Burnsville Family Creates Local Legacy

Skip and Carol Wilson relocated to Burnsville when they retired and work with The Yancey Fund and CFWNC to create a plan for their legacy. The Wilsons are passionate about helping children with special needs.

Meet Jay and Carol Wilson

Jay (Skip) Wilson, a retired citrus grower, knew he wanted to bring his wife Carol, a retired university dean and faculty member, and son Jay to Burnsville. The community, nestled in Yancey County, “is the same community that welcomed me into their homes as a young Army Special Forces Airborne trooper performing my training exercises,” said Skip. Many years later, the same friendly welcome was extended to his family when they relocated to Western North Carolina.

Skip and Carol had established a donor advised family endowment fund with the Central Florida Community Foundation and, recognizing the value of working with a community foundation, immediately wanted to establish the same professional relationship with CFWNC with a special emphasis on the Yancey Fund. “The ease with which the staff at the Foundation met our requests when hearing that we were interested in children with special needs, was a delight to experience,” said Carol.

The dedication and enthusiasm of members of the Yancey Fund Advisory Board to meet needs in their community convinced Carol to become a member of that board. “Having established an expectancy fund, along with other members of the Legacy Society who have arranged for a future gift to the Yancey Fund, assures Skip, Jay and me that our desire to continue helping well into the future is guaranteed,” said Carol.

“With time, giving back becomes more and more important,” added Skip. “It is personally rewarding to have an opportunity to see the results of our philanthropy and to know that everything is in place through our relationship with The Community Foundation.”

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“With time, giving back becomes more and more important”

— Skip Wilson