Kirsten Franzen says that she has been lucky.
“I had opportunities that I think a lot of other folks don’t have,” she said. “I had a lot of things in my favor throughout my life that have allowed me to have a fairly comfortable and successful life, and I know that not everyone is similarly situated.”
For her, giving back is a way to “balance the playing field a little bit.”
After moving to Pittsburgh nine years ago, she wanted a way to give back to the community that embraced her and found a way to do so through a friend who worked for Allies for Health + Wellbeing, who encouraged her to join Allies' board of directors.
What Kirsten appreciates about Allies is its holistic approach to its patients and clients living with HIV.
“Just providing medical care isn’t going to get people all the way to where they need to be,” she said. “Helping out with housing, helping out with having nutritious meals … it's really inspiring to me to how much thought and effort goes into how all those other background needs are being met so people can have really good medical outcomes.”
In addition to supporting Allies through her work on the board, Kirsten has embraced Allies’ new legacy giving program, the Allies Legends Society. She became one of the founding members this fall.
“It’s rough out here,” she said. “People may not have the funds right now to contribute. Now might not be the best time, but you can absolutely have that impact with the legacy giving program. It’s a way to give when times are a little tough and feel good about supporting an organization that you care about.”
If you're interested in giving to Allies as part of your legacy, or learning more about other giving opportunities, please contact Alex Neal, senior director of development and marketing, at 412-910-0077 or email aneal@alliespgh.org(opens in a new tab).
