Her will, her way

“As soon as I go past that sign at the front of Best Friends, I know I’m in a place where my soul’s happy because the animals are happy,” says Alida Collewyn about her trek to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. “It’s like heaven on Earth.”

Alida — a cat lover, adopter of two kitties, and active member in her community’s trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) efforts — first became aware of Best Friends’ work in 1992, when she was driving through Kanab on vacation and saw a sign for the Sanctuary. The next year, she jumped at the chance to take a tour of the Sanctuary and soon thought to herself, “I’m going to donate.”

Although Alida had always planned to leave Best Friends something in her will, she found the initial process confusing. But thanks to the help of the Best Friends planned giving team, she was introduced to Giving Docs, a simplified platform for creating wills and estate plans that also enables folks to plan meaningful legacies through charitable giving processes.

“It was just so easy,” Alida remarks. “The fact that you can get a legal document done without the cost of an attorney is great, and Giving Docs makes sure that it’s done correctly per your state’s requirements. There’s a peace of mind when it’s done.”

When asked whether she wishes she had been introduced to Giving Docs sooner, Alida replies, “I kept putting doing my will off. And then when I finally did it with Giving Docs, I thought, oh my gosh — it only took me 15 minutes!

“I recommend using Giving Docs to everyone. And I’m grateful to Best Friends for making that available.”