Dear Friends,

As our family and our work enter a new chapter, I want to share an update and express my heartfelt gratitude to the community that has helped bring our vision to life.

After Steve Heller passed away in 2020, I chose to dissolve the Heller Family Foundation’s 501(c)(3) entity and continue our charitable support through a donor-advised fund. Our commitment to the mission Steve and I shared remains unchanged: supporting the health of the individual, the community, and the natural environment.

In 2026, we celebrate twenty years of collaborative work and a particularly meaningful recognition of Steve’s contribution. The Lopez Island School District Trustees recently voted unanimously to name the L.I.F.E. Garden in honor of its co-founder: Steve Heller Memorial LIFE Garden. I am deeply grateful for this tribute. The garden continues to connect students with the soil, the food they grow, and the living world around them.

The Lopez Island Fitness and Ecology (L.I.F.E.) Trail was built by a team Steve brought together to complement the L.I.F.E. Garden Program at Lopez School. Today, Conservation Corps volunteers maintain the trail with continued support from its founders. It remains a place for movement, discovery, and connection with nature for students and the greater island community.

From January 2008 through January 2020, Evening Meals at School brought our community together in convivial celebration of local food, farms, environmental stewardship, and connection. Although this gathering tradition ended amid the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains a lasting testament to the power of grassroots sharing and celebration.

S&S Homestead Farm continues to serve as a model of sustainable farming and education. Its founders have generously donated the farm to a national land trust to ensure its continued operation in perpetuity. This enduring gift carries forward the achievements, generosity, and dedication that have characterized their work over the past two and a half decades.

The Heller Family Foundation’s mission now lives on as Heller Family Legacy, through the continuing L.I.F.E. Programs and our family’s ongoing philanthropy. In partnership with our son and daughter, we remain committed to the values that inspired this work: supporting healthy, vibrant communities rooted in care for one another and the natural environment.

To the many wonderful individuals and organizations with whom we have collaborated: thank you. Your vision, generosity, and participation have made these programs possible and continue to sustain their promise.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Michele Heller
Co-Founder, Heller Family Foundation
Heller Family Legacy