Donor Stories
Don Blaugrund LGBT Fund
One way Jan Marks honors Don Blaugrund’s life is by funding his passions in perpetuity.
Another way she honors her uncle is by living an openly lesbian lifestyle.
When Don was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Jan visited regularly. She attended his bed side through his illness, which spread to bone cancer. Jan accompanied Don during his last hours of life and was present in the room when he died.
Jan supported Don through his pain, and she also supported his passion. In Don’s will, Jan was named to help oversee Don's philanthropic interests. Jan established a donor-advised fund with the Community Foundation to fund LGBT organizations and causes.
Don had an affinity for the arts and Jan prioritizes cultural groups when considering her grantmaking. She also supports programs that assist teens and others as they come out and make an important social transition. She funds organizations that provide education, fairness and equality. She says the Don Blaugrund LGBT Endowment Fund commemorates her uncle’s venture of coming out of the dark and into the light; of coming out of shame and into respect.
