Donor Stories

Donor Stories:
Carol Kerley &
Linda Dunham

Compassion through Action

Pride Foundation fundholders Carol Kerley and Linda Dunhams’ lives together began at a time when living openly as a lesbian couple was not an option. This would have put Carol’s job in jeopardy, and could have resulted in both of them being disowned by their families.

After years of being in a relationship that they couldn’t share with the world, they moved to Whidbey Island, Washington. Carol reflected on when the couple first felt that Whidbey Island was their home: “We’d been together for 32 years at the time, and I clearly remember filling out a form to be on the hospital board, and being able to—for the first time ever—write that I was in a long-term relationship.”

It was at this moment, after over three decades of being a couple, that they were finally able to share their relationship with their broader community. “We never went back,” explained Carol. They’ve now been in Langley for 12 years, and have made it their home.

While philanthropy has always been at the forefront of their minds, it was put on the back burner because so much of their financial future was determined by the fact that they could not be married. Once marriage was finally an option with the passage of marriage equality in Washington State in 2012, their financial futures became black and white. For the first time, they could make real decisions because they had definitive answers about what would happen to their assets when they were gone.

These definitive answers became especially crucial two years ago when Linda was diagnosed with cancer. Several rounds of treatment later, Linda continues to face her diagnosis with courage as they hope for the best. Despite these challenges, each new day brings love and laughter, especially in the time they get to spend with their 8 and 9 year-old adopted grandnieces—whom they constantly teach lessons on the importance of community and giving back.

The financial clarity and security that came from their marriage has meant that philanthropy has become a bigger part of their lives. Carol explained that they haven’t always been in a position to give, yet, “I have this really strong belief that everyone should give, and I’ve believed it and lived it my whole life.”

It was this idea that has motivated the couple to make a planned gift to Pride Foundation, which gives Carol and Linda the opportunity to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in the Northwest. As a regional community foundation, Pride Foundation invests in organizations, students, and leaders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—transforming individual acts of courage, like Carol and Linda’s planned gift, into a unified movement for change.

Forced to live their lives in secrecy for 32 years out of fear of discrimination, Carol and Linda know first-hand the importance of Pride Foundation’s vision—to create a world in which all LGBTQ youth, adults, and families enjoy the freedom to live safely, openly, and genuinely.

In the end, their belief in people and community has been the true motivation for their planned gift to Pride Foundation—the idea that compassion can be spread through action.

Carol and Linda’s planned gift to Pride Foundation will not only support the LGBTQ community, but it will also honor their 44 years together, their dedication to one another and their community, and the moment when a hospital form helped to make the Northwest a place they could call home.

Katelen Kellogg is Pride Foundation’s Community Giving Manager. Email Katelen.