Members of the Legacy Foundation family, past and present, gathered for a special celebration event on Friday, October 11. The event took place at Innsbrook Country Club and included a complimentary breakfast for board members and Legacy Society members in attendance.
Legacy Foundation Vice President of Philanthropy Erica Fizer Katsepas believes this event is a meaningful way to bring together board members and donors that have deep roots in this organization.
“This celebration is for our board and Legacy Society members and focuses on their commitment to Legacy Foundation and connects them with others who have served,” Katsepas said. “People get the chance to discuss what the Legacy Foundation means to them and catch up with former colleagues.”
John Freyek, current board chair of the Legacy Foundation, gave a welcome speech to everyone at the celebration. He’s been able to work with a lot of helping hands that have built the organization up to where it is today.
“Legacy Foundation has been Lake County’s Community Foundation for more than 30 years,” Freyek said. “I am standing on the shoulders of giants because the people who created this and maintained it for that time are incredible. We can’t thank them enough.“
The event also consisted of tabled discussions where attendees shared how they first got connected to Legacy Foundation and opportunities for the organization to uplift Lake County.
“For me, it’s about hearing what they went through in the past,” Freyek said. “We want to know what their challenges were, how they made their goals, and let them know how we are reaching our goals.”
Freyek feels that it’s important to recognize the people who came before him in the Legacy Foundation family.
”Having the opportunity to reconnect with everyone who has given their time, treasure, or both to Legacy Foundation is awesome. We want to let people know that the organization is in good hands and we’re still doing the wonderful things they set us out on a mission to do, Freyek said”
Kelly Anoe, president and CEO of Legacy Foundation, presented on the organization’s key programs and milestones. The presentation also included a word cloud with input from every individual in attendance to describe Legacy Foundation’s impact on the community.
“There are so many people that have given a lot of time to our board,” Anoe said. “We have Legacy Society members that have made a commitment to us, so it’s important to recognize them and share memories.”
Legacy Society members are donors who have named Legacy Foundation as the recipient of a charitable gift in their will or estate plans.
Anoe is also thankful for the Legacy Foundation staff.
“The staff has been amazing,” Anoe said. “They put a lot of work into this to ensure that it’s an enjoyable event for everyone. This is our first time hosting this event, we’re hopeful that we can continue doing this every year and it continues to grow.”
For more information about Legacy Foundation, you can visit its website.
