When Dorothy Becker looked to give back to her community, she wanted it to be more than a financial transaction. She knew the dollars would make a difference, and she wanted to see it firsthand.
A passion for education and kids first brought her to the Central Minnesota Community Foundation. As a longtime school volunteer, mother of six children and former elementary educator, she knew a child’s success in the classroom depended upon the home environment. She wanted to learn more about the opportunities to help families in her community.
After meeting with Barb Carlson at the Community Foundation to set up a fund, Dorothy and Barb spent time discovering the opportunities, visiting programs, and meeting with the leaders behind them.
Dorothy then chose the causes she wanted to contribute to and became engaged. She took a personal interest in the programs – and people she supported. She invited families who have benefited from her gifts to her lake home and built relationships.
“It is really rewarding,” she said of her giving. “I can go to a concert or I can go to a party or I can go travel, and I can feel good. But it is not the same good that you feel when you volunteer or can contribute something that is going to make a difference. It is a whole different feeling.”
Dorothy died June 2, 2013, but her values and giving live on. She provided a $10,000 challenge gift for the Women on Stage event in 2013 for the Fund a Need Auction. Her challenge was not just met, but exceeded.
“She was an exceptional woman whose generosity had no limits,” Molly Renslow said at the Women on Stage event. Molly served as the host that evening and was the first chair of the Women’s Fund.
Dorothy served on the Women’s Fund Grants Committee and was a special friend of the Starfish program.