Though Donna Helble didn’t have any children in her lifetime, her legacy will go on to benefit countless kids in Iowa and Minnesota.
The 68-year-old donated everything she had to charity after her passing in March.
“Donna was a very special and giving person,” Debbie Block, the director of development at Winona State University where Helble worked, told WQAD. “I think she taught us all how to be a better version of ourselves. I think she would be amazed at the legacy she’s going to leave throug her family. That’s going to touch so many other families.”
Helble’s decided that her 100-year-old 381-acre family farm in Clinton County, Iowa would be sold after her passing with the proceeds given to charity.
That farm was put up for auction on June 16 at Central DeWitt High School. All of the proceeds of the sale would be donated to more than a dozen organizations that Helble admired. Everything that was put on auction was bought up by four bidders within 15 minutes.
“Her mom always said, ‘Do the right thing,'” Helble’s friend Roger Hill said. “That’s what she always did.”
The total sale for four tracts of land was $4,771,000.
Portions of the proceeds will help build an education wing at Simpson College where Helble attended.
“Her wonderful support over the years through her estate is making am an amazing impact,” said Christopher Goodale, assistant vice president for college advancement.
Helble’s donations are just a continuation of her lifelong dedication to education.
She spent more than 16 years as an elementary school teacher in Winona. She had also been named Winona Teacher of the Year and is among the Who’s Who America’s Teachers.
She was also a professor of elementary education at Winona State University from 1998 to 2012 and was given emerita status when she retired.
Helble has also been involved with numerous charitable organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Rotary Club, United Way, American Red Cross, the Winona County Cancer Society, the American Association of University Women and countless others, most of which are related to education, according to the Winona State University Foundation’s website.
Though Helble’s memory will continue through her generous legacy, she is missed by friend’s who say her impact has gone well beyond the donations she left after her passing.
“We just miss her laugh and miss her phone calls,” Debbie Greenwood, Winona said. “She was always there as a friend and mentor for people.”
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