“A man at least has made a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” ~ David Elton Trueblood
Last night, our community’s LIFE & LEGACY teams joined together for a training session. About five minutes before the training began, I was asked by Tammy Dollin, our LIFE & LEGACY consultant, if I would like to give a short welcome before she began her presentation.
I pondered for a moment what I would say. Then Gary Youra, who is a member of the Federation’s legacy team, suggested I talk about what inspires me. What Inspires Me = WHIM. As I focused on this question, I immediately knew just what to say.
I am in awe of our incredibly generous community, and the volunteers who work so hard to secure legacy gifts on behalf of Dayton Jewish organizations. I am happy to report that as of today, our community has secured 165 Letters of Intent, surpassing our yearly goal of 144. Five of the eight participating organizations have already hit their yearly goal of 18 Letters of Intent. The remaining three organizations are incredibly close to reaching that number.
I am inspired by those who have committed to supporting these organizations in perpetuity. To know we have such self-less, caring community members who value and cherish the future of Jewish Dayton warms my heart. I feel incredibly lucky to live in such a kind and giving Jewish community.
I’ve often thought about my own legacy and what it means to me. I know that this community – and the work it does – is so very important, and I want to be a part of it indefinitely. With that in mind, I have personally pledged a legacy gift to each participating organization.
I am so proud of the work we ~ as a Jewish community ~ do now and for future generations.
A program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, LIFE & LEGACY is a four-year partnership program that assists communities across North America, through partnerships with Jewish Federations and Foundations, to promote after-lifetime giving to benefit Jewish day schools, synagogues, social service organizations and other Jewish entities.
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