EVENTS & OFFERINGS

WORKBOOK

Our legacy planning workbook includes a series of exercises and writing prompts to help you document your charitable inspirations in your own words. The workbook is available in both digital and print formats.

WORKSHOPS

The Community Foundation offers workshops for individuals and community groups interested in engaging with civic-minded peers in a supportive atmosphere. These interactive workshops explore values-based exercises and communal conversation to help participants reflect on their giving stories and giving visions.

MEETINGS

We can meet with you individually, or with your family, to facilitate a conversation about what matters to you most and how we can help preserve your charitable legacy.

STEVEN GILLETTE & BRUCE LANE

GWEN WEBBER-MCLEOD

CREATING A LEGACY OF EQUITY

PAMELA KIP REISMAN MONACO

The spirit of generosity that is common among our donors and nonprofit partners encompasses more than just tangible resources and monetary gifts. When we engage in philanthropy, we are telling the world what is important to us through the causes we support. Sharing your story and giving voice to the life lessons and experiences that have shaped your own generosity is another form of giving back.

In addition to preserving your charitable legacy for future generations, telling the story of what motivates your philanthropy can inspire others to take action and effect positive change. Sometimes, shedding light on your memories can help illuminate a path toward hope and comfort for others who have shared a similar experience. Alternatively, you might find that an early act of kindness from your childhood or a long-standing family tradition influences your current giving.

No matter where you are in your life, telling your story and sharing what matters most to you is a valuable exercise. Getting started is often the hardest part. Because your story is important to us, we have devised a series of tools and resources designed to help you find your voice, and all are available in-person or virtually.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OPTIONS FOR PRESERVING YOUR CHARITABLE LEGACY, CONTACT:

JAN LANE AT LEGACY@CNYCF.ORG OR VISIT 5FORCNY.ORG

Both Bruce Lane and Steven Gillette died young, cutting short their retirement years — Steven in 2010 at age 57 after a sudden and short fight with pancreatic cancer and Bruce in 2018 from unexpected complications of influenza at age 66. But those who knew them, including Steven’s niece, Sara O’Toole, say that the time they had together on earth was filled with love, support and laughter.

“When they met through mutual friends in 1983, they both knew right away that this was it for them,” said O’Toole. “They both committed to supporting one another through life’s challenges and made each other better and healthier. All the while, they shared a love of travel, adventure and spending quality time with their family and many friends.”

According to O’Toole, both men grew up in a time when it was a struggle to be open about being gay, and marriage was not an option. They held a strong desire in their later years to support organizations that empower people facing similar challenges. “Losing my uncles at such young ages has helped me to appreciate that you have to take advantage of the opportunities that you have because you don’t know how much time you have left,” said O’Toole. “It is comforting to know that their memory will live on in the organizations that they held most dear.”

While the couple retired to Florida only a few years before Steven passed away, the two spent the majority of their lives in Central New York. Steven graduated from Jefferson Community College and SUNY Binghamton before working for 23 years at Carrier Corporation, as director of information and business systems. He retired in 2003 while working as information technology director for Syroco in Baldwinsville. Bruce, who grew up in Liverpool, worked for Paper Conversions in Syracuse his entire career — from college graduation to retirement in 2002.

Bruce was described by O’Toole as “full of life and light.” Both had a zest for new experiences and seeing the world while appreciating retirement. They were also active in many charitable causes during their lifetimes, especially those that fostered dignity, respect, understanding and a continuum of care for people and pets. Steven was especially passionate about advocacy and LGBTQ causes, serving as chairman of the board of AIDS Community Resources, now ACR Health, in Syracuse. He was also a frequent contributor to newspapers with letters of opposition to leaders and policies that restricted civil and equal rights.

Before their passing, Bruce and Steven made arrangements to establish an endowment fund through a combined trust and estate gift. Endowment funds are designed to benefit the community in perpetuity.