Jim Schindler
A Legacy of Faith and Community
"To help bring the church together to address the needs of the under-resourced."
In August 2019, reflecting from his summer cottage just before his 83rd birthday, Jim Schindler looked back on a life "full of events and happenings that God brought into my life." He reflected on the chapter that began in 2015 - one that would change the landscape of community development in the Miami Valley.
Jim felt a divine calling to move "outside the walls of the church." He recognized a profound breakdown in the community - specifically, innocent children lacking caring adults in their lives. He saw that while cultural differences existed, there was one common ground everyone agreed upon: the urgent need to support under-resourced children.
Partnering with inner-city Pastor Randy Chestnut and Pastor Dan Powell from the City of Riverside, Jim began exploratory work in Dayton.
This led to the founding of the Miami Valley Leadership Foundation in 2015.
Jim’s vision was to act as a catalyst, bringing together:
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Church Leaders and their congregations to serve schools through youth mentoring.
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Community Leaders to collaborate on critical local issues.
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Citizens with a heart to make their community a better place to live.​​​
​Jim was immensely proud to see MVLF grow into an organization with dedicated staff, eventually led by his son, Jay. Even as he moved into the role of Chairman of the Board, his heart remained in coaching and mentoring, always pointing back to the original dream.
Carry the Torch Forward
If you feel called to support MVLF and its mission in honor of Jim Schindler, please consider sharing your time and heart with the community. Jim believed that the greatest gift one could give was to be a "caring adult" in the life of a child.
You can honor his legacy by:
Inquire about our current school partnerships where mentors are needed most.
Connecting
Introduce us to community leaders or churches who share Jim’s vision for unity.
Advocating
Share the story of MVLF with your own circles to help us remain a catalyst for change in the Miami Valley.
While Jim has gone home to be with the Lord, his "journey of action" continues through every life touched by the Miami Valley Leadership Foundation. He spent his final years as a coach and mentor, always insisting that the growth of MVLF was "totally His work". We remain committed to the vision Jim helped discover—bringing people together to serve the schools and children of our community with the same love and dedication he showed us every day.