Legacy Highlights

“Twenty years ago, as new parents, we set up a will to ensure that our kids were taken care of. Now that they are adults, the language about guardianship is no longer needed, and priorities have shifted. Having CVCF initiate the process of redoing our wills was a welcome and confidence-boosting motivator.

We plan to leave a percentage of our estate to CVCF. CVCF is perfectly positioned to get our donations where they will do the greatest good in the Chilkat Valley. We’d like to ensure that the place and the community that have treated us so well are able to derive some benefit after we are gone. We’d like to play our small part ensuring that future generations are as well supported as ours.”

“The Chilkat Valley has provided a summer-time refuge for our family for 30 years. It’s a place dear to our hearts.

We’ve given to CVCF the last 14 years as a part of our effort to support the places and organizations we care about. When we finally tackled end-of-life planning, we wanted to continue supporting the Haines community after we’re gone. Becoming legacy donors allowed us to do that.

Open to everyone regardless of wealth, it was a simple straightforward way to support as many nonprofits as possible, and have a steward for our gift that we trusted – an organization that will work to grow that gift and respond to community needs as they evolve over time.”       

“Terry and I decided to become Legacy donors to the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation as we believe in the immense value and impact of the Foundation’s work in our community.

By becoming Legacy donors, we are committing to supporting CVCF’s mission and ensuring its continued success in making positive changes in the Chilkat Valley. We believe that by contributing to the Foundation’s endowment, we can create a lasting impact that will benefit future generations.”

Alexandra Feit came to Haines in 2002 and developed long-lasting connections and relationships throughout the community. She volunteered countless hours at a variety of local nonprofits including the Library, Museum, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

In 2010 Alexandra joined CVCF as a committee member and later served on the CVCF Advisory Board. Her desire to connect her father to the community in a lasting way led her to spearhead the creation of the CVCF Memorial Fund. She inspired more than 20 friends and community members to join her as founders of the new fund. Since then, the fund has supported more than 16 projects, with grants to 9 local nonprofits.

Six and a half years ago Alexandra and her husband, Bud Barber, moved to Port Townsend so she could be closer to medical care.  Despite the distance she remained connected to Haines until her death in February.  Bud recently informed CVCF that Alexandra left a planned gift to support the CVCF Fund and CVCF Emergency Response Fund. He also shared that Alexandra often said “The only reason I’ve kept going and made it so far is the outpouring of all the love, friendship, and support from Haines.”  Alexandra will be missed, but her love for Haines lives on through her Legacy.

“It is often said that ‘all politics is local’.  I believe that other things, ideas and philosophies and philanthropy are also local.  They start at home.

Haines is not a particularly easy place to live for some people.  I feel all who live in Haines or visit the community should enjoy their time here.  I have called Haines my home for a lifetime, and have always found it an easy place to live.  But I know for some people, a small community, no matter how beautiful the landscape, may require support beyond their own income, beyond their own family.  I have planned to leave my personal estate to CVCF to help those people in the valley who need a lift, a little bit more to make their own life more than endurable, but enjoyable.”

The estate of local philanthropist Lucy Harrell was settled in May 2020, and her final will left one million dollars to CVCF. Harrell has long been regarded as a generous local supporter, literally donating millions of dollars to a long list of local nonprofits. She was a founding donor of both Haines Assisted Living and the Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village and Wellness Center, and donated land for both HARK and the Haines Recycling Center.

In her local obituary, Harrell is quoted as having said that “you don’t have to be rich to make a difference,” and “if there’s a positive change we can make and improve our quality of life, we should do that.” Harrell’s gift will improve life in the Chilkat Valley in perpetuity!

“As lifelong Alaskans, we know the value of community and community support. Having lived in Haines for over 50 years, we understand the importance of local nonprofits. We both feel that the nonprofits of the Chilkat valley enhance the overall well-being of this place we call home.

In light of reduced government support of nonprofits in our valley we feel it is important to fund the nonprofits. We have chosen to do this through a Legacy donation to CVCF, so that the nonprofits will continue to stay active for many years to come. Because our gift will be invested wisely, it will keep giving back to the Chilkat Valley in perpetuity.”

