Donor Impact Stories

Newlyweds open a charitable giving fund for their guests to make a charitable donation in lieu of a gift.

FINLEY AND SARAH EWING found significant joy in their wedding planning — but in a way that’s different than most young couples. Instead of registering for and receiving gifts at their wedding, they decided to set up a charitable fund at CFT, the Sarah and Finley Ewing Wedding Fund, and asked all wedding guests to consider making a charitable donation to their fund in lieu of a gift. The Ewings were excited to begin their life together with the tone they'd set for their marriage: giving is better than receiving. In December 2020, Finley and Sarah made a donation to The Rise School of Dallas, an organization that provides quality early education services to children with and without disabilities, from the wedding gift contributions they received!

When Sarah was growing up, her mother was on the board of The Boys and Girls Country in Houston, an organization that supports children in crisis. Sarah remembers being friends with many of the children and playing together after school. She credits her initial passion for helping children to her involvement with the organization.

Similarly, Finley’s family has been involved with the Genesis Women’s Shelter for as long as he can remember. His mom currently serves on their board of directors, his grandmother used to serve on the board, and his dad spearheads a golf tournament to raise support. For both families, giving and serving has been a way of life passed down from generations.

Sarah and Finley knew they wanted to raise funds through their wedding celebration but weren’t sure how. They knew it would need to be easy for guests to give online or mail a check. Finley discovered that his grandmother, Gail Hall Ewing, had a charitable giving fund through CFT, the Finley Ewing Fund, named after his grandfather, so they decided to reach out to CFT. The Ewings can access their fund online anytime to see when gifts are made in support of The Rise School.

“We were so excited to tell our parents about our charitable fund. They were deeply proud of our choice. The response from our friends and family has been extremely positive,” said Sarah.

Finley and Sarah are well on their way to impacting the community in ways that matter most to them. To learn more about starting your own charitable fund, visit CFTexas.org/funds. To make a gift to the Sarah and Finley Ewing Wedding Fund in support of The Rise School, visit CFTexas.org/ Ewings.

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