LEGACY STORY

Nancy Ehlen

Nancy Ehlen

Foundation:

Central Minnesota Community Foundation

Fund:

Nancy Ehlen Fund

Fund Established:

October 6, 2005

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Nancy Ehlen grew up in Winona, Minnesota. She raised her family and lived in St. Cloud, though, for over 30 years. In 2008, she changed things up and split time between Bemidji and Arizona. The place she chose for her charitable remainder trust, however, was the Central Minnesota Community Foundation.

Having served on the CMCF board for nine years and as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Good Samaritan Committee, her connections with the Foundation are strong, as are her connections to the community. This is where her children grew up, where she was an active volunteer in her church, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts and the Medical Alliance—all activities which helped her establish roots in St. Cloud. Her employment with the American Heart Association helped her gain knowledge of how nonprofit organizations function and develop a deep passion for healthy living.

An avid photographer, Nancy has had shows of her work in St. Cloud, Bemidji and Arizona. She prefers focusing on nature, and her love of the outdoors is widened by her love of hiking. For many years she has taken one of her 12 grandchildren on an Intergenerational Elderhostel.

Nancy has had a donor advised fund at CMCF since 2005. Her charitable remainder trust will allow her to extend her current giving after she is gone. And the organizations that are named in the trust reflect her current values and priorities, as well as her geographic ties: women’s education, the arts, the church, the environment, homelessness and food shelves in both Arizona and Minnesota. She will make a difference for years into the future.