Geisheimers Invest in Keeping Lakeside’s Mission for the Future

The Geisheimers believe in Lakeside’s mission so much that they have invested in Lakeside Chautauqua’s future by planning a legacy gift.

Kurt Geisheimer was first introduced to Lakeside by his deceased wife, Gloria. Gloria was a longtime Lakesider who came yearly with her church youth group.

The couple would bring their children when they were in grade school to picnic and enjoy all that Lakeside had to offer.

In 2005, Kurt and Gloria purchased a summer home in Lakeside when they tired of the pace of traditional vaca­tions. After a few years, they moved up for the entire sum­mer.

When Gloria passed away in 2009, Kurt moved to Lake­side year-round so he could reflect on the future and be near his friends in Lakeside.

Kurt introduced Debby, his current wife, to the Chau­tauqua community, and she immediately fell in love with Lakeside. They were married in their backyard in 2011.

As their Lakeside life­style continued to grow, the Geisheimers’ son, Jon, also purchased a cottage in 2012 for his own family, who spent four weeks in Lakeside last summer.

“I don’t know how we could all get together in the summers without our Lake­side home,” shared Kurt. “It’s a gathering place for family and friends too. You find so many cool connections when you reach out to the people around you. There is a net­work of people surrounding you that are a big part of your life.”

Kurt serves on the Lake­side Chautauqua Foundation Board of Directors and shares his skills and background in finance and strategic planning.

“We need to bridge the gap between our historic traditions and contemporary family life, securing the future by main­taining our mission and vi­sion while meeting the needs of today’s families,” said Geisheimer.

One of Lakeside Chau­tauqua’s strategic goals is addressing the emerging 21st century guest expectations.

By supporting Lakeside, each gift sustains Lakeside and all of the blended interests that the community has to of­fer each generation.

Kurt and Debby have taken time to plan a gift to the Lake­side Endowment by placing a firm legacy in their wills.

Many Lakesiders, like Kurt, have already made it a priority to protect the Chau­tauqua experience by planning a deferred endowment gift.

“We want to help keep Lakeside vibrant and relevant, and to leave Lakeside better off when we pass on than it was when we inherited it,” Geisheimer said. “The Lake­side Fund is a great start, but we can’t go where we need to with only annual fund giving for operating expenses.”

Planning a gift might in­clude pledging an endowment gift or naming Lakeside as a beneficiary in an estate, IRA or life insurance policy.

Gifts to the Lakeside En­dowment not only last, but they increase in size. Lakeside only spends 4% of the inter­est the endowment earns each year, which leaves the princi­pal intact and builds the fund.

Lakeside must grow en­dowment funds in order to achieve its strategic goals and to protect the Chautauqua ex­perience for many more gen­erations.

Each year, a percentage of the Lakeside Endowment is drawn on to support the Chau­tauqua program and many his­toric buildings.

Approximately $100,000 is dispersed from the endow­ment to support the signature Chautauqua program and the Lakeside experience each fis­cal year.

Lakesiders are invited to join The Endowment for Life Initiative by planning a gift for the future of Lakeside.

For more information about how you can plan a gift in support of Lakeside’s Endowment, contact the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation at (419) 798-5396 or advancement@lakesideohio.com.

“Lakeside is a simpler way to enjoy time with family. We must maintain the history and serenity, while raising the bar on our facilities,” Kurt added.