NEWS 2021
A New Greater Pike Fund Carries a Double Message of Love
August 20, 2021
When Harvey Bessonett learned about a way he could honor his late wife and support his favorite charities at the same time, he was inspired. He worked with Greater Pike Community Foundation’s Executive Director, Jenni Hamill, and set up the Lillian and Harvey M. Bessonett Sr. Fund.
“I love the idea of a fund that gives in perpetuity,” Bessonett said, “especially since it is a way to remember my wife.” The couple was married for sixty years before Lillian passed away four years ago. Bessonett said establishing a memorial fund was “something I could do for her and something she would appreciate because she was the kind of person who—if you needed help—she would be there.”
For Bessonett, giving to local nonprofits is a way to help neighbors especially when, in a rural setting, it might be more difficult to know who needs help. He noted there are so many local organizations Greater Pike has helped fund, it was easy to focus on the ones that have personal meaning. As a lover of nature, Bessonett wants to see the fund grow to endow gifts to local animal welfare organizations. He also wants to support nonprofits that address issues of food insecurity and homelessness.
Bessonett plans on growing his fund during his lifetime and even afterwards—through estate planning. Greater Pike Community Foundation has a Legacy Society for anyone who names the Foundation as the beneficiary of a legacy gift.
Online contributions to the Lillian and Harvey M. Bessonett Sr. Fund can be made here.
A memorial fund in honor of a loved one or a deserving colleague can be established and administered by Greater Pike Community Foundation without a fee. For details on that or on the Legacy Society, or to request a brochure, contact GPCF Executive Director Jenni Hamill at (570) 832-4686, jennihamill@greaterpike.org, or visit Facebook.com/GreaterPike.
Greater Pike Community Foundation was created to enable generous individuals, families and local businesses to maximize their charitable support through organized, targeted, long-term community philanthropy.