For Jeanne Helphenstine, generosity began long before she opened a donor advised fund. It began on her family’s ranch, around a dinner table, and with a simple belief passed from one generation to the next: no one should go hungry.
Jeanne’s grandparents, Allan and Yolanda Righetti, were Swiss Italian immigrants who operated a dairy farm on 143 acres off Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo. Life on the Righetti Ranch was grounded in hard work, gratitude, and caring for neighbors. Those values became part of the family and eventually shaped the way Jeanne thought about giving back to the community she calls home.
Years later, Jeanne found an opportunity to carry those values forward with her mother, Barbara.
Giving Together
Jeanne encouraged her mother to consider making a charitable gift through The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County. It offered an opportunity to give in a tax advantaged way while creating meaningful impact close to home.
But what began as a practical conversation about charitable giving became something much more personal.
Jeanne and Barbara each established their own donor advised fund at the Foundation. Soon, philanthropy became something they shared.
Each year, mother and daughter would talk about what was happening in the community, learn about local organizations, discover new causes, and decide where they wanted their giving to make a difference. Agriculture and food security were natural priorities given their family history, while the arts also held a special place in their hearts.
For Jeanne, those conversations became as meaningful as the grants themselves.
“Giving became something my mother and I looked forward to each year. We learned from each other, supported what mattered most, and stayed connected to our community in the process.”
Their donor advised funds gave them a vehicle for giving, but the experience gave them something even greater: time spent together around shared values and a deeper connection to the community they loved.
From Family Values to Community Impact
Jeanne’s commitment to service extends well beyond her philanthropy. Throughout her career in real estate and through her volunteer leadership, including her service on the Foundation’s Real Estate Foundation Board, she has remained closely connected to San Luis Obispo County.
That involvement has also changed the way she gives.
The more Jeanne has learned about the challenges facing local families and nonprofits, the more intentional her philanthropy has become. Giving is an opportunity to strengthen organizations doing important work today while investing in the health and vitality of the community for generations to come.
And through it all, the values of the Righetti Ranch remain.
The land that once supported her grandparents’ dairy farm is part of Jeanne’s family history. But their legacy reaches much further than those 143 acres.
It lives in the belief that we care for our neighbors. That we share what we have. That no one in our community should go hungry. And that generosity is something we can teach simply by practicing it together.
For Jeanne and Barbara, philanthropy became a tradition shared between mother and daughter. Today, it is part of a family story that continues to grow, one act of generosity at a time.
Your Giving Can Be a Family Tradition, Too
A donor advised fund can be more than a way to organize charitable giving. It can create an opportunity for families to talk about what they value, learn about their community, and experience the joy of giving together.
At The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, we help individuals and families make giving personal, meaningful, and connected to the place we call home.
Sometimes the most meaningful thing we pass from one generation to the next is not what we have, but what we believe.
Righetti Family Ranch