“In the spring of 2017 my son and I came up to Haines from Southern California to hike the outer coast.  We spent an adventurous, cold, wet, spectacular week camping and exploring.  Upon returning to Haines, I knew I wanted to stay.  It was not just the overwhelming beauty, but the obvious priorities of the town: the library, the Chikat Center, the museum, all thriving nonprofits to name just a few.  

Having recently retired from a career as a Deputy District Attorney, I was ready for a change. My partner, Bill, and I found our gem of a cabin on Mosquito Lake Road the following October and moved in.  We felt instantly that we had found “our people” and wanted to enmesh ourselves in the community.  That opportunity presented itself in the form of the old Mosquito Lake School. We and our neighbors worked towards its rebirth as a center, a food hub and a community garden.

CVCF is the organization that makes the birth of new nonprofits possible in our Haines community. By becoming a Legacy Donor I will be able to continue this important work after I am gone.  As a relatively short timer here, I want to give back at least a portion of the love and joy I have experienced here, through my gift.”

“What better way to carry on our love for the Chilkat Valley than to become a legacy donor to the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation (CVCF)?

One of only eleven Affiliates chosen statewide by The Alaska Community Foundation, CVCF strengthens our local nonprofits, not only with funds, but also with technical know-how — role modeling professionalism and best practices for Haines’ many nonprofits.  Becoming a recipient of a CVCF grant often leads to bigger grants and eventual sustainability for our local organizations.

I think we can agree that all of our lifestyles are greatly enhanced by our healthy nonprofit sector, and the residents who make it happen. Measurable economic benefits are derived from jobs created and services provided, as well as the satisfaction of volunteering in the Valley we call home. I want this to endure long after I am pushing up flowers.”

“We love our community – the people, the natural beauty and the nonprofits. For us, those components create this amazing place that we have been lucky to call home since 1984. 

As the years went by, we realized that we wanted to find a way to give back to this community.  We feel a gift to CVCF is the perfect way to do that. Choosing the endowed funds that we care about most allowed us to tailor our gift to our interests and values. We are pleased to know our legacy gift will grow and support CVCF and local nonprofits for years to come. “

Why did Margaret Piggott decide to include Chilkat Valley Community Foundation in her will?  According to Marty Osredker, a longtime friend and trustee for Margaret, the answer is simple: she believed in what it does!

Margaret was a great believer in the arts – she hosted a classical radio program in Haines for many years.  Margaret was environmentally aware and believed in taking care of this planet.   She was an avid hiker and kayaker and even wrote a book about hiking and paddling.  Being a world traveler, she was sensitive to the many and varied cultures she came into contact with, not only in the Chilkat Valley but worldwide.  Margaret was an educator, working as a physical therapist in schools all over the state of Alaska.  

She loved Haines and the surrounding area.    She liked the people, the animals, and being able to hike and explore.  

This is why Chilkat Valley Community Foundation was important to her: their involvement with the arts, environment, cultures, education and much more. 

“The Art Jess Scholarship Fund provided me with an easy way to help level the playing field for Alaska Native, American Indian and Hawaiian Native students residing in Alaska who want to continue their education.

The cost of higher education has grown leaps and bounds. Long gone are the days when it was possible to cover educational expenses through work-study programs, savings and small Pell Grant loans.

The fresh and exuberant faces of last year’s scholarships in the recent CVCF newsletter provided the reminder I needed to do the right thing. Art gave so much in his lifetime. This scholarship allows us to continue giving in his memory. I am thankful to have the opportunity to continue his largesse in my small way.”

“As donors to Chilkat Valley Community Foundation we appreciate how our gifts support a variety of nonprofits each year.

As a board member over the past 3 years, I’ve had an inside view of how donations are carefully accounted for and invested.  The grant process is deliberative and fair, and the grant committee includes community members as well as board members.  Grant awards cover a whole spectrum of nonprofit projects and activities.

And I see how CVCF is responsibly planning for their long-term sustainability by fundraising for the Summits for  Success Campaign, for when operational support from ACF and Rasmuson Foundation may end.

We recently updated our wills and estate plan, so it was the perfect time to include a future gift to CVCF. We are happy to support the great work of the many nonprofits in our community by supporting CVCF now and in the future. They all make Haines a wonderful place to live!”