The Eberts
Living in a rural community in the 1980’s, August and Lela Ebert were ranchers. They had no children of their own. However, they were Oma and Opa to many young people who visited their ranch during the summers for “ranch camp.” They loved the sights and sounds of children enjoying the great outdoors. For many, the ranch with its cows and horses was a new experience coming from the big cities. The Eberts along with friendly conversation always handed out fresh baked cookies. They called these visitors their “special children”.
After visiting with various Lutheran leaders in the community, the Eberts decided to make a legacy gift through a revocable living trust with the Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest. There would be provisions in the trust to take care of them during their lifetimes and upon the passing of the survivor, their ranch would be given to the camping program in the Southwestern Texas Synod to insure that for generations to come there would be a ranch camp to foster the outdoor experience with all its beauty and spirituality.
In addition to this generous gift, they established an endowment that would provide funds annually to support the operations of the camp.