Ron and Rebecca Gafford
“The project and the timing were right for our families’ involvement.”
To honor the late Charles Gresham, Trust for Public Land established the Gresham Challenge, with $1 million from his generous estate gift designated to inspire others to give. Keep reading to meet one of the first Legacy Partners to answer this call, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
Rebecca and I have been involved in Trust for Public Land for well over 30 years having been first introduced to Trust for Public Land when we lived in Atlanta in the 80s. Chris Sawyer helped to put together a real estate advisory board for Will Rogers and eventually chaired the board of directors for Trust for Public Land. I was a member of that advisory board for several years even after we returned to Dallas.
Trust for Public Land got a slow start in Texas and Dallas was a distant priority with all the other opportunities in the U.S. Once the North Texas office was staffed with capable leadership with Robert Kent and Devin Girod, Trust for Public Land’s influence in Texas started to take shape. Selected projects had been accomplished in Texas but not on any scale. I was a part of the national work of Trust for Public Land as we would travel to many places to see firsthand the wonderfully transforming work of Trust for Public Land. We were in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Sundance, to mention a few. Based on that experience and the focus of Trust for Public Land on parks and green space, when the Gresham Challenge project surfaced, we felt it was time for us to make a more significant gift to Trust for Public Land and to help to close out this challenge gift. The project is located in a deserving part of Dallas and previously had been under emphasized. The project and the timing were right for our families’ involvement.
Contact us to learn more about making a legacy gift to Trust for Public Land.
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