Her bequest allows her love of the river to inspire others

Magda Herkhof began her volunteer career with HRWC in January 2005 by helping with the Millers Creek Film Festival. From there, she was inspired to participate in numerous River Roundups (as a volunteer and leader), Winter Stonefly Searches, the habitat measuring and mapping program, natural areas field assessments, and chemistry and flow monitoring. Magda was a steadfast volunteer. In 2015, she was inducted to the HRWC Hall of Fame for her volunteer contributions and dedication. “In my time working with Magda, she was a joy to be around and always put a smile on everyone’s face. She was adventurous, optimistic, and had the best stories,” Andrea Paine, HRWC Program Coordinator, says as she remembered Magda.

In addition to her gift of time, Magda gave HRWC another gift. She made HRWC a beneficiary in her estate plan.

As someone who cares about the river, you can ensure that the future embodies your values by leveraging your philanthropic power with a planned gift to HRWC. Planned gifts provide financial flexibility and tax benefits for you. As you consider your retirement and estate planning priorities, please talk with your financial advisor to identify the features and tax benefits that best meet your needs and contact Wendy at wpalms@hrwc.org for further information about including HRWC in your plans. With a planned gift to HRWC, you can help ensure a future of clean and plentiful water for people and nature in our watershed. At HRWC we will continually share our expertise and passion for our natural world, as Magda did, so the next generation will be inspired to do the same.

—Wendy Palms

This blog post is also published in the Huron River Report, Fall 2024.