Continuing the Obrecht Family Tradition of Philanthropy

Like her son, the late Carolyn Schmidt Obrecht learned philanthropy at home, from her own parents. Her father led the Schmidt Baking Company, which is part of Baltimore history, and he was a dedicated philanthropist. Today, as Don Obrecht, Jr., and his wife Ingrid make decisions about supporting the causes important to them, Don finds himself following his mother’s example. 

Don’s parents created the Carolyn S. and Donald F. Obrecht Foundation in 1989. As business leaders, they shared a belief in giving back to the community that had supported their success. GBMC has been a central part of that community since Don’s boyhood and has been fortunate to receive gifts from the foundation for more than 30 years. Carolyn Obrecht was a donor to GBMC and Gilchrist even before that. 

Don traces his connection to GBMC back further than his experience with his family’s philanthropy. “Our home was right around the corner,” he says. “I grew up riding my bike past GBMC.” Throughout his lifetime, GBMC has been a healthcare resource the community relies on. Over the years, he has watched it grow from a hospital to a system of care. He has been a patient and, since his mother passed away, has become a donor. 

Ingrid and Don share responsibility for the Obrecht Foundation with his two sisters. Each sibling determines how one third of the available funds will be granted. Of the three, only Don lives in Maryland. He says that he initially was guided in his grant-making by his mother’s philanthropic priorities, but gradually, Ingrid and he have brought their own perspectives to the challenge. 

“We look to see the impact a contribution has had on people,” Don explains. Having been a cancer patient at GBMC, he understands the value of bringing a dedicated Oncology Lab close to patient care, so that tests and results could be provided promptly. Through his family’s foundation, Ingrid and Don made a gift in support of the Oncology Lab in the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, and the space has been named in their honor. Thankfully, Don’s chronic lymphocytic leukemia is well managed, and he is otherwise in very good health. 

This is not the only instance in which the couple has seen firsthand the important contributions made by an organization they decide to support. They have directed foundation gifts to area schools and other nonprofits dedicated to education, as well as health and social service organizations in the Baltimore area. It’s important to them that they have a connection to the work that benefits from their giving. 

In July, when his appendix ruptured, Don instructed the ambulance team to deliver him to GBMC. Here, he says he was treated with professionalism and, just as important, with kindness. “Every member of the team stood out,” he says. “Each one was polite and kind.” 

Like many of us, Don prefers to keep a distance from hospitals unless absolutely necessary. “I’m only at GBMC if I have to be,” he says. “But my stay last summer was wonderful. It reinforced for me that if I get sick again, GBMC is the only place I want to go.” 

Thanks to the generosity of people like Ingrid and Don Obrecht, GBMC will be here if he does.