When Rose Williams passed away last November, a week after her 91st birthday, her granddaughter, Claudette Thompson, followed her family’s tradition of giving back to the community with a charitable donation to Tropicana in her grandmother’s memory.
The charity was a choice that her grandmother would have approved of, Thompson says, because of the great impact it will have. She saw to it that her donation would go towards Tropicana’s Harvest Share (food bank) and Youth Development and Education programs, two areas close to her grandmother’s heart: food and children.
A Big Family and a Big Heart
Born in Jamaica, Rose moved to England in the ’60s, where she would live out most of her life as a seamstress. She was full of energy up until the end, leaving a legacy of 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren—but also a legacy of altruism and volunteerism that carries on. Throughout her adult life, Rose joined numerous community organizations in the U.K., and it was important to her to donate to food banks and charities.
“My grandma was really big on helping the community, especially young people and women,” Thompson said. “She always had the attitude, if you come by the house, you leave with something. Or if you need something, no matter what it was, if she had it, she’d share it.”
The commitment to volunteerism continues through the branches of Rose’s family tree, with Claudette and her husband Gary Thompson also doing a lot of volunteering. (Gary is, in fact, a former volunteer at Tropicana.)
Celebrating a Life
Thompson saw donating to Tropicana as a great way to honour her remarkable grandmother, and to respect Rose’s sense of altruism.
A planned legacy or memorial by family, whether it is for Tropicana or another worthy charity, is a great way to extend your philanthropy beyond your lifetime, have a long-lasting effect on the community, and for families to have a way to feel they have honoured the life of a loved one and to celebrate it.
If you would like to learn more about leaving a donation in your will or donating as a memorial in the name of a loved one, contact us at info@tropicanacommunity.org.
