August is Make-a-Will Month—a time dedicated to the powerful act of planning for the future. While it may not be a topic we discuss every day, creating a will is one of the most thoughtful and impactful things you can do for the people and causes you love. It’s an opportunity to protect your family and ensure your values continue to make a difference long after you’re gone.
For us at Erika’s Lighthouse, this month is a powerful reminder of how we can build a lasting legacy of hope for young people.
Every day, we work to Get Depression Out of the Dark. Our free, evidence-informed programs and resources empower school communities—students, families, and educators—to talk openly about mental health, reducing stigma and encouraging help-seeking. We believe every young person deserves to know they are not alone and that help is available.
But to continue this vital work, we need a consistent and reliable source of funding. That’s where you come in, and that’s where planned giving shines.
What is Planned Giving?
Planned giving, often called legacy giving, is a way to make a significant donation to Erika’s Lighthouse through your estate plan. It’s a gift that costs you nothing today but has a profound and lasting impact on our future. The most common way to make a planned gift is by including a bequest in your will. You can designate a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder of your assets to support our mission.
A Legacy That Lives On.
A planned gift is more than just a donation; it’s a commitment to the future of youth mental health. It’s the promise that a student years from now, facing the silence and isolation of depression, will have a safe space to learn and find help. Your legacy gift could fund our Classroom Education programs for an entire school district, train educators to be mental health champions, or help launch new Empowerment Clubs where students become advocates for their peers.
By including Erika’s Lighthouse in your will, you’re creating a permanent, powerful lifeline for thousands of teens. You’re ensuring that our mission—to educate and raise awareness about adolescent depression—continues to grow, reaching more students in more communities every year.
Join the Erika's Lighthouse Legacy Society
When you inform us of your intention to include Erika’s Lighthouse in your will or estate plan, you automatically become a member of our Legacy Society. This is our way of celebrating your incredible commitment and ensuring you are a part of our community today. As a member, you’ll receive recognition on a plaque at the Erika’s Lighthouse office, a certificate of generosity, and membership into Beacons of Hope, An Erika’s Lighthouse Exclusive Community of Supporters.
This August, as you consider creating or updating your will, we invite you to consider the legacy you want to leave. What impact do you hope to have on the world? If it’s a world where young people feel empowered to talk about their mental health and no one feels alone in their depression, then a planned gift to Erika’s Lighthouse is the perfect way to make that vision a reality.
To learn more about planned giving and how you can become a member of the Legacy Society, please visit our Legacy Giving page. If you’ve already included us in your will, thank you! Please let us know so we can thank you properly and welcome you into the Legacy Society. To confirm your membership or for questions, please contact Laura Geiger at laura@erikaslighthouse.org or fill out the form on our Legacy Giving page.
Together, we can ensure that a legacy of hope and support will light the way for generations of teens to come.
