How One Legacy Gift Continues to Strengthen Central Florida
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Mrs. Penelope Wilson was a longtime Central Florida resident who called Longwood and Winter Park home for decades. In 2000, after the passing of her husband, Lt. Col. USAF Ret. Winton Wilson, she established an area-of-interest fund at Central Florida Foundation. The Penelope and Winton (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) Wilson Fund honors her husband’s legacy while reflecting her deep commitment to strengthening the community they loved.
1916-2015
For decades, the fund has supported nonprofits serving underrepresented and under-resourced communities across the region. Since its creation, it has distributed more than $1.1 million in grants. Mrs. Wilson, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 99, ensured that her generosity would continue helping others long after her lifetime. That legacy helped secure critical food resources for thousands of residents this winter.
Supporting Our Food Assistance System
In late 2025, a temporary hiatus in SNAP food assistance created an immediate strain on local food systems. Food banks and community organizations experienced a sudden increase in need. Through area-of-interest funds at Central Florida Foundation, our team is able to respond quickly when unexpected challenges arise.
When this crisis emerged, the Penelope and Winton (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) Wilson Fund deployed $55,000 to support nonprofits working directly with families experiencing food insecurity. Grants supported the Salvation Army – Orlando Area Command, United Against Poverty, Hope CommUnity Center, and the 4R Foundation, helping each organization expand food access and operational support during a critical moment.
Additional support was provided through two more area of interest funds at Central Florida Foundation: the Kimball Family Fund and the Adam, Geraldine and John W. Eisenhauer Fund. Together, these funds helped strengthen the region’s response by supporting Second Harvest Food Bank and NAMI Central Florida, which expanded youth mental health programs across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Brevard counties.
A Legacy Gift: The Power of an Endowed Area of Interest Fund
An endowed area of interest fund is designed to last forever. The fund is invested for long-term growth while a portion is distributed annually to support charitable causes aligned with the donor’s intent.
Area of interest funds are especially flexible. Donors identify the issues they care about most, such as education, housing, health, animal welfare, or economic stability. Even if a specific challenge could not have been predicted at the time the fund was created, the resources are already in place when the community needs them.
Endowed funds can also be designated to support a particular nonprofit or group of nonprofits. Built-in safeguards ensure that if an organization ever closes or changes, the fund continues supporting work that reflects the donor’s original intent.
Mrs. Wilson’s Fund in Action
Endowment is designed to do two things at once: invest for long-term growth and provide steady support to the community each year. With a disciplined spending policy and thoughtful stewardship, the principal is preserved while grants are distributed annually.
The Penelope and Winton (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) Wilson Fund demonstrates this approach in action. Since its creation, the fund has awarded more than $1 million in grants, yet its principal today exceeds the total amount originally contributed. Mrs. Wilson’s generosity, combined with Central Florida Foundation’s stewardship, ensures her philanthropic legacy will continue serving the community for generations.
Creating a Legacy: It’s How You Give, Not How Much
At Central Florida Foundation, we often say, “It’s not how much you give, it’s how you give it.” The structure of a gift, the causes it supports, and the long-term vision behind it can shape a lasting impact.
Many people ask whether their estate can truly make a difference. The answer is yes, especially when a community acts together. A recent Transfer of Wealth study found that if every community member left just 5% of their estate to charitable purposes, it could generate roughly $750 million in grantmaking. If those dollars were endowed, the potential impact could grow to $8.6 billion over 20 years.
Mrs. Wilson likely never knew the exact moment her generosity would matter most. Yet because she chose to create an endowed fund, her legacy continues to respond to the needs of Central Florida decades later. When food assistance systems faced unexpected strain this winter, her foresight helped ensure families across the region could still access essential resources.
That is the power of planned giving. A charitable gift included in your estate plan can continue supporting the causes you care about long into the future, adapting as new challenges and opportunities arise.
Start Your Legacy
We are honored to steward hundreds of legacies in Central Florida, with donor intent as our guiding principle. Through these legacies, we’ve invested millions of dollars into the community.
If you are considering how philanthropy might fit into your estate plan, Central Florida Foundation would welcome the conversation. Together, we can help you create a legacy that reflects what matters most to you and strengthens our community for generations to come.
Steven J. Jerina, MPA, CAP® sjerina@cffound.org
Neil Rios Laverde nrios@cffound.org
407-872-3050
