Legacy Giving

There’s no way Donna could have known the immense impact she would have on countless vulnerable youth when she named Trails in her will, but her gift means her legacy will live on for generations to come.

Donna Hayhurst Nicholas led an incredible life with many notable accomplishments, described in her obituary as “an accomplished yet amazingly honest stockbroker and analyst, gifted property designer and friend-maker extraordinaire.” In her many roles and in the many places she lived around the globe, Donna fully and joyfully embraced life and was said to be generous to a fault.

She always listened with interest when her cousin, Jim Hayhurst, Sr. described the charity he started for vulnerable youth in 1992. While it was not something she had experience with, she clearly saw Hurst’s passion and wholeheartedly trusted him to use her gift where it was most needed.

And so, when she created her will, Donna named Trails as one of the beneficiaries of her estate. She could not know when the gift would come, or what the needs of the organization would be at that time. Her unrestricted legacy gift ended up changing the future of Trails in a significant way.

Donna’s gift meant Trails could confidently move forward with plans to double the Four Seasons, Four Years, For Life program, welcoming 40 new participants each year to begin their four-year journey. One of the major barriers to expansion was having a place for the additional participants and their staff to sleep. Her funding covered the complete costs of building and furnishing the Hilltop Cabin, providing a “home away from home” with 36 beds.

Her gift also allowed for the publication of the book, Blazing Trails, Changing Lives by Jim Hayhurst, Sr. With this book, we have a handbook for staff, youth, and donors; we can share it’s inspiring message to raise funds and engage our community, and we have the story of “Hurst”. This connection to our founder – written in his own words and published less than a year before his passing – is valuable and impactful in a way we cannot measure.

Donna’s generosity and kindness to Trails shows the power of legacy giving. Her gift to Trails allows us to make a difference for more youth today and in the years to come. Trails is now part of Donna’s life story, and she is an important part of the Trails story – her legacy lives on.

The Starfish Story was a favourite analogy shared by our friend, Hurst, the founder of Trails. Have you heard it? As the story goes, there are thousands of starfish stranded on a sandy beach just after a storm. In the distance, a person throws one back, takes a few steps, and throws another one back – one by one, into the ocean. Another person walks up and says, “What are you doing? You can’t save them all. What difference can this possibly make?” The person on the beach picks up another starfish, and throws it back into the ocean, saying, “it makes a difference to that one.”We are proud to support Trails today, and see the impact of our giving on the lives of young people – one life at a time. We also made the decision to leave a gift in our Will, because we want to make sure that Trails is always here for young people who have great potential but are facing barriers.

Trails aligns with our goals for giving. As a family, we support organizations that help level the playing field and give youth a chance. It also matters to us that we support charities where we have a connection and can trust how the money is spent. We’ve both seen for ourselves what a crucial difference Trails makes–and it’s very inspiring. We are confident that our support gives someone a chance at a different path and a better life. What could be more important?

– Greig and Carolyn Clark