Gayle's Gifts Charitable Fund: Simply Making An Impact

Sprawling lawns with stately architecture fill the front window of Gayle Rothrock’s apartment on Officers’ Row at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. For over a decade, Gayle has lived in one of the 21 Queen Anne-style houses that dot this promenade. But her apartment is more than a home—it’s a lasting reminder of the incredible impact people can create when they contribute their strengths and resources toward a common goal.

That’s because sixty years ago, the row was a very different place. Many of its 19th century houses had fallen into disrepair. Then, in the 1970s, a grassroots effort sparked conversations about preserving this important piece of Pacific Northwest history for community use. Gayle became one of the driving forces raising public funds to protect and restore Officers’ Row. Eight years and $11 million later, the collective effort paid off. Today, the historic site has become one of Vancouver’s premier cultural and historical attractions.

“I feel fortunate to have helped save these historic homes from destruction and rehabilitate them into beautiful houses, businesses and social spaces,” Gayle said.

Gayle has a front-row seat to it all and enjoys watching the seasons, wildlife and people go by. For her, the project was an extension of her many years working on conservation and environmental protection efforts across the Pacific Northwest. This is just one of the charitable passions that led her to establish a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington in 2017.

Gayle’s Gifts Charitable Fund benefits various causes every year, including healthcare, housing and homelessness, youth development, and arts and culture. While her charitable interests are broad, her support is all tied to a common place—Washington and Oregon. Gayle has lived most of her life in these two states.

“I grew up poor. My dad was a traveling salesperson—not a particularly lucrative job—and my mom was a housewife,” Gayle said. “I was very aware of the many things we couldn’t have or do that other kids could. And I knew in my heart that if I got a college education and jobs that paid well, I would share what I had to make other people’s lives better.”

Early on, Gayle experienced that kind of support firsthand. Graduating at the top of her class at Grant High School in Portland, she received a $100 scholarship from the school’s Dad’s Club, which she used to cover train fares to and from Mills College in Oakland, Calif. There, she attended on a Proctor & Gamble scholarship and received a bachelor’s in American studies before going on to earn her Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington.

A 40-plus-year career followed, where she worked in administration and mediation for public, government and nonprofit agencies. As administrator of the Northwest Fund for the Environment in Seattle, Gayle oversaw grantmaking for more than 250 nonprofits and became immersed in philanthropy. Years later, her father died and left an invested sum to her mother. When her mother later passed, Gayle inherited what she describes as “too much money.”

“People and organizations had been good to me. I knew what it meant to have a financial boost, which set the tone to give, give, give,” she said. “I feel if wealth comes your way because of personal savings or inheritance, it’s meant to do good.”

She launched Gayle’s Gifts Charitable Fund to continue supporting the local organizations she loves while responding to new opportunities surfaced by the Community Foundation. Dozens of organizations have benefited since.

“I trust the staff and community grants committee,” Gayle explained. “They stay on top of the needs for the three-county area and keep me informed. It makes giving with impact easy.”

Support for Friends of the Columbia Gorge and Columbia Land Trust reflects her deep care for conservation efforts along the river. Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Confluence and The Historic Trust share her appreciation of arts, culture and history. More recently, Gayle was moved by the Community Foundation’s General Scholarship Fund, which provides second-chance awards to underrepresented students. She saw her younger self in these scholars—determined, capable, but lacking financial support—and knew she wanted to help them achieve their educational goals.

“It feels good knowing that these assets are doing good,” Gayle said. At 78, she accepts that “the trip between now and the final horizon is shorter and shorter, and that means I’m stepping up my giving. Giving needs to stay in the forefront, because it represents the best and most compassionate values in life.”

Her philosophy is powerful in its simplicity: anyone can create change—all it takes is sharing your gifts.