August 13, 2026
August is National Make-A-Will Month—a time to create or update your will, reflect on what matters most to you and the legacy you want to leave behind.
For Joan Henneberry, giving back has never been about how much she has to give. It’s about being part of something bigger than herself.
“I believe in this principle of flow and energy, and I want to be part of that flow,” says Joan, a member of Rose Community Foundation’s Legacy Circle. “To live a happy and fulfilling life, I believe you have to participate in it. And being part of that flow isn’t about how much you give.”
For Joan, generosity isn’t measured by the size of the gift. The person who puts a quarter in the basket is just as much a part of the flow as the person who puts in a $20 bill. What matters is the willingness to give—to participate and contribute in whatever way you can.
That philosophy ultimately led Joan and her husband Mark to establish a legacy gift with Rose Community Foundation.
Giving with the future in mind
A legacy gift is a charitable contribution through a will, trust, retirement plan, life insurance policy or another asset. It can be a meaningful way to support the people, causes and communities that matter most to you, long into the future.
Joan and Mark chose to establish their legacy gift through a field of interest fund at Rose Community Foundation, which allows them to designate their gift toward an area of charitable interest, like healthcare and arts and culture. They also left a gift to Rose Community Foundation through their fund, citing the Foundation’s responsiveness to emerging needs and its ability to direct resources where they can make the greatest impact.
For Joan, that flexibility was important.
“The world is changing every nanosecond, and we aren’t going to change our minds every other month,” says Joan. “We have certain interests that are important to us, and we know that when something affects our community, it can have an even greater impact on others. So, we trust the Foundation to know what we would want these funds to support.”
Field of interest funds are a meaningful way to ensure your legacy gift supports the causes that matter most to you. Rather than deciding today which organization should receive your gift years from now, you can identify the causes you care about and entrust Rose Community Foundation to carry your intent forward.
Honoring what matters most
The needs of a community don’t stand still. Organizations evolve, missions change, and new organizations may emerge to address challenges that don’t exist today.
Rose Community Foundation’s role is to understand a donor’s intent and ensure their generosity continues to reflect it, even as the community changes.
“Rose Community Foundation will exist into perpetuity,” says Sarah James, director of donor funds and gift planning at Rose Community Foundation. “We know the community. Donors can trust us to take their intent and honor it through their fund well into the future.”
That ability to adapt while remaining grounded in a donor’s wishes is central to Rose Community Foundation’s approach to legacy giving.
Additionally, establishing a legacy gift doesn’t mean a donor’s charitable wishes can never change. As interests evolve and new needs emerge, donors can work with Rose Community Foundation’s Philanthropic Services team to update the charitable focus of their legacy gift without changing their broader estate plans.
For Joan, knowing that her gift will be thoughtfully managed, and that the Foundation will continue to understand the community and respond to its needs, is a source of confidence.
“I just have an enormous amount of trust that the money will be managed and spent well,” says Joan. “I love how flexible the Foundation has become to address emerging needs.”
That trust extends beyond what happens today.
“For all those reasons—that someone else will be taking care of it, it’ll go to a good cause, you manage it well, you manage your investments well so it will just keep growing—all of those reasons make sense to us to have established a legacy gift with Rose.”
Keeping the flow going
Joan’s story is a reminder that a legacy isn’t defined by a dollar amount. It’s defined by the values behind the gift.
For Joan, those values are rooted in generosity and a belief that each of us has something to contribute. Her legacy gift allows those values to continue beyond her lifetime.
This Make-A-Will Month, consider what you want your own legacy to look like. A thoughtful will can help protect the people you love, support the causes you care about and ensure that your generosity continues to be part of something bigger than yourself.
Our Philanthropic Services team can help you create a charitable legacy tailored to your wishes.