A Conversation with Bea Holt

Bea Holt is a resident of Middletown and Florida, and is very active in her communities. She loves the outdoors and can often be found leading hikes and environmental programs for children and adults. She is also an avid patron of the arts, attending performances at all of the local theaters and galleries in Middlesex County. She believes in programs supporting basic human needs, and is an advocate of supporting those services because they ensure our community is healthy and vibrant. Bea came to know the Community Foundation a few years ago and CFMC’s wide scope of impact aligned with her many interests.

We asked Bea to chat with us about why she likes working through the Community Foundation and why she chose to leave a gift for CFMC in her estate plan.

CFMC:  Bea, you have such a wide array of interests and passions, and you are an active volunteer. What draws you to the Community Foundation of Middlesex County?

Bea:  From the first time I engaged with CFMC, I liked that I didn’t have to “know it all.” That is what the Community Foundation does – the Community Foundation really helps the individual understand how they can make a difference in the community. CFMC touches everything I care about – arts, the environment, human services, people, places – I don’t have to be an expert and keep up with the changing needs and issues. You (CFMC) do that and work with me.

CFMC:  Do you have a few specific organizations you support or are you more interested in areas of need?

Bea:  Both are important. I do have some organizations I have supported for a long time. But there are others out there, grass-roots efforts, small nonprofits, new issues that I don’t know about and probably would never find if it weren’t for the Community Foundation. Keeping up with everyone and everything working in the community is not something an individual can do all by herself – there is just too much to consider and too many organizations you may never meet. CFMC focuses on that, meeting all the nonprofits working in our community, understanding the issues that affect the life of our community.

I also like that my support is combined with others. I can’t help in all the ways I would like to, but through CFMC, I am doing it. My donations are pooled with others, and we are making grants, we are helping food pantries and theater productions and schools and so much more. That feels really good, to know that I am working with so many other people to make an impact in our community.

CFMC: You decided to make a planned gift to the Community Foundation in your will. Why?

Bea:  I support many organizations now, and when I was working on my will, I realized that I could do something in the future, too. It was really easy and made sense to me. It was much more of a question of “Why wouldn’t I leave a gift?” when I was deciding where things would go.

I wanted to be sure that I could do something for Middlesex County for a long time, long after I am no longer here to give to annual appeals or for special reasons. I wanted to know that I was going to help for generations. My planned gift does that. Leaving a gift to the Community Foundation in my will is my way of saying thank you to Middlesex County for all it has done for me. Because the Community Foundation builds for the future, not just to make grants today, I will be helping new people address new issues and needs forever. It gives me a sense of always helping, of always caring, of always being a part of the community. I like that legacy. I like knowing that my planned gift to the Community Foundation means the future is in good hands.

Do you have a Legacy story?

Every day, people from all walks of life make gifts to charity through their wills. It’s so simple and it does make a tremendous difference in the world they leave behind.

If you are interested in creating your own legacy, please contact the Community Foundation and let us assist you. 

Join people like Bea Holt and the other “Good People Doing Great Things”.

Contact Cynthia Clegg at 860-347-0025 or Cynthia@middlesexcountycf.org