Washington County, OH – The country of France is revered as the most romantic place in the world. This is why it should come as no surprise that even approximately 4,000 miles away, the allure of romance was in the air for Jeremiah and Lyndsey Kuhn, two Warren Local High School students as they sat in Mr. William’s French class during third period… even if they didn’t know it yet.
“Neither of us were very good French students,” said Jeremiah.
“I can say maybe five words!” exclaimed Lyndsey.
Even if they weren’t the best French students, as they sat at their desks with their textbooks open, the two were just feet apart from their future spouse… and future partner in philanthropy.
After graduating from Warren, they both set-off on separate paths. Jeremiah stayed local, attending Marietta College where he studied Finance. Lyndsey traveled two hours away for her higher educational career at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she would study Nursing and later go on to become a Nurse Practitioner.
Several years later, after being prodded by mutual friends, the two would begin dating after graduating college. Although Jeremiah’s initial attempt at a first date ended in denial, eventually, Lyndsey relented and agreed to go to a movie with him.
“Jeremiah and a few of our friends were going to a David Crowder concert and Jeremiah wanted to invite me,” said Lyndsey. “But I didn’t know him… I knew of him but didn’t know him, so I said, ‘No.’ I followed up and asked if we could go on a date to get to know each other first. About a month later we went and saw a movie together.”
Through common interests and shared faith, Jeremiah and Lyndsey would finally close the gap that separated them in French class all of those years ago. After two-and-a-half years of dating, they met at the altar in May of 2011 and pledged their devotion to one another in front of a crowd of witnesses.
Since that day, the couple has journeyed together and have welcomed two children into the world, a daughter, Joyhanna, and their one-month-old son, Everett. As the couple expands their family, they are cultivating a legacy that they will pass down to their children, both literally and figuratively.
When it comes to estate planning, many people think of giving their children a ‘good start’ in life, but for the Kuhns, they want to also give their children a good start in philanthropy.
“Half of our estate is set to go to charity,” said Jeremiah. “A portion will go to things that we have established, but then 10 percent will go into our charitable fund that our children will manage… we want them to be a part of this.”
To execute their wishes, the Kuhn family has entrusted Marietta Community Foundation with their legacy.
“We wanted to put our estate plans in the right hands,” said Jeremiah. “Being in the industry, knowing the Foundation, and seeing what they do in the community we knew they were the perfect fit. They worked with us to set-up a legacy gift to benefit Warren Local School’s academics and athletics programs…. That’s where our heart is and so we wanted to make sure we gave back to that.”
By trusting the Foundation with their legacy, Jeremiah and Lyndsey added their name to a growing list of influential community members, known as the 1788 Legacy Society.
Giving back to the community they grew up in is an essential responsibility they both desire to accomplish together and pass on to their children.
“What we have is not ours to just hang onto forever… we want to serve our community with it,” said Lyndsey.
“We believe our possessions should be held out with an open hand,” said Jeremiah. “Just because something is in our name doesn’t mean it’s addressed to us forever.”
If you would like to build a long-term philanthropic legacy or establish a philanthropic fund for family philanthropy, please contact Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation at heather@mcfohio.org.