It’s a story we’ve shared before.

The seemingly typical neighbor next door who works hard, lives simply and then surprises everyone with a large gift to charity upon their death.

The millionaires next door in this particular example were George and Gussie Balck of Combined Locks and Arthur and Mary Leske of Neenah. Gussie and Mary were sisters. All four worked in the paper industry. First George passed away, then Arthur, then Mary. All of their assets had transferred to Gussie and her charitable remainder trust, a type of planned gift that provides how someone’s money will be used in life and in death.

When Gussie died in 2012 at age 87, with no surviving siblings, nor children, nieces and nephews, her estate of $1.9 million went to a charitable fund within the Community Foundation named for the four of them to benefit the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Visiting Nurses Association and animal rescue. With the money invested as an endowment, that support will continue for many years.

You don’t have to be the millionaire next door to leave a legacy through the Community Foundation. You just have to care about this community. Talk to us about how a gift of $1,000 or more can set up the structure for your charitable fund.

Read more of their story in our Giving Matters newsletter.

Contact Communications Specialist David Horst at [email protected].