Area Girl Scouts earn $30 million donation

VW independent/submitted information

LIMA — Girl Scouts of Western Ohio announced that it will be the recipient of planned gifts as a result of the $1.2 million movement-wide planned giving challenge initiative by Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder. Both the national headquarters of Girl Scouts of the USA and 101 other Girl Scout councils across the country will be the beneficiaries of planned gifts calculated at more than $30 million, thanks to the planned giving challenge.

The Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder Girl Scout Movement-wide Planned Giving Challenge inspired Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to maximize the impact of this generous gift. Throughout 2018, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio worked to meet the challenge by securing new planned gifts and educating its board and volunteers about planned giving. In total, eight new planned gifts were secured from generous donors. Each of the 102 councils that met the challenge will receive a $10,000 planned gift from Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder and an additional $4,000 gift from Erik and Eva Andersen.

“This challenge moved so many others to recognize the long-term, positive impacts of Girl Scout membership,” said Roni Luckenbill, chief executive officer for Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. “We’re thrilled that this gift, along with those it inspired, will help provide quality programming and financial assistance so girls across our 32-county council will learn to take risks and achieve their goals through the Girl Scout experience in years to come.” 

A Girl Scout alum who earned the organization’s highest award — the Girl Scout Gold Award — as a girl member, Belk is the founding chair of the Juliette Gordon Low Society, which celebrates those who have made a planned gift to Girl Scouts. As a volunteer, she has led the Juliette Gordon Low Society’s growth from 348 members in 2011 to nearly 4,000 members in 2018. A planned gift is made through a donor’s will or estate plan. Donors who make a new planned gift commitment are welcomed by Girl Scouts to the Juliette Gordon Low Society at pinning ceremonies all over the United States and abroad. Over 600 new planned giving donors were pinned due to the challenge issued by Belk and Calder.

“As a farm girl from very limited means and with even fewer options, Girl Scouts was my ticket to exploring the world’s opportunities,” said Belk. “I owe so much of my success to 12 years in Girl Scouts and the impact that it had on my goals, values, and character. I am so grateful. “That’s why my husband and I have decided to commit our resources to helping knock down barriers that young women face in achieving equality,” she added. “There is no organization in the world that is better at preparing young women to become our leaders of tomorrow than Girl Scouts. We are so proud to partner with them.”

Through the Juliette Gordon Low Society, anyone can ensure Girl Scouts will have the tools to make the world a better place for generations to come. All gifts support every girl in every zip code having access to crucial, life-changing, girl-led programming that will launch her into a lifetime of leadership.

 “A planned gift is one of the most deeply personal, profoundly impactful, and truly generous gifts that a person can make,” said Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. “Thanks to the inspirational dedication, commitment, and generosity of Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder, Girl Scouts of the USA and 102 Girl Scout councils across the country can rest assured of their financial ability to deliver one-of-a-kind Girl Scout experience to more girls in more places for generations to come.

“Dianne and Lawrence are truly emblematic of what it means to give back, and their efforts will inspire, uplift, and empower Girl Scouts for years to come,” Acevedo added.