Provided photo.

The impact of generosity is all around us, often in ways we may not see until we pause to give thanks. I am grateful to the donors, volunteers, and nonprofit professionals who make so much of what we love about this community possible. Their commitment deserves our thanks all year long.

This season, with Florida voters approving Amendment 3, many of our nonprofit partners that rely on local government support are already planning for leaner years ahead. At Manatee Community Foundation, helping nonprofits stay steady through change is at the heart of our work, and moments like this show why lasting support matters.

I saw that truth come to life at our recent Legacy Society celebration. As I greeted guests, many said the same thing: “The room is different. It’s flipped.” They were right. If you joined us last year, you may remember the view of the bay behind us. This year, every guest faced the windows, looking out over our little slice of paradise.

Then our keynote speaker, Ashley Dietz, President and CEO of the Florida Philanthropic Network, shared the story of her family’s philanthropy. She spoke of the impact her parents made together, her mother’s own giving journey, and how that example became her legacy for her own family.

Ashley’s message was simple and powerful: remembering where you came from and investing in every community you are part of are not separate things. They are woven together.

As I listened, I realized the flipped room was not simply a design choice. It was meant to be. Right outside those windows was everything we are here to protect and preserve: the land and the water, the blue skies, and all the magical creatures who make their home here. It was there for every young learner on the way to school, and for every parent and guardian heading to work to provide for their family. It was there, too, for the neighbor walking through a difficult season, who needs to know caring support is close at hand. There it was, in all its glory, even on the hard days.

Everything we love about this place is here because someone before us cared enough to look after it.

The donors and families in that room have included Manatee Community Foundation in their estate plans, creating lasting support for the organizations and causes they love. They are helping people they may never meet, trusting that others will be here to put their gifts to work. I am grateful we can thank them while they are here to hear it.

A legacy gift can itself be a way of saying thank you. Perhaps an organization helped your family, or you have spent years volunteering alongside its staff. Including it in your plans honors its role in your life and helps someone else benefit in the future.

And an endowed fund can make that generosity last. MCF invests each gift and makes a distribution every year to the organizations or causes the donor has chosen. In uncertain times, that dependable support helps nonprofit leaders plan with confidence.

Which organizations are you most thankful to have in our community? Consider why they matter to you. Then share those reasons with your family. They may know where you volunteer, but they may not know why you have stayed. Telling them helps them understand what you hope your generosity will make possible.

This Thanksgiving, turn your chair toward the window. Begin with what you are grateful for in our community and then consider how you might help keep it strong, beautiful, and caring for the next generation.

Provided photo.