Bequests

A longtime member of the Uptown Civitan Club, Diane Young volunteered at Pine Castle with her club members for over 30 years. Serving as the charter president-elect of the new all-female Uptown Club, her commitment and leadership are reflected in their many activities of support for the programs of Pine Castle.

Civic engagement was always very important to Diane and her husband Ray, and after retirement, he joined in the activities with her. They were always very involved with local charities and their faith community. It seemed as if Diane saw the Pine Castle Civitan Club as a natural extension of her faith and service to others. So, it shouldn't have been a surprise when the check for her generous estate gift arrived in the mail. However, as CEO Lori Ann Whittington shared, "We were completely flabbergasted when the check for the donation from Mrs. Young arrived unannounced! I only wish we could have known before her passing and thanked her in advance for her generous legacy gift plan. However, the timing was perfect. We were able to use her heartfelt gift to completely renovate the outdoor walking track and sports activity area, creating the "Diane Young Track & Field Complex" and publicly acknowledge her generosity during our 70 ^th Anniversary Celebration in 2022."

Diane's dear friend of many years, Martha [Mattie] Fraser, was initially introduced to Civitan by Diane. Mattie shared some of the background about the club and Diane's involvement. "Another friend, Mary Jo Marjenhoff, and I learned what another Civitan club had done working with a group serving people with intellectual and developmental differences in another part of the country. We reached out to Jon May, Executive Director at the time, and Jon invited us to tour the campus. When we did, we were all in. I was President of our club and in June 1989, Mary Jo and I became the founding members of the Pine Castle Civitan Club, helped by other members of Uptown including Diane. From that time on, Diane supported us and was totally committed."

Another friend and fellow club member, Elaine Hall, worked closely with Diane at Pine Castle. She recalled that "Our goal for the Pine Castle club was for our Uptown Club Members to engage with and support the community involvement of participants at Pine Castle. It was and is "our" club together - theirs as much as ours. We were so proud of how we were welcomed and have partnered in community activities together ever since. And, we have fun together! From the early days, if our Uptown club was doing a fund raiser or writing cards to those needing encouragement, the Pine Castle members were right there doing it with us. And Diane was always part of making that happen!"

Diane Young gave much during her lifetime and supported Pine Castle in so many ways. But we are most grateful to her for the legacy gift she gave through the generous bequest in her will. Because she planned that gift, she is still with us. Her support gives so much joy and meaning to the program participants at Pine Castle . And - her gift will continue to give so much for years to come!