Driving Help Where It’s Needed Most

How one River Falls neighbor is turning a lifetime in transportation into a legacy of support.

Bob Jeffrey and his wife Diane on one of their many travels.

“I've had a very fortunate life in a lot of ways,” said Bob Jeffrey. “My two goals for the rest of my life are to have fun and help people who are less fortunate than I am.”

For more than 20 years, Bob has called River Falls and the surrounding countryside home—and he’s found it to be a wonderful place to enjoy an active, meaningful retirement. With a tip of the hat to Father Time, and after the passing of his wife, Jane, in 2021, Bob began thinking more intentionally about how he might be able to help some deserving people in the community he loves.

True to his practical nature, Bob started with research. He talked with local agencies providing social services, including Our Neighbors Place in River Falls and the Human Services departments in Pierce and St. Croix counties, to better understand the basic needs of their clients and how those needs are being met. Over and over, one theme rose to the top: transportation.

“My career was spent in transportation and other similar activities in supply chain management,” Bob explained. “Transportation is a direct, daily need for a lot of folks for many reasons, and if I can help fund one area to support people, that seems like a good place to be. Getting your car full of gas or a minor repair or whatever the need may be is important for daily life, so I feel that’s the place I can do some good after I’m gone. These situations can be especially challenging in rural areas where public transportation is not usually available.”

Ultimately, those learnings led Bob to establish a field of interest fund at the St. Croix Valley Foundation as part of his estate plans. The Robert M. Jeffrey Basic Needs Transportation Fund will support basic personal transportation needs in the River Falls area and across Pierce County—things like gas vouchers, taxi vouchers, and minor car repairs that can make the difference between getting to work, a medical appointment, or a critical service…or not getting there at all.

Bob and Diane

Working closely with the St. Croix Valley Foundation, Bob has already outlined how the fund will work and how grants will be made to nonprofits that assist with transportation-related needs. Organizations like Our Neighbors Place will be eligible to receive grants to help expand their important work supporting those in need. The fund’s structure and definition are now set up so it can be funded through Bob’s legacy gift and be ready to help following his death.

“Establishing this fund with St. Croix Valley Foundation seemed like the logical way to provide help like this,” Bob said. “They are an organization that hopefully has legs for the future and has the administrative strength and depth to do it well for a long time.”

Of course, Bob is still focused on the “fun” part of his life goals, too. He enjoys building furniture and cabinetry, playing an occasional hand of bridge, spending time and traveling with his new wife, Diane, and generally trying—his words—“to be relevant.”

Through his planned fund, Bob’s commitment to helping others will remain relevant for generations to come, easing everyday journeys for neighbors across Pierce County and strengthening the St. Croix Valley far into the future.

To learn more about how you can establish a charitable fund at the St. Croix Valley Foundation, contact President and CEO Heather Logelin at hlogelin@scvfoundation.org.