In 2009, when Warren Buffet and Bill Gates launched their Giving Pledge campaign they asked the world’s billionaires to pledge to give at least half their fortunes to charity. Today over a hundred billionaires have signed the pledge.
Alan Carlson believed that you don’t have to be a billionaire to commit to this cause. He wanted to bring this pledge to life on a local level. Alan believed that he and his wife Ellen’s estate should be left to charity. After Alan’s death, Ellen Carlson took on the challenge. As part of her estate planning, Ellen set up a memorial scholarship in honor of her husband, at the Foundation. Alan graduated from Boyceville High School in 1967. He obtained a Business Administration degree from UW-Stout and received an Agriculture Extended Degree from UW-River Falls. Ellen and Alan took over Alan’s family farm, which is surrounded by acres of lush woodlands, a perfect location for Alan’s love of the outdoors.
Alan was an avid reader and progressive thinker. He loved learning and traveling. He was a participant in the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, which allowed him to travel the world. His travels included China, Cuba, Hungary, New Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam, and Washington D.C. where he learned about issues dealing with health care, economics, and different religious and cultural practices.
By establishing this scholarship, Ellen knows she will keep her husband’s spirit alive and benefit a Boyceville student with similar aspirations. This is just the starting point of Ellen and Alan’s philanthropy. Ellen plans on fulfilling Alan’s wishes and bequeathing their estate to charity.
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