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Financial legacy will give for years
Published 12:00am Friday, November 17, 2000It’s the thought that counts. And Inga Johnson gave a lot of thought before presenting her final gift to the West Central Initiative. For 50 years, she worked at the store she and her brother owned – Lake Alice Grocery Store – investing her money wisely, always planning for her future as well as relatives, friends, associates and charities. Johnson established a living trust to manage her estate, which had grown to a sizable amount over the years. She provided for management of her assets for the years she expected to be in a nursing home. And she always planned to make appropriate gifts as the success of her investments permitted. For seven years, she contributed to the West Central Initiative Endowment Fund. At the time of her death in 1998, she had donated more than $130,000 to assist in offering grants to a number of organizations within the Fergus Falls area. But Johnson’s gift-giving didn’t end with her death. Leaving a residuary portion of her estate to the Endowment Fund, Johnson’s contributions now total more than $750,000, making her the single-largest private contributor to the WCI, with the exception of the McKnight Foundation. It was very important to Johnson that the Fergus Falls area have use of her financial resources including such organizations as the YMCA, Lake Region Hospital, the Salvation Army, the Fergus Falls Public Library and the United Way. Children’s organizations like Boy Scouts, Campfire, and the parks department have all been recipients of Johnson’s generosity. Her contributions are kept in a trust, with WCI using only a portion of the earnings. &uot;We’ll be able to offer grants for $50,000-$60,000 on that alone,&uot; said Wes Binner, Fund Development Director. &uot;Inga’s gift will be able to keep on giving for years and years.&uot; During a volunteer and donor recognition ceremony Tuesday, the board members of West Central Initiative recognized exactly what Johnson – and the many other volunteers and donors – had done for their organization. &uot;What she was able to accomplish by careful financial planning is so admirable,&uot; Binner said. &uot;It shows what a person can do – it’s simply remarkable.&uot; A pamphlet honoring Johnson read: &uot;One of life’s true gifts. Giving of herself and her financial resources. That is how Johnson lived her life and that is how she is remembered today: Making life better for future generations in Fergus Falls and for the entire region.&uot; Tuesday’s ceremony thanked Inga for her contributions. Those who knew her would say she had thanks enough knowing someone is able to use an organization or facility that has benefitted from her donations.
