Longtime Volunteer’s Estate-Plan Gift to Ensure Her Support Beyond Her Lifetime

Celestia Boughner grew up in rural central Illinois and moved to Chicago in the late 1960s to attend Loyola University. “I lived in a dorm on Delaware Place, next to the Hancock building as it was being built,” she recalls. “I fell in love with the city and never left.”

When she began volunteering at The Morton Arboretum, she immediately became a member. “It encapsulates so much of what I value, trees and the importance of caring for nature,” she says. “For me, being in nature, like the woods or a forest, is grounding—it’s meditative.”

To ensure that her support continues far into the future, Celestia has included the Arboretum in her estate plan as a percentage beneficiary of her trust. “It was a natural evolution from my career as a hospice social worker, acknowledging the importance of planning for the inevitable—thus relieving my family from the burden of guesswork as to my last wishes.”

Celestia appreciates that her gift will make an impact both now and in the future. “It makes me proud that my name is on a plaque outside the plant clinic in honor of this gift,” she says. “Others see my name as a member of the 1922 Legacy Society, and they might think about making a similar gift.”

After retiring from a 20-year career as a hospice social worker, Celestia wanted to make use of her time by volunteering for organizations that shared her values. “I want to have a positive impact on the Arboretum,” she says. “It’s more than land and trees. It has programs that entertain and educate, with the goal of improving our communities and bringing families together.”

Celestia hopes to inspire generosity in others. “You don’t have to be wealthy to make a difference—any amount will do that,” she concludes. “We are helping to take care of the resources that we have by supporting the Arboretum. It’s something you can be proud of. It’s something that outlasts you. It goes beyond you.”