A legacy of giving
March 3, 2015Roger and Becky Tuuk
Roger and Becky Tuuk both trace their motivation for giving back to their parents.
Roger’s parents sent four children to Christian school on a factory worker’s salary. While there may not always have been much left over, they still made generosity a priority. “They always said if you give your 10 percent tithe, it comes back to you,” said Roger.
Becky learned similar lessons from her own parents who routinely gave to the causes they cared about, especially education and helping underrepresented students go to college.
Throughout their life together, Roger and Becky put these lessons into practice: saving, living simply, and faithfully supporting the things most important to them like education, the arts, conservation, and human service organizations.
Roger was the Community Foundation’s first full-time accountant and Becky was a teacher. After retiring from the workforce, the Tuuks established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation to enhance and continue their giving.
A donor-advised fund allows their initial gift to grow and ensures their support of the community will be permanent. “Now we can do more,” said Becky. “And it will continue after we’re gone.”
“We’ve been blessed,” said Roger of the couple’s commitment to the place they call home.
“And it’s true,” he remarked, remembering what he grew up hearing from his parents. “The more you give, the more comes back to you.”