Julich Family Prepares Letter of Intent to Plan for the Future

Daryl and Leslie Julich have always been committed to giving and have been involved in volunteer roles with area nonprofits. For many years, Daryl volunteered with Waypoint Services and the Catherine McAuley Center; in addition to his time, he gave small contributions when he could. Leslie’s charitable involvement began with the American Cancer Society. She now serves on the board of the YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area.

While Daryl and Leslie both grew up in other communities, it’s clear they’re deeply committed to Cedar Rapids.

“We wanted to give back to the community here,” says Leslie, “because Cedar Rapids is such a great place to raise a family and it’s so easy to be involved in the community. You feel like you can make a positive difference.”
The couple approached the Community Foundation, initially intending to make one large contribution.

“We met with Michelle Beisker, Vice President of Development,” Daryl recalls, “and she explained that we could create something where our gift would continue to grow, and that way, we could have a greater impact on our community.”

As part of their estate planning, Daryl and Leslie Julich named the Community Foundation as the beneficiary of 10% of their estate, to be used to create the Daryl and Leslie Julich Endowed Fund. The couple drafted a letter of intent clarifying their intention to support “education, health and welfare of children, women and families.” The letter specifies that grants made from the fund will support five local, named nonprofit organizations.
“The letter of intent was part of our process of planning for the future,” explains Leslie. “We knew that we wanted the remainder of our assets to go back to the community after we’re gone.”

“It’s really easy,” she adds. “It’s almost like a one-stop shop.”

“It’s comforting to know that the people involved with the foundation are doing this from their hearts,” Daryl explains. “They want to help us make an impact and improve our community.”

Leslie agrees, “They have an excellent reputation and it put us at ease to know that our money would be safely handled and put to good use to support the organizations we specified.”