allow me to do what I am doing now.”

When Sylvia passed away in 2023, Hardy was left looking for a way to honor her memory while also processing his grief. This brought everything full circle back to philanthropy.

Putting his altruism into practice, Hardy opened the Jonathan and Sylvia Hardy Transformation Fund with the San Antonio Area Foundation – a donor-advised fund (DAF) allowing him to honor the love of his life while at the same time making an impact on causes close to his heart.

Many of those causes focus on improving the quality of life for our region’s Black community – an effort expanded at the national level through Black Philanthropy Month, observed annually in August since 2011.

“I was very glad to learn that there was such a thing as Black Philanthropy Month,” Hardy noted. “There are people, like myself, who are blessed with the means to target some of their philanthropy into causes that fit their values … looking to make the best use of their philanthropic endeavors.”

He had been aware of the Area Foundation’s work for many years, but it wasn’t until 2025 that he reached out and learned about how he’d be able to get assistance in continuing the philanthropic work that his wife had begun.

“I won’t be honoring my wife’s memory on my own, but I’ll also have the expertise of the Area Foundation to make sure that I’m being a good steward of the funds that God has blessed me with” Hardy said. “I think my wife would be proud of the work we’re doing with the Area Foundation.”

The Area Foundation, in turn, is blessed to serve such an altruistic community as San Antonio. Gracious donors like Jonathan Hardy help bring to life the organization’s vision to close opportunity gaps for those who need it most.

Donors have many options in terms of financial institutions to work with when it comes to their giving – knowing that their contributions will go back into our community to support local nonprofits provides critical peace of mind.

“We are deeply grateful to serve as a trusted philanthropic partner for generous neighbors like Jonathan. His commitment to supporting small local nonprofits strengthens our impact,” noted Laura Giacomoni, the Area Foundation’s Executive Director for Development and Donor Services.

“It is an honor to work alongside fund advisors like Jonathan to connect them with information on trusted nonprofits, to support his grantmaking strategies and to share collaborative giving opportunities,” Giacomoni added.

Are you or someone you know interested in partnering with the Area Foundation to help you with your plans to give back to the community? Just click here to get started.

Eric Moreno is a member of the San Antonio Area Foundation Marketing & Communications Storytelling Ambassador Network.