Lamplighter Society: Your Legacy Starts Here.

Become a Member of the YMCA Lamplighter Society

Lamplighter Society logoWith the Y, you're not just a member of an association, you're part of a cause with a shared commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, improving health and well-being, and supporting our neighbors. The Lamplighter Society was established in St. Louis in 1972 in recognition of individuals who remember the Y in their estate plans, make an outright gift to the YMCA Endowment Fund, or establish various kinds of legacy gifts to light the way for those who follow.

Story of the Lamplighter

Sir Harry Lauder often related a story of those who were responsible for lighting the streetlights of his city just at dusk. Sir Lauder would watch each lighter progress from lamp to lamp, causing each new light to soften the approaching darkness. "Finally," said Sir Lauder, "even though the lamplighter had disappeared around some far corner, you knew he had been there by the lights he left behind."

Annual Lamplighter Society Dinner

Each year, the Gateway Region YMCA hosts its Annual Lamplighter Society Dinner. The dinner is an opportunity for Society members throughout the area to renew old friendships, meet new members, and be updated on the good works of the YMCA and the status of its Endowment Fund. New Lamplighter Society members are introduced, and receive the YMCA's Lamplighter Statuette.

Ways to Give and Become a Lamplighter

Legacy giving requires trust. As the leading nonprofit for Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility, we think we've earned your trust. When you make a legacy gift to the Y, you place that trust in us to use your gift to support our Y's mission for generations to come. Your gift today ensures that tomorrow's kids can enjoy the same chance to learn, grow, and thrive.

A legacy gift is a perfect solution when you want to hold on to assets today that you and your loved ones may need in the future. There are many types of legacy gifts, each with unique advantages. Some legacy gifts are revocable—a gift in your will or living trust, for example—so you can change your mind at any time. They can also be irrevocable—just as outright gifts are—so that you benefit from an immediate income tax deduction.

The key feature of legacy gifts like these is that they provide important benefits to you as well as to the Gateway Region YMCA.

Let Us Know So We Can Welcome You

If you have already included the Gateway Region YMCA, in your future plans, please let us know or contact Wendy Cornett-Marquitz, CFRE at 314 436 1177 ext. 21640 or wendy.cornett-marquitz@gwrymca.org to learn more. Doing so is not an act of vanity but of solidarity—you declare a proud partnership with us and allow us to confidently make plans for future efforts.

Contact Us

Our planned giving team would be happy to speak with you in confidence, with no obligation.

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Already included us in your estate plan?

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