Leave a Legacy

We all want to make a difference in the world and leave behind a lasting imprint on our society. When it comes to investing in the long-term success of local people, no organization is more committed to meeting the community’s diverse needs as Community Bridges. Together, we can make our community a better place for generations after us.

Bequests

Leaving a gift in your will or trust is a powerful way to express your values now – and strengthen our community’s future. The right planned gift can provide you and your loved ones with tax and income benefits, while leaving a lasting impact on the people and programs that mean the most to you. To leave a gift in your will or trust, just discuss this language with a qualified
professional:

“I bequeath $_____ or _____% of my estate to Community Bridges, tax ID# 94-2460211, located at 519 Main
Street, Watsonville, CA 95076.”

Legacy Giving – Common Options

You can decide to leave your gift for general purposes, or for a specific program. You can direct your planned gift to the general fund, or to our endowment.

It is Easy!

  • You can name Community Bridges in your will or living trust.
  • You can name Community Bridges as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or insurance policy.
  • More complex options, like charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities, can be set up easily with the help of a financial advisor.

Legacy Gifts are Caring Gifts for the Future

Our largest gifts have come from bequest donors. These thoughtful and caring gifts support important services over many years. Your legacy can truly live into the future with a little planning today.

Appreciated Assets

Stocks and gifts of appreciated assets, including appreciated shares of stocks and mutual funds, may be some of the most tax-efficient ways to give. If you have securities that have increased in value, you may receive a deduction based on the full appreciated value, and you might also avoid the capital gains tax that would have been due had you sold the shares.

Community Bridges uses the firm LPL Financial to handle all electronic transfers of stock. Your broker can transfer directly your gift to our account using this information:

  1. Receiving Account Registration: Community Bridges nonprofit – A nonprofit organization
  2. The account number for gifts is 51042048.
  3. The DTC number for LPL Financial is 0075.
  4. Please have your broker include your name and contact information when making the transfer.
  5. Community Bridges’ contact at LPL Financial is Cole J. Strickland, who may be reached at (831) 818-1917 or cole.strickland@lpl.com.

Upon completion of your stock transfer, please complete this Stock Transfer Form and return to:

Community Bridges
519 Main Street
Watsonville, CA 95076

Retirement Benefits

IRAs, 401(K), 403(B) and other retirement accounts grow tax-deferred, often becoming quite large over the years. Unlike many other types of investments, funds withdrawn from retirement accounts can be taxable to you and, eventually, to your heirs. Retirement accounts left to Community Bridges are removed from your estate for federal estate tax purposes. Plus, there is no income-tax assessed against your estate or your heirs when the funds are transferred to Community Bridges, allowing you to avoid multiple taxes.

If you are over 70 ½, you are required to take distributions from an IRA. Instead of creating a taxable event for yourself, make the distribution a charitable gift. As long as the distribution is paid directly to Community Bridges from your IRA administrator, the amount will not be counted in your taxable income for the year, which may result in tax savings for you!

Join the Community Bridges Founding 100

Community Bridges is creating sustainable solutions to support our mission. Relying on government funding to support our programs simply isn’t enough. In 2018, we started an endowment to ensure that the safety net we have created will continue to grow for generations to come.

We invite you to join the “Community Bridges Founding 100.” This group will consist of 100 members that donate $1,000 or more to the Community Bridges endowment, helping us create lasting solutions to issues of poverty, health, and education in our community.

100% of profit from our endowment will be used to support the operations of our programs, strengthening this vital community.

Thank you to our first Founding 100 members:

Raymon & Trisha Cancino
Paul & Teresa Carrubba
Leland & Susan Faust
Barbara and Allen Frank
Ralph and Julie Kimball
Jerry Lopez & Ana Espinosa
The Solari Mazry Family Fund at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
Susan Marinshaw
O’Connell Family
The Rinker-Kan Family
Paul & Baylee Whitted

Questions? Contact Anna Vaage, Sr. Development Analyst, at 831-688-8840 x205 or annav@cbridges.org.

