“Building community in every way possible” is the heart and soul of Bob and Linda Bonstein’s new Donor Advised Fund. Married 48 years, Bob and Linda Bonstein are now retired from their careers in Healthcare Management Consulting and Education/Employee Benefits respectively. In between family road trips, performing with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Chorus and their bicycling hobby, they have made giving back to the community an important part of their retirement plans. They have many reasons for giving, but they point to their faith as their foundation and their church as another area of service. They share the importance of generosity with their family and talk enthusiastically of increased giving impact, and they have asked for donations in lieu of birthday and holiday gifts.
“There’s such a divisive environment of political and social unrest that we are all experiencing right now. We want to do whatever we can to make meaningful contributions that will help make things better in our community,” Bob shared. When it comes to building community, Bob and Linda have many interests, but believe the place to start is connecting with organizations doing this locally. Early on, they recognized the value of strengthening community one family at a time, and they have a long list of volunteer service to this cause. Working in Board leadership with organizations like the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, which has the largest youth symphony program in the Southeast, The YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Family Promise has given them a well-rounded perspective on what it takes to help impoverished families to regain their dignity and their connection to community. Helping newly arrived refugees to get settled and connected into our community has also been an area of special interest for the couple that they are eager to continue supporting with their fund.
Valued friend and mentor, Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) founder Jim Rhoden, helped Bob to understand how best to serve the community, and spoke often of the good work being accomplished by the CCF. So, when Past President Todd McMullen approached Bob about serving on the CCF Board of Directors, he said it was an easy sell. Now the couple is looking forward to many more years of intentional charitable giving.
Connecting donors who care with causes that matter is an important part of our mission. Our various charitable fund options allow fundholders to be strategic, purposeful, and impactful while simplifying the giving process at the same time. For all these reasons, we can help donors like Bob and Linda make their greatest impact through a fund at Cobb Community Foundation.
