14 Feb Planning for the Future
Photo originally appeared in The Sentinel on December 20, 2001.
A proverb that spans many cultures states, “The flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.” It’s true that the decisions and efforts made by our community today will impact the future of Fulton County.
That’s what the Community Foundation is all about. We’re laying a solid foundation now on which a bright future can be built. Our donors also have the community’s future in mind. Several donors have even taken one of the most important steps in supporting the community tomorrow by becoming a Seeds for Tomorrow member.
Our Seeds for Tomorrow members are individuals who have chosen to support Fulton County in the future by including the Community Foundation in their will or estate plan. These planned gifts help ensure that the Community Foundation will continue to significantly impact Fulton County forever. Our Seeds for Tomorrow members are also creating their own legacies, ones that are everlasting and sure to make an immeasurable impact on their communities.
Mabel Blacketor was a Seeds for Tomorrow member who is remembered as a positive, kind, and generous lady. Therefore, few were surprised when learning that Mabel had left the majority of her estate to the Community Foundation upon her passing. Her gift included support for Woodlawn Hospital, the First Baptist Church, local charitable public health organizations, Rochester High School graduating seniors, and the operations of the Community Foundation, among other charitable causes.
Mabel’s gift was the largest gift ever given to the Northern Indiana Community Foundation at that time. It supported funds she had already created, and it also established four new funds, including one named after her late son, Brent Blacketor. Mabel had dedicated her life to giving back to the community, largely in honor of her son and late husband, Kline Blacketor, Jr.
The Hoffman Fund is one that was also supported by a planned gift. Frederick and Patricia Hoffman created the fund in memory of Frederick’s father, Dr. George Hoffman, who was a mid-twentieth century physician in Rochester who had a very interesting collection of memorabilia, which he donated to the Fulton County Museum. The fund supports the Fulton County Museum and its efforts to preserve the history of Fulton County. In her will, Patricia contributed to The Hoffman Fund in order to further support the legacy of her late father-in-law.
Former Community Foundation board members, Grace Miller and Ginger Miller, also became Seeds for Tomorrow members through planned gifts to the Community Foundation. Grace left her home to the Community Foundation without any restrictions, and Ginger left a gift that would support students in their pursuit of a college education.
Many different types of gifts and causes can be included in an estate plan. Planned giving is one of the most effective ways to plant the seeds today that will grow into the flowers of tomorrow.