Talk about leaving a lasting legacy.
Mark Nolan once helped a struggling single mom move into a renovated home and created a pathway for her children to get a college education – including one now studying at University of Southern California. His sister, Linda Polly, has all but adopted the San Diego Lifeguard community, earning a 2023 Citizen of the Year Award from the San Diego Lifesaving Association for her wide-ranging support that runs the gamut from preparing home-cooked meals to delivering gift cards during the holidays.
Theirs is a powerful story of individual giving, family philanthropy and legacy building. Mark – who has long had a donor-advised fund at San Diego Foundation – opened separate funds for Linda, her two children, and another sister, Sheila, who, in turn, donated to the Mount Baker Climate Laboratory in the northern Cascades to support climate research. In addition, he plans on leaving a portion of his assets to various charitable funds in the future.
“There’s just something about giving to other people,” says Mark, a retired attorney. “For me, it’s more enjoyable than spending it on myself. I’m hoping to support those values within my family.”
Linda downplays her giving. “I don’t think I am an inspiration at all,” she says. “Most of my wonderful friends in San Diego are giving in amazing ways to our community. I’m very fortunate to be invited to events where they are honored and where I can see philanthropy all over the city.”
Strategic Giving
Mark’s philanthropy is focused on communities south of the border. It grew from efforts more than 45 years ago that included building homes in Tijuana to bringing Christmas gifts to children living in orphanages. Causes have since grown to include the Tijuana Family Aid Project, where he coordinated scholarship funding and financial assistance for students from some of the area’s most underserved families, while helping to construct modest but safe housing for those in need. He also supported agencies such as Los Amigos de Los Niños, an informal network of San Diegans who assisted struggling families and orphanages in Baja California.
He’s not about just writing a check. Mark develops close relationships with the families he supports, and says his contributions can make a greater impact in communities such as Tijuana, where even a modest grant can be transformational in someone’s life.
“These are small organizations without an abundance of resources,” says Mark, who established his SDF donor-advised fund approximately a dozen years ago but also pays out of pocket for school tuition, school uniforms, and school supplies for students he has “adopted.”
Linda’s support for city lifeguards began after she witnessed a dramatic rescue in front of her La Jolla condo.
“A huge crowd had gathered, watching in shock as a man flailed around screaming for help while he was being pulled under by huge waves during high tide,” she said. “Within minutes, lifeguards raced to the scene, grabbed equipment off their truck, bounded over the cliff, and swam like Olympians out to the victim. Back on shore, the crowd stood in stunned silence as the lifeguards revived the swimmer, shook his hand, and walked quietly back up the hill, secured their equipment, slowly turned their truck around, and drove back to the Children’s Pool lifeguard station.”
Within days, Linda launched what she calls her weekly marathon of cooking and collecting meals for lifeguards throughout La Jolla. “The joy in this effort is what I learned from Mark, who gives to people for whom there is no expectation that they will return the favor,” she says. “These young men and women risk their lives every day, rappelling off cliffs and swimming through dangerous water. My reward comes from supporting them.”
Linda provides more than a hearty lunch or dinner. Her SDF fund has helped finance the cost of various equipment and specialized trainings.
Said San Diego Lifeguard Sgt. Jimmy Le Beau: “Linda Polly is a light to the Lifeguard Service. She serves lifeguards with her time, her energy and her resources. In a world where many folks don’t have a deep understanding about the role lifeguards play in public safety, Linda’s voice is a champion of spreading awareness. Her kindness and compassion radiates through the lifeguard stations she enters. Her service is beyond appreciated. Linda Polly is service in action.”
Rooted in Community
Mark and Linda trace their service-minded approach to their Midwestern upbringing in Iowa, where community support came naturally.
“In Iowa, families didn’t ask for help,” says Linda. “Neighbors just provided it without being asked.”
Adds Mark: “Everybody who experiences giving to others enjoys it. It’s just a matter of getting started.”
If you haven’t already, you, too, can get started on supporting your community through SDF. Donate online, establish a new fund, or create a charitable a legacy that will keep on giving for future generations.
