A FAMILY'S LEGACY THE FM AREA FOUNDATION carries out philanthropic wishes

Story and family photo submitted by The FM Area Foundation

Photography by Jill Ockhardt Blaufuss

In 1912, a young German couple, Carl and Charlotte Raer, came to the United States with their two young daughters, Charlotte and Gertrude. A few years later their daughter Elsie was born.

The three sisters lived together their entire lives, mostly in Fargo and the Detroit Lakes area. Charlotte and Gertrude maintained and cared for the household while Elsie pursued an education, first with her undergraduate degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead and then with her master's degree at the University of Southern California. Elsie returned to Fargo where she taught physical education at NDSU.

Elsie and her sisters cared deeply for each other and for several distinct and unique charitable causes — their church, Pontoppidan Lutheran Church in Fargo; their German heritage; the care of animals (virtually all photos of the sisters include a family dog); and the preservation of regional history. As they grew older, they researched, studied and developed a passion for elder care education and the concept of “care for the caregiver.”

Elsie, a good friend of the FM Area Foundation, was the last surviving member of her family. Elsie fulfilled her wishes and those of her sisters by creating a charitable endowment fund in the family name. She had a very clear vision of what she wanted to do with her estate and an equally powerful sense of compassion.

In 2006, Elsie died at the age of 89, and a gift in her will established the Raer Family Fund at the FM Area Foundation. The gift, valued at more than $1.8 million, provides annual support to local nonprofit organizations and scholarships for students pursuing nursing.

The Raer Family Fund, so generously established by Elsie, puts the spotlight on how the FM Area Foundation can support families’ charitable dreams and visions.

“Donors, like the Raer family, can set up charitable funds either in their lifetime or through a planned gift to honor a loved one, leave a legacy, or teach their children and grandchildren the importance of giving back,” says Tim Beaton,

Executive Director of the FM Area Foundation. “Each fund we manage has a unique story behind it. For the Raer family, they chose to give to specific causes important to their family, and we are honored to carry out their legacy.”

The FM Area Foundation manages more than 300 component funds and gives out about $2 million to the community each year in the form of grants and scholarships.

“Gifts don’t have to be at the $1 million level to make a difference. The FM Area Foundation, created in 1960 by a group of visionaries, is based on the idea that people of all means can contribute to the community foundation to support the people of Cass and Clay counties,” Beaton says.

Although Elsie and her sisters never thought of themselves as philanthropists, their story is a wonderful example of generosity in our community. The Raer Family Fund puts the spotlight on how a family’s or individual’s charitable visions can be carried out for generations through the community foundation.

Nearly 100 years after Carl and Charlotte Raer arrived in America, their youngest daughter set up a charitable fund to assure their family legacy will live forever. The fund disburses grants each year in the Raer name to help nonprofit organizations and students in the Fargo-Moorhead region.

“Our expertise is creating effective giving approaches, as well as addressing the needs in our community,” Beaton says. “Whether a donor wants to provide scholarships, support the arts, help care for animals, or give to any other charitable cause, we can help. We are grateful to be the steward of our donors’ generosity, a partner in their kindness, and a voice for community needs.”

TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN use the power of the community foundation to give back, contact 701-234-0756 info@areafoundation.org or visit areafoundation.org

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW: Dr. Jennifer Raum, Nancy Soyring, Michelle Kommer, Jennifer Frueh, National Hospitality Services (Represented by Norman Leslie), Tonya Stende, Michelle Weber

FRONT ROW: Amy Jacobson, Alice Christianson, Lisa Tate, Shannon Charpentier