Donor Stories

Marianne & Les Woodward
The Woodwards have been members of Augustana Lutheran Church since 1960. They have raised four children in the Church and are proud grandparents of seven. “We were both brought up with the understanding that to whom much is given, much is expected,” says Les, a partner at a Denver law firm. The Woodwards walk the talk. They have made generous gifts to the Church and other organizations through their will and their lives reflect a deep commitment to education and young people.

Les served on the Colorado Commission for Higher Education and the Denver School Board and helped found the Public Education and Business Coalition. Marianne teaches English as a second language to adults and is on the Board of Advisors at Kepner Middle School. She has been an active member of the Augustana chapter of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Both have taught Sunday School for many years. Chaplin to Augustana’s acolytes for more than forty-five years, Les has served as president of the Church Council and has twice been named a delegate to the national convention.

Marianne and Les have a long history of giving to the church and to other organizations including Lutheran Family Services and Bethany College. “It made sense to us to increase our giving each year by 1% until we reached a 10% tithe. Now we have gone beyond that in our annual giving and through our estate plan. The decision was that this is who we are. These are the commitments and values we want our children and grandchildren to understand.”

Janet and Kevin Flesch
Twins Kendall and Adelyn, 5, and Mackenzie, 7

Parents of three young girls, Janet and Kevin Flesch are just starting to think about charitable giving in a strategic way. Kevin is president of the Church Council at Augustana Lutheran Church and active in the Central Visitation Program. Janet chairs the Strategic Planning Committee and helped lead the recent capital campaign. The congregation has been the primary focus of their volunteer activities since they joined Augustana in 2001.

“Our parents modeled the importance of giving back for us. We want to do the same thing for our girls.” says Janet. “A solid planned giving program is very important. It’s something the Church has to have to sustain its mission and provide a steady hand to so many who need one in this difficult time.” adds Kevin. The Flesches are building planned giving concepts into their financial and estate plans.

Their goal is to build a secure financial future for their young family and to advance their commitment to the Church. “We’re looking at how we can best meet our responsibilities to our children, send them to college, and, at the same time, be good, charitable stewards of our time, our talent and our treasure,” says Kevin. “It’s an ongoing process and there are many options to evaluate. We increase the amount our annual contribution every year. Now we’re talking about when and how to fold a gift to the congregation into our estate plan.”

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