WINONA LAKE – In a move that marks long-term support for the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams, the Lilly Center inducted its three founders into the Founders Circle, a legacy-giving society.
Dr. Frank Levinson, Suzie Light and Dr. Ron Manahan join an exclusive group that chooses to include the Lilly Center in their estate planning with significant gifts, according to a news release from the Lilly Center.
The first 20 individuals or families to include the Lilly Center in their estate will be forever known as the Founders Circle.
At a recent lunch to mark the occasion, the trio reflected on another fateful lunch 16 years ago.
“I get this call from Frank who said, ‘Let’s go to lunch and talk about some ideas around water in Kosciusko County,’” recalled Light, former Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO. “So, I got in a car with a stranger, had a lovely lunch and good conversation, and said, ‘Yes, we can help you.’ After convening folks to talk about water, the idea of Grace College leading an initiative came to Dr. Manahan, who, in his quiet way, said, ‘Suzie, Grace College wants to help.’”
This partnership created a foundation of trust and cooperation that would change how lake residents interacted with and understood their lakes, the release states. That call to collaborate launched what today is the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams.
Today, the Lilly Center partners with other environmental organizations, lake associations, community nonprofits and agricultural producers to implement best practices and make Kosciusko County’s lakes healthy for generations to come.
“The scientific data we collect informs our research rather than emotion or popular opinion,” said Dr. Nate Bosch, Creighton Brothers endowed director of the Lilly Center. “Thanks to education programs, students and lake residents increase their water literacy and change their behavior to practices that care for their lake. There’s no better way to do that than by collaborating with other organizations and lake residents.”
By establishing the Founders Circle, the Lilly Center invites lake-loving families to consider their downstream legacy.
“Part of what I enjoy is finding those veins where there is potential,” said Levinson. “And one of the things I would expect to happen over time is for my family and others who live on the lake to become stronger, long-term supporters of the Lilly Center than we are.”
To date, the Lilly Center has conducted research on a variety of topics including boating impacts, starry stonewort, zebra mussels, the economic impact of lakes, blue-green algae and more. The education programs at the Lilly Center received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2019. These programs will create over 10,000 student connections in the 2023-24 school year alone.
Looking back, Levinson’s perspective on the Lilly Center’s success is less about science and more about relationships.
“This may sound simplistic, but it’s not the data or the improving lakes and streams that I’m most proud of,” he said. “It’s the ability of people across a wide political, religious and social spectrum to come together and work on this.”
Manahan agreed. “I’m most proud of the Lilly Center’s continuous development throughout its existence,” he said. “It has many achievements, including developing meaningful relationships across a wide spectrum of people and being a trusted recipient of financial gifts.”
Thanks to Levinson, Light, Manahan and others, the Lilly Center has been repeatedly humbled by gifts of time, finances and wisdom, according to the release. As a result, the Lilly Center has arrived at a place it could not have imagined in 2007. Legacy estate gifts like theirs will spur lake research and education to even greater significance.
The Lilly Center invites you to commit to a planned legacy gift to the Lilly Center and be forever known as part of the Founder Circle. The Founders Circle are the first to raise their hand in support of their lake, believe in the Lilly Center, and commit to a legacy gift to improve their lake for the future.
To learn more about how to join the Founders Circle, email [email protected] or call 574-372-5281.