The Collabria Care – Collabria Hospice Legacy Society
John Pershing was a wise and generous investor with his time, his knowledge, and his money. His generosity with all three made Collabria Care a better place—and has continued to do so since his passing in December 2014.
John and his wife, Fran, had owned a 187-acre estate in Calistoga. After 23 years as grape growers, they sold the property and hit the road—exploring America and traveling abroad. They maintained their home base in St. Helena, and John began volunteering at Napa Valley Hospice & Adult Day Services.
After Fran passed away, John devoted more time to the organization, volunteering 50-plus hours a month, between Hospice, the Day Program, and the agency’s board of directors. He visited patients, led bingo games and even piloted a memory-stimulating reminiscence group. He strived to ensure that participants felt valued because as he once said, “When you get to a certain point in your life, people seem to only ask you what you want for breakfast.”
Beyond donating his time and expertise, John supported Collabria Care financially and named the agency as a beneficiary of his estate. Becoming a member of our Legacy Society allowed John to invest in the agency’s future growth, even after he was gone.
“Not only does a charitable bequest allow a donor to make a gift to Collbria Care without giving up assets now,” explains Collabria Care President & CEO Linda Gibson “it allows us to plan for the future. John understood how this is an investment in the future health of our community, and we are grateful for donors such as him for sharing in our mission and our long-term success.”
The Collabria Care Legacy Society was developed to recognize and honor donors now for their future gifts. To learn more, contact Joanne Sutro at 707.258.9080 or js****@co***********.org.