Elsie and Don Sickafoose, along with Lois and the late Bob Newell, were the founders of the Carroll County Foundation. Don and Bob's friendship goes back many decades to 1937. As a teenager, Don helped his father, John W. Sickafoose, a well-known barn raiser and house mover, raise the barn framework on the Newell farm west of New Harrisburg. Bob was thirteen at the time. He and Don remained friends down through the years.

Through much hard work Don Sickafoose prospered as a farmer, dairyman, cattleman, airport operator, airplane dealer, flying instructor, oilman, and owner of the Magnolia Drag Strip. Don would rather be known as a good neighbor and friend rather than as the entrepreneur and philanthropist he is. As life was good to Don and his family, he wanted to help others. He and Madeline, his wife of 53 years, started a scholarship fund in the Stark Community Foundation to benefit deserving students. Don said, "We enjoyed giving to others."

In the early 1990s Don and his second wife Elsie wanted to do something to benefit Carroll County. Don contacted his longtime friend Bob Newell because, as he said, "Bob knew lots of people and was influential in the community." Bob Newell was a very well known and respected auctioneer, farmer and cattleman, and member of many civic and service organizations. Lois Newell said "Bob wanted to get a foundation started in Carroll County to help those worth causes and people who really needed help." She and Bob, Elsie and Don went to Canton to meet with James Bower, President of the Stark Community Foundation. Don turned the whole organization part over to Bob.

Bob brought together a diverse group of Carroll County leaders for a general meeting with Mr. Bower in 1993. Lois remembered many conversations that Bob had with Attorney John Childers on establishing the constitution and by-laws of the foundation as a public charity under the umbrella of the Stark Community Foundation. Three at-large members were selected from the communities' leaders while six county organizations each nominated a representative to complete the Carroll County Foundation board of nine Governors. The Sickafooses and Newells were the first folks to establish funds in the newly-formed Carroll County Foundation in 1994. After reviewing the current list of twenty-seven funds, Don said he was "very surprised and pleased with how the Foundation has grown from nothing in a little over a decade." Lois hopes, "it continues to grow and to serve the people of Carroll County."