Northeast Florida is home to some very high profile philanthropists, but there are many donors whose giving occurs below the publicity radar. Like Carolyn Hall, who retired as the head librarian at the UF Borland Health Library in 1995. Her brother passed away soon after, and she started thinking about what would happen to her assets after she was gone.
“I knew I wanted to do something to honor my parents—they sacrificed so much for me and for my brother,” said Carolyn as she reflected on creating her donor advised fund at The Community Foundation in 2000.
Carolyn grew up in Attalla, Alabama where her father was the superintendent of the local water board and her mother was a homemaker. It wasn’t until much later that Carolyn realized just how much they sacrificed so that she and her brother could have what they needed to succeed.
“I was aware of The Community Foundation because the Borland Library had an endowment there, and my financial advisor was impressed with the leadership of the Foundation,” she remembers. “So we created the Iva and Gene Gray Memorial Endowment in memory of my parents.”
Carolyn is interested in the environment, with an emphasis on preservation and restoration of habitat, recreation and enjoyment. She’s also sensitive to the needs of animals, and anticipates using her donor advised fund to support like-minded organizations.
An endowed fund ensures that the philanthropy attached to Carolyn’s parents’ names will continue to grow; she’s arranged for her estate to be added to the endowment after her death.
For now, she enjoys retirement and gives back by volunteering at Meals on Wheels, content in knowing that she’s made sure her parents’ memory will be memorialized forever.