Bill and Judy Lewis use their Legacy Gift to give back to the community that shaped them.
“People helped us when we came along, so it’s our turn to pay it forward and help younger people.”
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, founded in 1959, pools financial contributions from individuals, families, and businesses to support nonprofits and improve the quality of life in Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker counties.
Donors to the Community Foundation can choose from numerous ways to contribute, including a Legacy Gift, which allows you to support your favorite causes beyond your lifetime.
Among the donors making a Legacy Gift are Bill and Judy Lewis, a retired couple living in Vestavia Hills, who believe strongly in giving back to the community that nurtured them.
“People helped us when we came along, so it’s our turn to pay it forward and help younger people,” Judy says.
“It’s a chance for us to leave a legacy,” Bill says.
The beauty of setting up a Legacy Gift is that you can express your personality and donate to any cause you’re passionate about. For Bill and Judy, that means helping people enjoy adventures that broaden their horizons.
The couple has loved international travel for about 50 years.
“It’s our happy place,” Judy says.
“We also love the outdoors and love nature,” Bill says, citing such activities as golf, hiking, biking, and hot-air ballooning.
“We’re trying to make it possible for people – particularly young people – to enjoy these things,” he says.
To accomplish that, the couple’s Legacy Gift will fund the creation of the Bill and Judy Lewis Scholarship Fund. Their fund will actually include two types of scholarships: one for international study and travel, and one for outdoor experiences.
“Judy and I want to inspire and challenge people to explore and do things they perhaps never thought about,” Bill says. “Outdoor experiences, for example, can build their self-confidence.”
Setting up a Legacy Gift gave the couple a way to realize their vision.
“We knew we wanted to do something, and we knew what our passions are, but we didn’t know how to accomplish it,” Judy says. “The Foundation staff sat down with us and helped us draw up a document that says what we want to do, and they’ll make it happen.”
Creating a Legacy Gift is very simple and is all contained in a single document. The couple said that the foundation staff made it easy to set up the fund.
“Their process is so meticulous and thorough,” Bill says.
A Legacy Fund Agreement can be customized with the foundation’s expert guidance to help you craft a giving plan that supports specific organizations or responds to changing needs over time. Setting up a fund allows you to bypass the expenses and complexity of establishing a family foundation. Endowed gifts also have lasting power as part of the Community Foundation’s permanent endowment.
Bill and Judy also currently have a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation that allows them to make donations at any time to any nonprofit they wish, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Birmingham, Red Mountain Theatre, and Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
To learn more about the many benefits of setting up a Legacy Gift through the foundation, go to cfbham.org/legacy.
For more about the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, call 205-327-3800 or go to cfbham.org.
