A Sign of Hope

ICCF Community Homes hosted the second annual Homes & Hope Legacy Luncheon on May 11, 2023, as an enjoyable way to express our gratitude to donors who have included a legacy contribution to ICCF in their estate plans.

Our former CEO, Jonathan Bradford, introduced this year’s featured speaker, former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, who has been an ICCF friend since our earliest days.

In his remarks, George powerfully affirmed ICCF’s early history and our present vision, stating that ICCF’s investments in real estate were similar to the prophet Jeremiah’s purchase of his cousin’s field at Anathoth while all around him Israel was in panic as it fell to Babylon’s onslaught (Jeremiah 32).

He spoke about ICCF’s very earliest days, when “a group of people came together who had the audacity to believe that in a moment of deep despair God’s love could penetrate even that impossible situation to bring hope to a people who were ready to give up.” And like Jeremiah’s purchase of his cousin’s field, Heartwell described ICCF as a “…sign of hope, the evidence of redemption, the promise of God’s love that pierces even the most hopeless times”.

Donors who make a planned gift commitment in their estate plans help ensure that the mission of ICCF Community Homes—equitable opportunity, affordable homes, thriving neighborhoods—will continue to meet critical present needs in ways that leave a “legacy” of blessing for future generations. For more event photos and information, visit iccf.org/planned-gifts or visit the “Legacy Luncheon 2023” page.