Continue Tanner's Legacy
Tanner believed the best way to leave the world better than you found it was to help other people experience joy, ask bigger questions, and discover confidence in themselves. These organizations reflect the values that shaped his life and continue the work he cared about most.
FAMILY
Give Kids The World Village
Long before cancer became part of our story, Give Kids The World held a special place in our hearts because of the joy, hope, and unforgettable memories it creates for families facing a child's critical illness.
Just as Tanner and I were preparing to begin the journey into parenthood, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The miracle we prayed for, the time we hoped for, and the children we dreamed of never had the chance to become part of this lifetime.
As we came to terms with the future that had been taken from us, we realized something: if we could no longer create those magical memories with the family we dreamed of, then we wanted to help make them possible for another family.
That is exactly what Give Kids The World does.
About the Organization
Give Kids The World Village is a nonprofit resort that provides week-long, cost-free vacations for children with critical illnesses and their families. Through extraordinary experiences filled with joy, laughter, and wonder, families are able to step away from hospitals and treatments and simply spend precious time together creating memories that will last a lifetime.
EMPOWERMENT
Code.org
Tanner believed one of the greatest gifts you could give another person was the knowledge and confidence to shape their own future. He devoted much of his career to helping people learn practical skills that could transform their lives.Â
Tanner was constantly looking ahead and thought deeply about technology, artificial intelligence, and how quickly the world was changing. More importantly, he cared about preparing people for those changes so they would not be excluded, overwhelmed, or left behind.
Supporting Code.org continues that vision by helping students learn computer science and artificial intelligence regardless of their background or circumstances. It invests in a future where young people can understand technology, question it, create with it, and use it to build better lives.
About the Mission
Code.org is an education nonprofit working to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn computer science and artificial intelligence as part of a foundational K–12 education. It provides free curriculum, teacher training, classroom resources, partnerships, and advocacy that prepare students for an increasingly technology-driven future.
CURIOSITY
Bell Museum
Learning was not simply something Tanner enjoyed. It was part of who he was.
Whether he was discussing artificial intelligence or aliens, wandering through a virtual reality, researching a new idea, or excitedly sharing something fascinating with another person, Tanner believed there was always more to understand.
The Bell Museum embodies that same spirit of curiosity and exploration. It invites people of all ages to ask questions, look more closely, and leave knowing something they did not know before.
Supporting the museum helps future generations experience the same awe, curiosity, and joy of discovery that Tanner carried throughout his life.
About the Museum
The Bell Museum is Minnesota's official natural history museum and planetarium. Through exhibits, astronomy programs, research, education, and community outreach, it inspires people to explore our natural world, our universe, and our place within it.
Donors may support the area that speaks to them most, including planetarium programming, astronomy education, Museum without Boundaries, and K–12 and Family Education initiatives.
The measure of a life is not only in how deeply we are loved, but in how far that love continues to reach.
Thank you for helping Tanner's joy, curiosity, generosity, and belief in others continue shaping the lives of people he may never have had the chance to meet.