John and Hilary's legacy gifts will benefit Charleston Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services, and KKBE.
John and Hilary Rieck
The inspiration for us to become legacy donors is really about our kids. We want—after we are no longer here—for there to be a strong Jewish life in Charleston. We donate while we are living and we also want to leave a legacy for them.
Our kids are 10 and 12 now, so they are the perfect ages to begin having these discussions and start understanding what is important to us and how they can help others. One of the most key things about being involved in Life & Legacy is to have these multi-generational conversations: not only to lead by example but also be open about the benefits of legacy giving and why it’s important. Having a Jewish life in Charleston that is active and strong is not only important for us now, but for their futures and hopefully their children’s futures.
Our parents are so active; Hilary’s mom in particular is always donating her time, energy, and resources to multiple causes in the Jewish community. She is an inspiration across the board and is someone we want our children to see through us and our actions. We want to create that same example for our children.
While they have inspired us, we are doing things differently than when our parents were raising us. We have the opportunity to talk more about money and where and why and how, and that’s something that our generation can do better and start doing it now. We want to be very open with our kids and talk about why we spend our time and energy and money on the places that are important to us.
A good Jewish value is showing that you not only want to take care of yourself and your family but also care about something that is bigger than yourself. We are leaving legacy gifts to Jewish Family Services, Charleston Jewish Federation, and KKBE. We are able to support many facets within the Jewish community through these organizations, and a wonderful thing about being involved in Federation is that you get to touch so many aspects of Jewish life not only locally but around the world. Each of these organizations are so important and need to remain strong for the future of Jewish life in Charleston.
– John and Hilary Rieck