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McLeod-Williams 1831 Society

Brigette McLeod-Williams commits to making a difference with the 1831 Society

Dear friends,

I recently had the opportunity of meeting with some of the Foster Care staff to share my story about how Rising Ground changed my life, and I'd like to share with you how I've committed to doing so for future generations.

Today, as a retired corporate lawyer and a board member at Rising Ground, I find myself musing on my connection with a woman named Henrietta Peck. The reality is that she and I couldn’t be more different – she lived her adult life at the turn of the 20th century and I in the 21st, yet her life forever changed mine.

Mrs. Peck was the widow of a wealthy businessman named Andrew Peck, who as a boy spent time at Leake and Watts, now Rising Ground, and so did I. When health issues resulted in my mother not being able to care for my siblings and me, it was Rising Ground that she turned to. We were placed in a foster home where we got the love and care we needed to thrive. Therefore, Mr. Peck and I are both alumni of Rising Ground.

In 1928, when Mrs. Peck died, her estate set up the Andrew Peck Memorial Fund, a fund at Rising Ground dedidcated to meeting the educational and learning needs of its children. This made yet another connection to me because when the time came for me to attend college and law school, the Andrew Peck Memorial Fund, set up all those years before, made my education possible.

I now serve on the board of Rising Ground because of my connection to the organization. Rising Ground ensures that every child, family, and adult they support can have a productive and rewarding life. As they say, they have provided “Paths to Positive Change since 1831.”

You, too, can be a part of Rising Ground’s future, its rich legacy, and the future of someone it supports by remembering them in your will. I’ve done it, and it was quite simple working with my estate advisor. I just added the following text to my will:
“I give, devise, and bequeath to Rising Ground, a nonprofit corporation located in Brooklyn, NY, the sum of ___________ dollars $(_________________).”

Your estate advisor will be able to help you with the proper wording for your particular situation. You will be creating a gift that will help Rising Ground far into the future and affect countless lives – lives like mine.

The 1831 Society is designed to acknowledge and celebrate caring, foresighted individuals who choose to remember Rising Ground in their estate planning. When you let us know, which I hope you will, you will receive a special acknowledgment from us, and your name will be included in our Annual Report as a member of the society.

You can learn more at www.RisingGround.org/1831Society or reach out to H. Aldervan Daly, Executive Vice President Institutional Advancement. You can reach him at 212-602-5847 or at [email protected]

Thank you for supporting Rising Ground and all of our children, adults, and families.

Brigette McLeod-

Brigette McLeod-Williams
Secretary, Rising Ground Board of Directors & Charter Member, 1831 Society

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