65 Years of Giving Legacy

Sixty-five years ago, ten visionary women saw a need in Marin County and decided to do something about it. They gathered their friends, hosted events, and began raising funds to support our community.

They likely couldn’t have imagined where that simple, powerful act of collective generosity would lead.

For 65 years, Marin Charitable has continued in that same spirit:  Neighbors gathering neighbors, volunteers stepping forward, and a community coming together to support young people when they need it most. What began around kitchen tables has grown into a respected, trusted grantmaking organization supporting 58 agencies and distributing more than $300,000 annually to programs serving youth ages 11–18.

In honor of that legacy, throughout this anniversary year we will be writing about the women who have shaped our history, honoring our past presidents, whose leadership has carried Marin Charitable forward through changing times and evolving needs. (We are especially pleased to feature one of them in this very newsletter.)

Over the decades, something else beautiful has happened. Many of the women who have given their time, talent, and resources to Marin Charitable have chosen to extend that commitment even further — ensuring that their support of youth in Marin will continue well beyond their own years of service. Through our Legacy Society, members have included Marin Charitable in their estate plans, creating a lasting foundation for future generations.

It is a quiet but powerful expression of belief; belief in the mission, belief in the community, and belief that when we invest in young people, the impact ripples forward in ways we may never fully see.

Sixty-five years later, we are still standing on the shoulders of those original ten women, and on the many who have followed. Their generosity continues to shape not only our past and present, but our future.