Ben and Betsy Rozelle have a formula for how a middle-income family can build a charitable legacy.

“You treat it like anything else you want to save for,” Betsy said. “You don’t have to come up with all of the cash at one time.”

They started a charitable fund within the Community Foundation with the $1,000 minimum required for a “future fund” and built it up through the years beyond the $10,000 minimum required for an endowment that can make grants.

They became members of the Himebaugh Legacy Circle after making arrangements for a portion of their estate to go into the fund.  Betsy knows the Foundation well as a former vice president donor services. She is now with CAP Services. Ben is co-owner of Rozelle Construction. The Fox Crossing couple wants to know that their churches and other favorite charities will be supported beyond their lifetimes.

“The overriding reason is the trust,” Betsy said in explaining why they’ve chosen to include the Foundation in their estate planning. “We know that whatever life holds, our small gift will multiply – given the investment practices of the Community Foundation.”

“Betsy’s enthusiasm for the work of the Community Foundation was contagious,” Ben said. “She would come home from work and talk about how neat it would be to start a fund there that would give in perpetuity.”

The Foundation, Betsy added, is a rare place that offers a wealth of knowledge of and compassion for the community. The donor doesn’t have to be a financial expert, she said.

That’s part of the message Ben and Betsy wanted to communicate by becoming Legacy Circle members.

“We want other people to realize that they don’t have to be millionaires.”