Thanks to your voices, Gov. Gavin Newsom has requested a Major Disaster Declaration to provide federal support for residents impacted by storms and floods. Thanks to the more than 800 concerned community members that signed our request, and the more than 200 personal comments sharing your hearts with the community Pajaro as well those who had suffered personal losses.You can continue to use your voice to urge the President to grant the governor's request to release desperately needed support to the people of Pajaro as well as across the state. Use the following updated link to show your support for federal action with President Biden, Governor Newsom and local representatives: communitybridges.salsalabs.org/pajarorecoveryaction#StrongerTogether #pajarostrong #PeoplePower ... See MoreSee Less
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A community united can never be divided.We want to acknowledge the dozens of nonprofit and community leaders who signed a letter asking that Gov. Gavin Newsom provide emergency aid to Pajaro Valley residents who have lost so much.Earlier today, the governor officially requested President Joe Biden make FEMA individual assistance available for various California counties impacted by the recent spring storms, including Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. This is excellent news, but more needs to be done.We urge the president to grant this request and for the governor to make state assistance available for Pajaro Valley residents who will not qualify for federal aid because of documentation status.You can continue to advocate for an equitable recovery for the Pajaro Valley here: bit.ly/42DWU9s ... See MoreSee Less
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El camino hacia la recuperación ha comenzado para muchas familias afectadas por las inundaciones en el Valle de Pájaro. Para algunos, esto llevará semanas. Para otros, esto llevará años.Community Bridges y sus socios comunitarios, incluida la Junta de Acción Comunitaria del Condado de Santa Cruz, Caridades Católicas, Monarch Services y Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, están aquí para ayudar.Los grupos comunitarios ya han distribuido más de $600,000 en asistencia directa a las familias de Pajaro Valley, y ahora tenemos un plan de tres olas para continuar apoyando su recuperación.Agradecemos a la Fundación Comunitaria del Condado de Santa Cruz y a la Fundación Comunitaria del Condado de Monterey por patrocinar este esfuerzo y por su continuo apoyo al Valle de Pájaro durante este momento difícil.Lea sobre el plan de recuperación de tres olas en este artículo de opinión colaborativo en el Santa Cruz Sentinel: www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/03/27/guest-commentary-pajaro-floods-community-groups-step-up /¿Necesita servicios de gestión de casos de desastres a largo plazo? Comuníquese con Recursos Comunitarios de La Manzana o Catholic Charities para obtener ayuda.La ManzanaVisita: 521 Main St., Suite Y, WatsonvilleLlame: 831-724-2997Catholic CharitiesLlame: 831-316-9122 ... See MoreSee Less
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The road to recovery has begun for many flood-impacted families in the Pajaro Valley. For some, this will take weeks. For others, this will take years. Community Bridges and its community partners, including the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc., Catholic Charities Monterey, Monarch Services - Servicios Monarca, and Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, are here to help. Community groups have already distributed more than $750,000 in direct assistance to Pajaro Valley families, and now we have a three-wave plan to continue supporting their recovery.We thank Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and Community Foundation for Monterey County for sponsoring this endeavor and for their ongoing support of the Pajaro Valley during this difficult time. Read about the three-wave recovery plan in this collaborative opinion piece in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/03/27/guest-commentary-pajaro-floods-community-groups-step-up/In need of long-term disaster case management services? Reach out to La Manzana Community Resources or Catholic Charities for help.La ManzanaVisit: 521 Main St., Suite Y, Watsonville Call: 831-724-2997Catholic CharitiesCall: 831-316-9122 ... See MoreSee Less
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HAPPENING NOW: The Monterey County Board of Supervisors is discussing a temporary eviction moratorium for people impacted by the recent spring storms. The Board will resume its meeting at 10:30am. The Board's agenda and the link to watch along can be found here: monterey.legistar.com/Page.aspx?M=WCommunity Bridges is in full support of the temporary eviction moratorium. It is critical that our local leaders take steps to prevent displacement and relocation in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Pajaro Valley. ... See MoreSee Less
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