Pierce County is a place of abundance. According to the 2020 Pierce County Transfer of Wealth Study*, our current household net worth is $269 billion. This is the total value of assets in our community –homes, businesses, investments. Over the next 10 years, $48.6 billion of those assets will be transferring from estates to the next generation. $482 billion is expected to transfer over the next 50 years. If concerned, caring community members like you designated 10% of your estate to charitable organizations and causes you cared about, we could transform our region for future generations.

Here is the study at this link. Lakewood's reported household net worth is $19 Billion. In the next 10 years, $3.1 Billion of that will change hands with estate reconciliation. If charitable organizations could only receive 10% of that wealth.....

2021-GTCF-Transfer-of-Wealth-Report.pdf

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” So many in Lakewood are making a life by giving. Thanks to their generosity over the years, the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund was able to make grants of $39,200 this year. Gifts received over the last 12 months totaled approximately $27,000….and yet we were able to give far more than that. This is the major advantage of an endowed fund, which is now over $1 Million! We could list the year’s grant recipients, but better yet, let some of the recipients tell their story:

Nourish:

“Your support ($5,000) means that 7.9 million pounds of food will get to 79,000 Pierce County residents.”

Lakewold Gardens:

“Thank you for the grant of $3,500 toward the creation of a professional business plan for our shop. We look forward to sharing our accomplishments.”

Caring for Kids:

“Thank you so much for your generous donation of $7,000. In the last week, we have packed 405 backpacks with summer supplies for Early Learning kids. We are preparing to again start up our Growing Up is Fun bags. We are getting another pallet of Disney books valued at $10,135 for $350.”

Raising Girls:

“Thank you for your generous donation of $1,000. This will help us to provide care tags with personal hygiene products to girls and boys in our community.”

Centerforce:

“Thank you for your generous grant of $3,000. Your support of our services for those with disabilities is very much appreciated.”

Lakewood Playhouse:

“Thank you for your generous contribution of a $5000 grant to the Lakewood Playhouse! Grants are the ONLY way we survived the COVID shutdown!”

Other grants: Greater Lakes Mental Health, Communities in Schools, Network Tacoma, Emergency Food Network and Operation Homefront.

If an endowed fun that benefits Lakewood exclusively is something you have an interest in supporting please contact us at gnsrediske@msn.com or go to the website at www.lakewoodcommunityfoundation.org to make your donation. It really is the gift that keeps on giving!

The Selden Family. 

At the beginning of the virtual Lakewood City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 7 pm, the Selden Family became the fourth recipient of the Larry Saunders Service Award. This award is a cooperation between the City of Lakewood and the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund. The award was presented by Sally Saunders. The inspiration for this community service award is Larry Saunders, who served our country and our city with distinction After he retired from the Army he helped organize Lakewood's initial Police Department, and served as our first chief. Returning from Iraq, where he re-joined the Army to establish a police college in Baghdad, Larry embraced Lakewood with tireless community service: our Boys & Girls Club, Lions, Rotary Clubs, neighborhood associations, and the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund (LCFF). Larry was a ray of light. We were stunned when he died one morning in January of 2016.  Previous recipients include Diane Formosa, Lakewood Rotary, and Alan Billingsley.

The Selden family service to Lakewood goes back to 1958, when Ed Selden became a Rotarian. He later served as president of the Lakewood Chamber. Son Rick came on board right away, serving at the first Rotary Pancake Breakfast (1961) as a teenager, eventually joining Rotary (President, Rotarian of the Year) and being a spearhead for every project that club produced, while also participating in numerous other local organizations. Rick’s wife Sharon has not only been an active part of the Rotary projects, but also was WWEE President in 1991, LASA Volunteer of the Year in 2019, and recipient of the Junior League’s Ruth Wheeler Award in 2019. Not be outdone by her elders, Rick and Sharon’s daughter Gayle is a past president of the Junior League, serves on the City of Lakewood Police Oral Board, and is herself a Rotary past president and Rotarian of the Year.

Serving the community can be a family affair, and the Seldens are living proof. The Seldens believe in service above self, and they live it.

Rick said, “We are extremely humbled and honored to receive the Larry Saunders Community Service Award. I think it is fair that we are the worker bees—being involved and trying to help others to be involved. I think Larry was that same kind of person. Leading by example, getting others involved and not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get to work.”

The Larry Saunders Award comes with a $1000 grant to a 501c3 in Lakewood, courtesy of the Lakewood Community Foundation Fund. The Seldens have chosen West Pierce Cares, and specifically their AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) program, challenged with expanding the number of the machines in Lakewood. In further recognition of the Seldens, the Rotary Club of Lakewood members donated another $2300 to this cause.

Thank you, Selden Family.

Grant applications for qualifying 501(C)(3) organizations providing service to Lakewood, WA are now open. Note that all grant recipients must provide the services covered in the grant within the City of Lakewood. Note the grant application form on the right side of home page. The deadline for receipt is April 6, 2021. Grant awards will be announced in May.