Inherited Family History
by guest blogger Janine Pflaum
York County Libraries Director of Development
Many years ago I inherited family history documentation with hundreds of photographs that nobody else in the family seemed interested. I had no idea what I was to do with all of it, but I knew that it had to be kept and preserved. The names and faces of my ancestors intrigued me and I felt the need to know more about them and find even more ancestors.
I have come to love genealogy and all of the discoveries that come with it. Thank goodness for the internet! However, there are only so many things that the internet can tell me. It can provide me with facts with dates, locations, names, and events. But, it does not tell me about the character of my ancestors – who they really were and what they held near and dear to them. What was their legacy?
Have you thought about your Legacy?
How do I want to be remembered for what I have contributed to the world? That is the question… or at least one of the questions to ask yourself when you think about leaving a legacy. Here are more questions to help jumpstart your thoughts (source: daringtolivefully.com):
- What do you want your life to stand for?
- How do you want to be remembered by your family and friends?
- What kind of an impact do you want to have on your community?
- How will the world be a better place because you were in it?
- Whose lives will you have touched?
- What lessons would you like to pass on to future generations?
- What do you want to leave behind?
I don’t want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to ask these questions about me. So, in addition to leaving behind stories, a more detailed family history, and family heirlooms, I also intend to leave a planned gift for the charities that I care about. A planned gift impacts the community, changes lives, influences lives, passes on lessons to future generations, and shows that you’ve worked to make the world a better place. So many of those questions are answered in this single act of charity.
Leave Your Legacy Through Planned Giving
Did you know that you can leave a planned gift for your community library? A planned gift to York County Libraries will benefit generations to come. Our legacy donors are people just 
like you who want to guarantee that our libraries continue to provide programs and services for many years to come. With a legacy gift, your impact can continue beyond your lifetime. In one hundred years, you can still be changing lives. This could be the most important gift you ever make.
What will your legacy be? If you’re interested in learning more about planned giving for York County Libraries, then feel free to contact Georg Sheets, Planned Giving Officer at [email protected].
“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” —Benjamin Franklin