While Jake and Erin are younger than most couples who declare their intent to leave a portion of their estate to a beloved nonprofit, they have known it was a shared goal since some of their earliest experiences with philanthropy.

 

Erin grew up in Dogtown and her family was heavily involved in St. James Parish. One of the nuns who taught her in high school told her, “Just start small and give what you can, and then grow incrementally,” and this has stuck with Erin as a universal life lesson – that small amounts and adjustments make a difference in life and can add up to bigger impacts over time.

 

Erin and Jake met at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, where they were heavily involved in Greek life. Erin, now a Project Manager for HH Global, serves as the Philanthropy Advisor for her chapter of Gamma Phi Beta. Jake, Senior Dietitian for Lutheran Senior Services, also gives back to Sigma Nu.

 

Jake received an endowed scholarship to attend SEMO and was given the opportunity to meet the donor who made it possible for him to go to college. He was surprised to learn she was one of his favorite dietetics professors. He promised that, when he could, he would create a scholarship to pay it forward to another student in need and he and Erin have since established a named scholarship. Every year when they visit to meet the recipient, they spend time catching up with the professor who supported Jake’s.

 

Jake and Erin don’t plan to have children of their own, but they’re devoted to their 7 nieces and nephews and have a passion for helping families with children who are struggling. One fated Halloween, some adorable patient trick-or-treaters visited Jake’s sister’s home in the neighborhood behind Ranken Jordan, and he and Erin just had to learn more. They joined the Young Professionals Board and began making a difference right away, helping to launch the annual Trivia Night event that they now sponsor.

 

Erin and Jake say they get a feeling of belonging and community from being involved at Ranken Jordan. Erin said, “Ranken Jordan is always getting better and asking, ‘what else can we do for these children and families?’ We know exactly where our dollars are going.” They have continued to deepen their commitment over the years. In early 2020, Jake joined the Board of Directors.

 

Inspired by our founder Mary Ranken Jordan whose legacy is still supporting our work today, they made the decision to leave a portion of their legacy to the hospital. They want their endowment support to ensure that the lights are going to stay on, and that the mission will carry on. Jake said, “When my great-great nieces and nephews look us up on ancestry.com, I want them to see that we were passionate about something and that we gave what we could when we could to an organization that did good in the world.”

 

Jake and Erin expressed their hope that in the next 40-50 years, Ranken Jordan has expanded the model of what succeeds here in the Midwest to all other communities across the nation. It is thanks to incredible people like them that we remain steadfast in the belief that we can achieve a world where every child with complex medical needs lives their best life.