Shaped by the Valley: The Lasting Legacy of Karen and Craig Hansen

What began with a commitment to serve their community grew into a lifetime of intentional giving and a legacy for the St. Croix Valley.

Legacy Society Members Karen and Craig Hansen, with Craig's service dog

When Karen and Craig Hansen became founding members of the St. Croix Valley Foundation’s Legacy Society, formalizing their commitment to support the Valley through their estate plans, the decision felt less like a milestone and more like the next natural step.

After decades of giving their time, talents, and resources, they simply wanted their commitment to the St. Croix Valley to continue beyond their lifetime. A legacy of creating opportunities, strengthening community, and investing in the Valley's future.

Ask Karen and Craig about how they have shaped the Valley, though, and they’ll gently turn the question around.

“The Valley shapes us,” Karen says.

That simple belief explains everything that follows.

“The most meaningful gifts are often the ones that quietly shape someone’s future without ever needing recognition,” Craig adds. “If our giving helps this community thrive even after we’re gone, that’s enough for us.”

From Community Members to Community Builders

When the Hansens moved to Stillwater in 1982, they were looking for an affordable place to build a life and raise a family. Like many young couples, they balanced careers, stretched every dollar, and slowly put down roots in a community that would become part of who they are.

Their first opportunities to serve came through their children. Karen volunteered in schools and community organizations while Craig coached youth sports and stepped in wherever he saw a need. What began as supporting their own family soon expanded into supporting the broader community.

One opportunity led to another. Karen joined the St. Croix Valley Foundation Board of Directors in 2000, and together they invested their time and leadership in organizations ranging from the Stillwater Public Library and Pollinator Friendly Alliance to the Partnership Plan, Wild Rivers Conservancy, and Family Means. They also became champions of scholarships, including serving on the Scholarship Committee of the Sterbenz-Ryan Scholarship, helping students pursue opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

That instinct to help had deeper roots. Years earlier, they had each received a $500 scholarship, which opened a door for them at a moment when it mattered most, proof that a single act can redirect a life. Neither Karen nor Craig forgot it. “We both know what that kind of gift means,” Karen says. “It changed our lives.” That memory would later shape their most personal commitments to the Foundation.

They found that the more they gave, the more the Valley gave back through relationships, perspective, and a deeper understanding of what it takes for a community to thrive.

When Giving Becomes Intentional

Over time, their view of philanthropy evolved. Individual needs still mattered deeply, but they began to see how housing, education, food security, conservation, arts, and opportunity are all connected.

Creating their donor-advised fund marked the moment their generosity became intentionally future focused. Rather than simply responding to immediate needs, they began stewarding a vision for a stronger St. Croix Valley that would outlive them.

That vision found a trusted partner in the St. Croix Valley Foundation. More than a grantmaker, they came to see the Foundation as a connector—listening to donors, understanding community needs, and bringing the two together in ways that create lasting local impact.

By matching generosity with opportunity, the Foundation gave Karen and Craig confidence that their donor advised fund and Legacy Society commitment would continue supporting the causes they care about for generations to come.

Building a Better Tomorrow

For Karen and Craig, service has never been about titles or recognition. It is about finding where your gifts can make the greatest difference.

Whether serving on a board, mentoring students, pulling invasive weeds in a nature preserve, supporting scholarships, or helping strengthen nonprofit organizations, they believe every contribution builds something larger than itself.

“The greatest measure of a life isn’t what we accumulate,” Karen reflects. “It’s whether our time, talents, and resources leave the people around us with more opportunity and more hope.”

Their generosity has become an example for their children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors, demonstrating that meaningful giving isn’t reserved for the wealthy or the extraordinary. It begins with simply choosing to act.

A Legacy That Lives On

If you ask Karen and Craig, their legacy won’t be measured by the funds they established or the hours they volunteered. It will be measured in opportunities created, lives strengthened, and futures made possible through generosity shared with others.

The Valley shaped them. In return, they hope their generosity quietly shapes the lives of people they may never meet.

“A healthy community doesn’t happen by accident,” Craig says. “It’s built when people decide they’re responsible not only for themselves, but for one another. That responsibility is the legacy worth leaving.”