A Legacy of Caring for Others
Winter 2011
“The choices we make in our lives are so significant, even if we don’t know it at the time.” Lee looked over her breakfast at an outreach function with Partners in Housing. “Who would have thought? I don’t come from a rich family or a big inheritance, but I have a personal service commitment, like so many people…and now I can make a gift I never would have believed possible.”
Lee’s gift probably won’t be opened for another 30 years, and Lee has big plans for those years – dreams that have not yet come into being. A full life will become more full, with people served and adventures shared, with volunteering and art and travel. But in the end, we all pass the stuff of our life – all the carefully accumulated treasures that accompany our daily routines – to someone. Lee is determined that it will not be Uncle Sam. Instead, she’s putting things in motion for the inevitable day when it will be her legacy, rather than her physical hands, that are serving and caring for others.
“There is disempowerment everywhere, but an individual really can contribute – with their money, their time, a letter to the editor, relationships – and things can change. The reason I want to be a part of Partners in Housing’s work had to do with the level of commitment your organization has to the families you work with – dignity. You treat them with the kind of tender dignity that is so essential…it’s an honorable relationship you have with your families, and that is something I really value.”
To learn more about the gift of legacy giving, visit Here.
