Sharon and Bill Reuter: Bringing Community and Generosity Together

What makes Sharon and Bill Reuter love living in Ridgley's Delight? It's the sense of community and generosity they have felt since they relocated to Baltimore 30 years ago from New York to work as designers in the magazine industry.

"When we first moved to Baltimore, we had a visit from a neighbor who told us that if we ever were locked out of the house, they could help — because they had a copy of our key already," says Sharon with a laugh. "That's just the kind of neighborhood this is — everyone is so close and generous."

The Reuters are carrying that sense of generosity into their charitable giving plans through BCF, where they are building a legacy to help students interested in graphic design pursue their dreams. And, of course, they have fully embraced their neighborhood's sense of generosity — they hold a lot of house keys for their neighbors, too.

The Reuters, who now own and operate a graphic design firm, learned of BCF after participating in a giving circle here. When they began to look at planning for their estate, they knew that they wanted to include charitable giving, and they wanted to create opportunities for young people in Baltimore to pursue careers at graphic designers, like they have.

"We have always supported the young people in our neighborhood, and when it was time to plan our estate, we knew we wanted to do something that could help students identify and pursue their interests," says Sharon.

The Bill and Sharon Reuter Fund at BCF is already making grants to help students at the Baltimore Design School hone their graphic design skills. The Reuters also will ensure that their impact will last beyond their lifetimes by providing a legacy gift to help students.

"It made sense to us to leave a bequest through BCF that would create a scholarship fund to benefit young people who share our passion for graphic design," says Bill. "It feels good — if a little intangible — to know that what we give now could be helping students succeed decades into the future."