A Purposeful Retirement Begins with a First Gift to the Land

By Hillary Pollaro, Major Gift Manager

July 7, 2025

Joanne Roessler has spent most of her adult life in the Bay Area, but her values are shaped by her Midwestern roots. She grew up in Wisconsin – one of eight siblings in a family of dairy farmers –  where she gained an early appreciation for hard work, community, and land that’s cared for.

She moved west in the early 1980s, building a career in print production just as digital tools were entering the field. “I was working with drum scanners and airbrushing pixels when that was still a new thing,” she said. Over time, she became a self-taught designer, working in San Francisco and eventually Marin County.

More recently, Joanne has begun stepping back from professional work and taking time to reflect on what’s next – and what truly matters. “I go to the farmers market weekly,” she said, “and I asked myself some questions: How do I support these farmers? Does me buying their produce keep the market going? Does it enhance my life now having sustainable organic local grown products available? Where does this all begin?”

Her answer: the land.

The Wisconsin dairy farm where Joanne Roessler grew up as one of eight siblings (left) and her Grandpa Jack (right), whose farming heritage instilled the values that later inspired her support for agricultural land preservation in Marin County.

While designing the monthly newsletter for Villa Marin, a local retirement community, Joanne learned about a staff member’s recent trip to West Marin. It struck a chord. Soon after, she began researching local food and land-based organizations and discovered MALT.

“There are families – people – who know how to do this while respectfully nurturing the land,” she said. “It’s comforting to me to know that people are continuing to care about the land.”

Inspired by MALT’s mission and her personal connection to agriculture and food, Joanne made a generous decision. She emailed Villa Marin staff member Kat with a special request: instead of paying her usual fee for the newsletter design, she asked that the amount be donated to MALT.

“If the land isn’t nurtured and protected would this continue to exist and grow for the better of the community? I don’t know the right answer, but what I do know is that it adds value to me living here in Marin County.”

This was her first gift to MALT, but Joanne has long been drawn to and supported efforts through her work that align with her values. As she reorients her time and energy in retirement, she is seeking out causes that feel local, tangible, and lasting. “If the land isn’t nurtured and protected would this continue to exist and grow for the better of the community? I don’t know the right answer, but what I do know is that it adds value to me living here in Marin County.”

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