Not Just an Apartment

Helen Anderson enjoys hosting parties—so much so, that she’s hosted one in honor of an animal that doesn’t receive much positive regard: the sloth. “My daughter, Jane, helped me pull this party together. We served treats inspired by the sloth’s diet. Pretzels for sticks, chocolate covered raisins for insects and green gumdrops for leaves,” she laughs. “It was a lot of fun and Jane gave a talk on sloths, too.”

Helen has lived at Beacon Hill, a PHS community in Minnetonka, Minne., since 2011. She and her husband, Alan, moved from a neighboring suburb. They chose Beacon Hill, in part, because of the green spaces. “I love that I’m able to take my cat, Speedbump, out for a walk in the lawn just outside of my apartment,” she notes.

Helen continues, “I always want to be learning. It makes life far more interesting. Reading has always been important to me.” Helen graduated early from Smith College to serve the war effort during World War II. She took a job with the Office of Strategic Services (which became the CIA) in Washington, D.C. and worked on the Joint Army-Navy Intelligence Studies, researching the islands around Japan. Alan was serving in the Army during World War II.

Although they both grew up in Minneapolis and attended the same elementary school, it wasn’t until after the war that they became more acquainted. “We both attended a welcome home party for returning service members. And we married in 1947.”

In 2014, Helen and Alan noticed an article from the Presbyterian Homes Foundation in their monthly Beacon Hill newsletter. “It was about using a beneficiary designation on an IRA account to make a gift to PHS. I called the Foundation to find out more about the process, and we decided to add Beacon Hill as a designation on our IRAs,” Helen says. Alan died in 2016 and since then, the beneficiary gift has come to support Beacon Hill.

“When we moved to Beacon Hill, we thought that we were just renting an apartment,” Helen says. “Soon after, it became apparent that we were a part of a mission. I’m grateful to be a part of Beacon Hill and I know that my experience here is enhanced because people before me made charitable gifts. I continue to give because I’m thankful for my home.”

Helen loves that there is always something to take part in at Beacon Hill. The staff and residents contribute in many ways to make this a friendly place to call home. “When Alan and I were new residents, there were seven Helen’s living here, so I hosted a “Helen” lunch,” she says. “We do like to have fun!”

Naming a favorite charity as a beneficiary designation on an IRA, life insurance or pension account is often an easy way for donors to make a future gift to a mission that is close to their heart. At PHS, donors that make these types of gifts are a part of the Legacy Society. If you would like more information about how beneficiary designations can help your community, please call the Presbyterian Homes Foundation.