Serenaded by a saxophone, guests arrived to see a colorful wall of flowers – some gathered in the shape of a heart – welcoming them to a lovefest for the place they call home.
The Community Foundation of Broward’s 2022 Legacy Society Luncheon celebrated the visionaries whose planned gifts will shape a brighter future for our community.
Legacy Society members partner with the Community Foundation because they believe in the power of endowment to change lives for the better – to transform their community. These future estate gifts to the Community Foundation will create endowed charitable funds, in their names, that tackle Broward’s big challenges.
“You create an impact in our community that carries on for generations,” Community Foundation Board Chair Kurt Zimmerman told Legacy Society members as he kicked off the celebration. “Thank you for stepping up and making a generous commitment to the community that you love.”
The Legacy Society celebration on April 14 – themed “Peace, Love & Broward” – showcased how support for the arts makes our community a more vibrant place to live.
Held in the Mary N. Porter Riverview Ballroom at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, guests were treated to gorgeous views of yachts and other vessels traversing the New River. Along with the saxophone soloist who kicked off the entertainment, the luncheon featured spoken word poetry by renowned speaker and author Darius Daughtry as well as performance concert pianist Philip Dunlap, who is director of the Broward County Cultural Division.
During their performances, Philip and Darius shared remarks about how the arts have empowered them to pursue careers, inspire positive change in the community and create new opportunities for others to succeed. Attendees also learned that Mary Porter – the philanthropist for whom the beautiful venue was named – is a former Legacy Society member whose endowed fund at the Community Foundation provides ongoing support for inspiring murals, new affordable housing, youth facilities and much, much more.
After last year’s virtual Legacy Society gathering, this festive luncheon was the first in-person get-together for our Legacy Society since the start of the pandemic.
“I loved it. It was inspiring to learn how the arts can connect people,” Legacy Society member Joy Branyon said about the luncheon. “It’s something that our community and everybody here, I think, really needs.”
Joy and her husband Kyle decided to join the Legacy Society while updating their estate plan during the pandemic. Working in collaboration with their attorney, Joy said the Community Foundation’s team made it easy to craft an estate plan that accomplishes their charitable goals.
“The Community Foundation is such a great way for our estate to continue to make a difference, even after we are gone,” Joy said.
The Community Foundation’s Legacy Society started in 2000 with 19 Legacy Society members whose planned gifts totaled about $2 million. Today, the Legacy Society includes more than 165 members with more than $360 million in committed estate gifts.
Through this BOLD commitment, Legacy Society members create a legacy of always being there for the community they love.
“You are our legacy. You are the heart and soul of this community,” Community Foundation President/CEO Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson said to Legacy Society members at the close of the luncheon. “Your spirit and love and passions will live on through your trust and faith in us. We take that seriously and we appreciate that.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT THE LEGACY SOCIETY CELEBRATION.
Thank you to our Legacy Society Luncheon sponsors
Thank you to our dedicated sponsors for helping make this event so special:
- Presenting sponsor: BNY Mellon Wealth Management
- Valet sponsor: Zimmerman and Associates, Attorneys at Law
- Champagne sponsor: John Knox Village
For more information about the Legacy Society, contact Jennifer Powers, Director of Philanthropic Services, at jpowers@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.
