More Than 100 Legacies for the Future. A Post by Mala Thao, Vice President of Philanthropy
I love a good milestone. And this one feels especially worth celebrating.
This year, the St. Croix Valley Foundation’s Legacy Society crossed an important threshold: more than 100 people have now let us know they’ve included the Foundation in their will or estate plan.
That means that more than 100 people have made an intentional choice to carry something they care about forward: a community they love. A cause that shaped their life. Opportunities for future generations. A favorite nonprofit.
And behind every one of those commitments is a personal “why.”
For Jenna Cruz, a former Sterbenz-Ryan scholarship recipient and our youngest Legacy Society member, it’s about making sure future students have access to the kind of opportunity she once received.
“People think estate planning is something you do much later,” Jenna says. “But for me, it felt empowering. It’s not about how much you have, it’s about being clear on what matters to you.”
For Karen and Craig Hansen, early members of the Legacy Society, their commitment grew naturally from decades of giving, volunteering and serving the St. Croix Valley.
“If our giving helps this community thrive even after we’re gone, that’s enough for us,” Craig says.
Different generations. Different stories. Different reasons for giving. But each starts with essentially the same question: What matters enough to me that I want it to continue?
That’s what I love about legacy giving. And while there are many ways to create a lasting charitable legacy—during your lifetime or after—the Legacy Society recognizes one in particular: people who have included the St. Croix Valley Foundation in their will or estate plan.
To every member of our growing Legacy Society: thank you for trusting us with what matters to you, and for believing in the future of this place we all love.
If you’ve already included the St. Croix Valley Foundation in your will or estate plan, please let us know. We’d be honored to welcome you to the Legacy Society.
And if this milestone has you thinking about what you want your own legacy to be, we’d love to talk.
— Mala Thao, Vice President of Philanthropy
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