The Lodi Community Foundation (LCF) has been notified that it will receive a gift of nearly $30 million from the Sheila Wishek estate. Born and raised in Lodi, Ms. Wishek generously donated to local non-profit organizations over the years. This generous contribution to LCF will support grantmaking efforts that address issues affecting Lodi and surrounding areas in perpetuity.
“All of us on the Lodi Community Foundation board of directors are completely surprised and overwhelmed by the size of this gift from Sheila. She had told us that the foundation would receive a contribution, but this is beyond any of our expectations,” said John Ledbetter, chair of the foundation’s board. “Her gift to the foundation is a total gamechanger, not just for the foundation itself, but for the entire community of Lodi.”
Ledbetter also stated that given the unprecedented and unexpected size of this generous gift, the LCF board of directors has already begun a process to assess and expand its organizational capacity and to develop ‘best practice’ policies and procedures in all functional areas of the foundation. “We are taking a thoughtful and strategic approach to the complex work ahead, which I believe Sheila would have appreciated and expected,” said Mr. Ledbetter.
The board of directors have engaged Russ Hayward, a local non-profit consultant, to assist with developing grantmaking policies for the distribution of Ms. Wishek’s estate and with the capacity building needs of LCF to administer this new body of work.
ABOUT LODI COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Lodi Community Foundation (LCF) was founded in 2005 in order to help Lodi residents fulfill their charitable goals. LCF administers forty-two unique funds comprised of individuals, family foundations and non-profit organizations. Total LCF assets are $8,347,233 excluding the Wishek gift.