According to Helen Crews, TMF is more than just a foundation: it’s a trusted organization with staff who go the extra mile for their donors.
As a young bride, Helen began attending the United Methodist Church with her husband, George, a lifelong Methodist. She was drawn to the church because of its social outreach, but the couple did not become active church members immediately.
After ten years of marriage, they decided to grow their family through adoption. In 1967, they adopted their daughter Cami from the Methodist Mission Home and three years later, their son Kyle. As a young mother, Helen realized the importance of a spiritual foundation for her children and the family became actively involved in children’s and youth ministries at FUMC Brownwood.
When Kyle was twelve, he asked if he could attend Glen Lake, a Methodist camp in the Central Texas Conference. He loved it so much, Kyle attended every year. “It was a space for Kyle to grow. The free atmosphere among fellow youth, away from distraction, really allowed him to open up to his faith,” Helen shared. Camp became an opportunity for Helen to connect with her son and have conversations about faith, growing closer together in their Christian walk. “I will always remember how Kyle would mope around the house after returning from camp and he would tell me, ‘Mom, I’m campsick.’”
Unfortunately, Kyle passed away when he was just seventeen, but the difference camping ministry had made on his life and faith journey left a lasting imprint. Helen and George wanted to honor Kyle’s memory and the impact Glen Lake had on their son’s life and began a lifelong effort to do so. After gifts to improve the camp cabins and a scholarship endowment at TMF, Helen still wanted to do more.
She sat down with Charles Smith, a TMF foundation relations representative, and began the process of exploring how she could honor the charities and causes she loved. What resulted was a plan she shared with her attorney, which was included in her estate plan.
In memory of her son, Helen funded an endowment to benefit Glen Lake. She funded an additional endowment to support ministries that focused on youth, and entrusted decision-making to TMF’s Grants Ministry. As outlined in her will, each endowment will be fully funded after she passes away and will adhere to the endowment agreements already in place because of her work with Charles.
Because she entrusted TMF with these endowments, Helen knows the impact on youth will continue for years to come. “I decided I wanted to do this through TMF because they were professional and showed exceptional care for me.”