Two years before he died, then-81-year-old Al Robertshaw bought a wrist-strengthening machine to build up his wrists for bicycle-riding.

When son Tom Robertshaw found the evidence of his father’s determination to stay fit, he marveled at his mother’s explanation.  “Your father never gave up,” she said.

The younger Robertshaw, himself an amateur bike rider and involved in various athletic activities throughout his life, wanted to find a way to encourage that kind of determination in athletes of all ages.  He decided to do it through a donation of appreciated stock and the creation of an Advised Fund which would make it possible for his children to learn about helping others.

“We are on the fringe, trying to find people who are out of the limelight, who might not otherwise develop the right contacts to receive support,” he said.

Over the years, Community Foundation staff helped the Robertshaws find new opportunities to honor Al Robertshaw’s memory through grants, including support of the Lakeshore Foundation, where wheelchair athletes practice for international competition and older adults take advantage of water exercise classes.

To learn more about how you can use an Advised Fund to fulfill your family’s charitable dreams, contact Erin Stephenson.