When Allison and Chris Gruehn speak of her mother Linda Allen Milligan, they remember her generosity. This is the reason they decided to create a family fund in her name. “She was a giver. She gave her encouragement, her time and her financial support as easily as she loved,” Allison shared.
Throughout their childhood Linda was always involved giving of her time at her kids’ school and sports activities. In her role as a Harry Norman realtor, she showed her love of community by making philanthropic gifts from each sale. She was active at Marietta Community Church and was a BSF member where giving was essential to the culture. Daughter Allison says, “She was very intuitive about how to help people and was always finding new ways to be of service. She just really loved Marietta and was always naturally philanthropic.”
A particularly impactful story of her giving took shape when Allison fought her own battle with breast cancer years ago. Both her parents took action to help other families facing the possibility of a cancer diagnosis. At that time, Kennestone Hospital had no genetic testing available to identify cancerous genes, even though it was available at other nearby hospitals. They worked with BB&T Bank on an idea to fund such a program. Today the Wellstar Genetic Risk Assessment Program is helping identify potential risks, and working with local families to make important medical decisions. This is the power of philanthropy.
Linda has been greatly missed since her recent passing, and her family needed time to grieve. “Creating a fund at the Cobb Community Foundation was a no-brainer,” said Allison. She shared that being able to place the family fund with CCF was easy and it took the pressure off them to make any hasty decisions. Placing inheritance funds now with the intent to be charitable allowed them to receive end of year tax considerations that will impact their ability to give more when they are ready. It also created some space for them to make thoughtful decisions on how to best direct the funds. When they are ready to make those decisions, they will have access to the information on community needs which our team collects through our work with nonprofits in Cobb County.
“I feel that using some of the inheritance in a philanthropic way would make her happy. This is what she did in her lifetime, and we are continuing that work for her.”
If you would like to set up a charitable giving fund to honor a loved one, please contact Barbara Garner at barbara@cobbfoundation.org or call (770) 859-2359.
