Their reputation proceeds them. For decades, the Pennington, Manship, Saurage and Engquist families have worked to change Baton Rouge for the better. From locally based companies to foundations dedicated to providing resources to local people and nonprofits, each family demonstrates a love and commitment to the community that has been passed down from generation to generation. “It takes people who want to contribute to create real, lasting change,” Marty Engquist notes. “Time is every bit as important as money.”

Leading by example, the hope of every family featured here is always to inspire more people to action.

Pennington

‘Philanthropy has always been important to our family,” Paula Pennington de la Bretonne says. “My grandfather once asked my brothers Claude and Daryl and myself how we would help others. He emphasized the importance of our family’s personal commitment to the greater good of our community.”

With a wide focus on everything from social and emotional learning to health and chronic diseases to accessibility and inclusion for all, the Pennington family has worked for generations to enrich the community in countless ways and through work with many organizations. From those that bear their name, like the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, to those they helped see to fruition like the Knock Knock Children’s Museum and the Emerge Center, their work lives on through these initiatives, which serve to make Baton Rouge a happier and healthier place to live.

“As a community, we have a responsibility to our neighbors,” Paula notes. “It is a blessing to see the quality of life in our community grow and prosper.”

Saurage

Volunteering is a passion project for the Saurage family.

“We encourage our kids to share with us what they are interested in so they can volunteer and get involved in ways that speak to their individual passions,” Donna Saurage says. “The goal is to teach the next generation a love for giving to the community.”

There’s Maddox and her mother Laurie in the National Charity League. Then there’s Liz in the Echo Alliance, Matt with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and John Porter and Sarah who volunteer with St. Lillian. The youngest generation is the latest to get involved in ways that speak to their individual interests. And as they shout out their volunteer history and ways they’re hoping to get involved in the future, matriarch Donna smiles on from the corner of the room. “Whenever you have a passion for the mission of a nonprofit organization, whether it serves animals, art, education, anything: that is what you should pursue,” Donna notes.

Notably, Donna’s brother-in-law Cary Saurage has dedicated his time to enriching the local arts community, most recently through the establishment of the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center downtown. The facility serves as the headquarters for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, and allows for local creatives to have a space to not just show their work, but also to engage with their mediums and collaborate with one another.

“There is so much value in giving back to the community,” Hank Saurage notes. “What you give others in your time, you get back in a prospering community. At the end of the day, we are just out there doing what we think is the right thing to do, and that is to help our neighbors. We all need to come together and work together for our community.”

Engquist

“We’ve been here our whole lives, and we’ve been so fortunate,” John Engquist says. “The Baton Rouge community has been so good to us, and we hope to do the same.”

From Our Lady of the Lake to Companion Animal Alliance to the Dream Day Foundation, which John and Marty helped to establish back in 1996 with the goal of giving children and families in the care of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opportunities to create lasting memories through the annual Fishin’ Galore event, the family is always looking for ways to impact the lives of those around them.

For Marty, that objective has motivated her to take a spot on the Visit Baton Rouge board, where her and John are working to encourage a positive narrative for Baton Rouge, aiming to uplift not only the tourism industry but also the attitudes of those that live within city lines.

“Of course, we have a lot of room to improve,” Marty says. “But it’s about what we can do to make Baton Rouge better, with an acknowledgment that it’s already good. I wish residents could see the city through a tourist’s eyes. Visitors really love Baton Rouge, and we should too.”

Another way they are working to uplift the city is through the support of LSU.

“We are enthused with the leadership and trajectory of the university,” John says. “LSU has become a force on the national stage, and that benefits all of us. LSU is central to Baton Rouge, and its success is our success.”

Manship

Manship Theatre. Manship School. The Paula G. Manship YMCA.

Take a look around Baton Rouge and you’re likely to see the impact of the Manship family. For decades, they have been committed to educating the community, emphasizing the importance of honest, balanced and innovative media, notably through news station WBRZ, of which David Manship’s son Jake currently serves as president and CEO, as well as through the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU.

“By helping LSU, everyone in the state benefits,” Richard Manship says. “We want to grow the people who come through our doors so they can go out and be beneficial to the community.”

Beyond LSU, the family has worked with organizations from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which Doug Manship Sr. helped to found, to Capital Area United Way to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and many more.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I want the city to be the best it can be,” David Manship notes.

“Every little thing you do helps,” Jake adds. “Sometimes, you don’t even know until years later what your contribution has done for someone.”

For five generations, the family has largely stayed in the Baton Rouge area, and they are working to keep perpetuating the same love and commitment to the city that inspired their ancestors to action.

“Giving back is a family thing and always will be,” Jake says. “In my generation, all cousins except one live here, and we are all planning to continue the line of philanthropy that has been instilled in us for generations.”