Jennifer Weatherholt Hortz Leaves Legacy Gift to KDF in Her Estate Plan

Jennifer Weatherholt Hortz grew up in Cincinnati, received her B.A. in finance from Miami University in 1995 and has enjoyed a successful career in corporate finance—the last eight years primarily in software implementation consulting. “I was super involved in college,” she says. “While I wasn’t on council and didn’t hold any appointed offices, I loved my collegiate KD experience and the sisterhood. I’ve gotten 500 times more out of KD after college.”

After graduation Jennifer moved to Columbus, Ohio, for a job and decided to become more involved with KD. “I was new in the city, and it was an opportunity for me to connect with my new community,” she says. “I started on the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) at Ohio State. It was something new, and I loved it! First, I was the VP-Standards advisor, then the VP-Finance advisor and then eventually the CAB chair. I was all in!”

When Jennifer and her husband of 23 years, Brian, were doing their estate planning, she decided to include the Kappa Delta Foundation as a beneficiary of her trust. “All of our investments will go into the trusts, and the trust will handle the distribution later,” says Jennifer, who has left her gift to support alumnae and/or volunteers in leadership development.

“I would love to see my funds go toward alumnae development, such as chapter advisor training, alumnae chapter leadership development, etc.,” Jennifer says. “That aligns with my experience of getting so much from KD as an alumna. It is a way for me to leave a legacy and support my alumnae sisters and help them grow like I did.”

The greatest personal benefit Jennifer has gained from her involvement with KD has been gaining sisters from all over the country. “I was on the National Leadership Team (NLT) 20 years ago and came back many years later, and some of the same people are still there,” she says. “I have sisters now who are the closest people in my life from NLT because of that common bond in KD. Going back to that first NLT-A was like coming home!”

Jennifer also enjoys the leadership opportunities KD volunteering offers for her own personal development. “It allows me to give back to an organization that’s given me so much,” she says. “I would have never thought KD would have such an impact on my life when I was a collegian. Here I am 30 years later, still volunteering and being involved with KD! I think collegians don’t see the bigger picture, but there’s so much more to your membership than you ever could imagine when you’re in college. There is so much more to be had, to experience and to benefit from.”

Jennifer encourages others to consider the types of legacy gifts they could leave to benefit the future of Kappa Delta. “Making a planned gift is an opportunity to leave a mark that is so much bigger than yourself,” she concludes. “Making a gift like this to the foundation gives you the opportunity to make a larger impact than if you tried to do it on your own.”