I am sharing the following story with the author’s permission. The International Board of Jewish Missions (IBJM) and Brother John C. Lawrence are both dear to my heart and I always enjoy reading their magazine, The Everlasting Nation. This article was printed in The Everlasting Nation’s Special Issue, 2021. While its scope is beyond the Tennessee Mountains, the heart of these ladies resonates with those of our own ancestors and I felt you good readers would enjoy it.

During an epidemic of another time and generation, an obscure schoolteacher, Eleanor Abbott, from San Diego, California created a game known as Candyland in 1948. It endured the test of time to become one of the most beloved children’s games ever created. Eleanor contracted polio at age 36 and was confined to a hospital ward with many children. As a teacher, she thought about what she might do to provide a creative diversion for them from the hospital routine as they struggled with that disabling disease that mostly affected young children. She created Candyland, and children just loved it.

It was so popular with younger folks that she was encouraged to take it to Milton-Bradley which mass-produced it in 1949 and long after. In those early years, Miss Abbott, who lived with her sister Betty Ann, gave most of her royalties to children’s charities. The first edition of the game featured a boy in a leg brace, one of the tragic marks of those disabled by polio, but later editions did not include it.

As Paul Harvey said, now would you like to know the “rest of the story?” What many people do not know is that Eleanor Abbott was a dedicated Christian who loved Jewish people. She met our founder, Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus, in his extensive travels and was impressed with his burden for the salvation of Jewish people, which she shared. In 1984, Milton-Bradley was acquired by Hasbro which continued to improve and produce her popular game. By most accounts, it sold a million or more copies annually. Children never seem to tire of the simple fantasy game.

At the same time (1984), the Abbott sisters made provision for their estate, thinking about their legacy. The later Brother Lee Fick, our IBJM business manager at that time, once told me the back story. The ladies chose to make a spiritual investment. They drew up legal documents to bequeath their Candyland royalties to four Christian organizations of which IBJM was on! Dr. Gartenhaus sent Brother Fick to San Diego to be present when the sisters executed their legacy documents. He remarked that they were very diligent to make sure the four beneficiaries would receive all they had intended and secured it for the future. Miss Abbott passed away in 1988.

Since that time, Candyland continues to be a best seller. In 2005, the game was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Royalties have continued to produce considerable income for all four religious organizations designated as the Abbotts’ beneficiaries. It is a precious gift that keeps on giving, with annual investments in the Lord’s work bearing eternal dividends. It remains one of the most substantial gifts IBJM receives each year to fund our Everlasting Nation Ministries.

The Abbott sisters are an enduring testimony to what a Legacy gift can do for God’s work, lasting a long time. Have we thought about our own legacies? How can we make a difference by deploying our resources far into the future through careful estate planning? The Abbott sisters made certain that what they left behind continued to be invested in the furtherance of the gospel long after they were gone. Many options are available to invest in heavenly treasure that neither rusts nor fades away. We give thanks to the Lord for two godly sisters for whom God’s work was of the highest priority!

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” Matthew 6:20