I first met Kathy and Scott at a donor appreciation lunch that we hold every year for our donors.

They would come in together and just, chatty wonderful people. Just so much fun to talk to.

For a couple like Scott and Kathy, who knew the library so intimately, because they both worked here for most of their careers, they saw the impact that the library had every single day on the lives of people in Saint Paul.

And so the decision to leave their home as part of their estate to the Friends, knowing that that would benefit library users and Saint Paul residents for generations to come, is just such a thoughtful, generous affirmation of what they really understood the importance of libraries to be.

We knew that Scott and Kathy had included the Friends in their estate plans and that we would receive the gift of their home after, in this case, Scott passing. Kathy preceded him in death by a few years. And they always were very clear that the proceeds from the sale of this home were to benefit something that was particularly important to them in the library, which is the programming that served kids, children, youth, and the families who support those children.

And there's so much that happens in our libraries that supports young people. The proceeds from the sale are actually going to become the anchor of a new endowment that we are establishing at the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation.

We are really excited to be building a children, youth and family endowment fund. It shows you the value of planned giving, including organizations in your estate plan, your wills, your trusts, your retirement plan.

The fact that they had the foresight that maybe they couldn't give annual gifts in great amounts, but they could make a huge impact after they're gone.

And what that means is that every year library directors and youth services managers can look out into the community and really respond to the needs of that moment and create programs, maybe purchase materials, but develop programs for kids and families across Saint Paul. And that's gonna be Scott and Kathy's legacy in perpetuity, is really caring for children and families in Saint Paul through this new endowment fund.