Legacy Donor Spotlight: Juanda Halper
Friends of Juanda Halper say she was an unconventional, determined woman with a dry wit and an eye for efficiency. Raised in a household that was unstable and often chaotic, Juanda bounced around San Francisco from house to house living with a series of different stepdads. Her grandmother was an anchor in her life, encouraging Juanda to enroll in Cal Berkeley despite the limited societal expectations for women at that time.
Juanda enjoyed her career as a corporate accountant. When she was in her forties, she fell in love and married a schoolteacher who loved to travel. His passion for visiting new places inspired Juanda to switch paths, earning a teaching credential so the couple could spend summers traveling across the country in their cozy trailer.
Juanda cared deeply about building a sustainable future for disenfranchised youth. She believed that young people shouldn’t spend the rest of their lives paying for the mistakes of adults who failed them. She wanted all youth to have opportunities to grow, and saw that same belief reflected in SAY’s programs.
Juanda chose to include SAY in her estate plans. When she passed away in November of 2021, she left a legacy gift reflecting her lifelong mission to help youth succeed. We are so honored to be a recipient of her generosity.