For decades, the philanthropic efforts of Eugene and Mary Frey have fueled transformational change in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul community. Their generosity to a breadth of organizations has inspired hope and empowered countless individuals. In 1985, the Freys formalized the family’s tradition of giving, setting up the Frey Foundation of Minnesota. When CCF was founded seven years later, Mary and Gene took a leap of faith and moved a portion of the Frey Foundation to CCF’s stewardship in the form of a donor advised fund.
“There is an adage ‘to whom much is given, much is required,’” Gene Frey says. “This principle suggests that blessings such as wealth, knowledge, or talents come with a significant obligation to serve your community and use those gifts wisely. I feel that is good sense, and for that reason — among others — we felt the work of the Catholic Community Foundation fit our philanthropic desire very well.”
Mary, who passed away in 2021 after celebrating 66 years of marriage with Gene, extended her philanthropy to CCF beyond financial gifts. She served as the founding vice chair of CCF’s Board of Directors for many years.
Giving With Purpose
The Freys’ vision for philanthropy began long before they created the foundation. In the mid-1960s, Mary volunteered at Catholic Charities, particularly at Branch 2, a drop-in center and food shelf on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. “My mother would bring home stories of the people she met there, and after a time, she insisted that my siblings and I join her at the Branch,” says Mary and Gene’s son Jim Frey. The siblings were reluctant at first but eventually became regular visitors. Only later did they realize their mother had purposely helped her children encounter people society often overlooked. “She did so not by lecturing, but rather by setting up experiences.”
Even when the Freys had more means, they found it meaningful and effective to get directly involved in the charities they supported — and to stay involved. While Gene and Mary both engaged with numerous Catholic nonprofits, Mary especially gave much of her time.
When reflecting on CCF’s role in the Minnesota community, Jim remembers his mother saying that she hoped CCF would become a vehicle for people of even moderate means to get the best thinking, best investment advice, and best encouragement to make a significant difference in the Catholic community. “She was convinced that a collaborative, long-term philanthropic effort would yield far better and longer-lasting results than any individual effort could ever produce,” Jim says. “Fortunately, she lived long enough to see that CCF did in fact grow into the very vehicle she hoped it would become.”
Jim recalls that at his mother’s funeral, Archbishop Hebda said Mary should be canonized — both for her excellent work in so many spheres of Catholic outreach and for her ability to stay awake at the many hundreds of meetings she attended over the years.
“The latter years of their giving reflected almost exactly the image of their earlier giving that focused on putting a human face on the poor,” Jim says. “It is only appropriate that what used to be Catholic Charities’ Branch 2 years ago is now the Mary F. Frey Opportunity Center, and it performs the same function as it once did.”